‘Summer House’ set designer kept it ‘classy’ for highly anticipated reunion

About two decades ago, Scott Sicari was approached to design a reunion set for a show called “Manhattan Moms.” “We set up in the Russian Tea Room with some guy that nobody knew named Andy Cohen,” he said. The show, rebranded as “The Real Housewives of New York City,” would become a cornerstone of the Bravo reality TV phenomenon. Sicari has stayed for the ride. “It’s been a nice, really unexpected, beautiful twist in my career,” he said.

Sicari has been a TV host and a production designer for 30 years, previously at MTV and VH1, working on music videos and commercials. Today, he works with Bravo production companies, including Truly Original, which produces “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” “The Real Housewives of Dubai,” and “Summer House,” among others.

The company also produced the New York City-based “Summer House” spinoff “In the City,” which premiered this week after the “Summer House” season finale.

While some reunion sets have been over-the-top — bringing in sand for “The Real Housewives of Dubai” and koi fish for “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” — the “Summer House” sets are quite predictable as it was established early on that they would all take place in a recreation of the show’s Hampton’s house backyard with variations each season, usually themed to the cast parties (“Snoozefest” comes to mind). This year, however, the reunion was not a party.

All eyes will be on the “Summer House” season 10 reunion when it airs on May 26 — part one is even scheduled to be shown on the big screen at AMC in Flatiron. For those not in the know, in March, cast members Amanda Batula and West Wilson confirmed rumors that the two have been secretly romantically involved, prompting swift backlash as Wilson and castmate and close friend of Batula’s, Ciara Miller, have had a will-they-won’t-they relationship.

Batula recently split from husband and castmate Kyle Cooke, the news of which broke shortly before the season premiered. Leading up to the highly anticipated reunion, there were even audio leaks, revealing the tension in the room. Even Sicari, who typically does not stay for the duration of the reunion tapings (which can last upwards of 12 hours and result in three-episode reunions), stayed for this one.

“The energy leading up was incredibly stressful for all of us and for the cast to anticipate it for three weeks since the bomb dropped,” Lauren Eskelin, “Summer House” executive producer and EVP of Programming at Truly Original, said.

“But I think [the cast was] looking forward to getting it behind them … For the cast, this is a real-life tight group of friends, and they had to address really, really hard things. We have a lot of compassion for everyone in that situation. It’s not easy for them.”

As such, the set is not as campy and fun as it has been in the past.

“We knew this was not going to be a kitschy, silly, funny setting for some pretty heavy stuff that our cast was dealing with, so the set needed to reflect that and not distract from it,” Eskelin said.

“We kept it classy,” Sicari added.

The trailer, which dropped this week, shows white hydrangeas as a backdrop for intense discussion. The cast’s outfits give another glimpse into the vibe for the reunion. Miller’s outfit was the first to be revealed, with many dubbing it her “revenge” dress a la Ariana Madix from “Vanderpump Rules.”

Miller, a model/nurse and TV host, donned a white midriff-bearing gown for the event. Batula is in a yellow two-piece, Lindsay Hubbard is in bright red, and light-colored suits were the fashion choice du jour for the men.

The dress code for the “Summer House” cast is always “summer chic,” said Eskelin.

While Bravo stars choose their own outfits and styling for reunions, some dress code and guidance were implemented early on to create a vibe and a level of cohesion.

“It’s taken on a life of its own,” said Sicari, referring to some of the “theatrics” of the fashion at reunion sets. “In the beginning, it was jeans and sweaters, and they did their own makeup, and now it’s glam teams. It’s really an intense part of the reunion, the fashion.”

Early on, he said, conversations about color schemes (including the color of the couch and how it will match the outfits) happen.

It’s not just fashion that’s evolved. What started as a few couches in a room has become a full-scale production beginning months in advance, even before the season airs. The concept for the set design of reunions usually comes from a cast trip or a big moment in the season.

The latest “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” reunion, for example, recreated a Greek island. Sicari might create a mood board or even renderings for approval before sourcing and building begins.

“I have a set shop in New Jersey where we build everything, and we store things we can repurpose to keep our footprint as nice as possible. I do all the sourcing personally,” he said. It usually takes about two weeks to build the set on a soundstage in New York City.

“When the cast walks out, they don’t know what the design is going to be,” said Eskelin. “And even in ‘Summer House,’ where they pretty much know they’re going to be in their backyard, when they see it and they react to it and they notice all the details on the set, it just sets the stage for the whole day.”

Having done about 120 reunion sets, Sicari said the best part is when Cohen walks out and says, “‘Scott, this is amazing’ after seeing a million of them.”

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The Summer House 3-Part Reunion airs beginning Tuesday, May 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Extended and uncensored versions air the next day on Peacock.