The Hamptons' photogenic beaches and seafood shacks may look great on TV as the perfect backdrop for summertime drama, but locals and lawmakers are working to keep reality TV crews out. Page Six reports that the catalyst for the unofficial ban leads back to the Kardashians.
Back in 2014, Khloé and Kourtney took the long-running series to the Hamptons and, naturally, a slew of other shows followed. Southampton Village Mayor Mark Epley was overheard saying that while the Kardashian sisters kept things pretty low-key, the influx of hangers-on and subsequent film crews weren't so courteous.
"We don't miss the Kardashians. I was tough on them, but they didn’t interfere that much with people in the village, and no one really paid that much attention," Epley was overheard saying at the Southampton Animal Shelter Gala.
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While Epley didn't name any specific shows, Page Six mentions the fact that Bravo's Summer House has faced pushback in East Hampton, where many restaurants and locations aren't allowing crews to film. It got so tough, in fact, that producers had to look to Southampton Village for the show's sophomore season. Epley explained that the beachy enclave wasn't so welcoming, either.
"The village now has strict group-rental laws to stop these shows filming," he added.
After looking up and down the coastline, Summer House landed in Water Mill, since the house that set the stage for season one wouldn't allow the cast and crew to return. Lindsay Hubbard, twin sisters Ashley and Lauren Wirkus, Carl Radke, Stephen McGee, and Kyle Cooke are set to come back to the show, which should have all the drama (there's a hot tub, of course) fans remember. And while locals and Hamptons regulars will undoubtedly see differences between the new Water Mill location and last year's scenic vistas, viewers probably won't notice a thing.
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