Season 5 of Bravo’s Summer House premieres tonight and, honestly, it could not have come at a better time. Many parts of the country are freezing cold and/or blanketed in snow, the daylight hours are still rudely short, and most people haven’t seen their friends in...wait, what are friends again?? So when it comes to living vicariously through a group that gets to party it up at a summer share house in the Hamptons (in full-on quarantine style, that is) I say, yeah, sign me up, and I’ll drown my jealousy in cheap rosé.
Except, as OG housemate Lindsay Hubbard told us ahead of the new season, it was not exactly the chillest summer ever. Instead of filming mostly on weekends over the course of a few months as usual, it went down over six short weeks, during which the entire reality show cast was in the house at all times. Which means...no weekdays back in the city to let any tension cool off before it reached next-level boiling points. No big house parties or nights out to meet new people. And absolutely no moments away from the cameras.
For Lindsay, summer of 2020 was a particularly complicated one. We asked her about ev-er-y-thing, and in true Summer House fashion, she held nothing back (including which episodes her dad’s not allowed to watch 👀). (No, really.)
So this past summer was clearly different from past years you’ve filmed, as far as logistics and having to quarantine and be really careful. How did it work?
Obviously, being in the middle of a global pandemic makes filming a show more challenging. But, you know, I felt extremely safe between the crew and the cast. Everyone had safety as a top priority.
It was interesting, because in every other season you see us going to the Hamptons Friday through Sunday, and then coming back to the city, doing our 9-to-5s, and then going back for the weekend all summer. So staying in the house throughout the week created a very different dynamic, especially for those of us who have been there since day one and who have been doing summer houses for years and years since before the show. And I liked it, because as viewers, you’re able to see just how hard we actually work. It makes us a little bit more relatable because it shows that we work really hard to be able to party so hard on the weekends.
Did you feel like not having the weekdays to cool down escalated any tensions more quickly?
Yeah. In the past, we would be able to go back to the city and gather our thoughts and emotions and then have those tough conversations a couple of days later. It did make it a little bit more interesting that you’re just there—there’s no escaping each other if you have any arguments or tension with somebody. But what I’ve always loved about our group of friends is that we try to work through our challenges with each other quicker than normal.
And you brought your boyfriend Stephen to the house full-time this summer, but you guys are no longer together...did this experience have anything to do with that?
I think that with pandemic and quarantine, you know, some couples got stronger, and some couples didn’t. It’s a lot of togetherness, and it’s not normal, because normally, you go off to work, they go off to work, and then you come back at the end of the day and you catch up. It was definitely difficult on my relationship specifically and unfortunately, things did not work out with Stephen. I am single now, and that was a very, very personal journey that viewers will be able to see for themselves and even take that journey with me. I mean, at the end of the day, I’m not just dating guys to date them for fun. I thought this was my forever guy. And when different dynamics are introduced to your relationship due to being in the middle of a pandemic…unfortunately, it created a lot of challenges for us, which you guys will see.
Living out a relationship on camera is something I’ve gotten used to. Everyone who follows me on Instagram, everyone who follows the show, they’re all very invested in my romantic life and they want the best for me and it’s the sweetest thing. There have been points where I just need to figure out and sort through my own emotions and feelings and need privacy before I’m ready to tell people what’s going on.
Have you had guys trying to slide into your DMs?
I mean, it’s just, like, the nature of the game. Yeah. And it’s really hard. Because, you know, what are you supposed to do? I actually had to have a conversation with my dad. I’m like, all right, Dad. I’m 34. I’m single now. And we’re also in the middle of a global pandemic, which means I can’t just walk outside, go down the street and go on a date with anyone, because we can’t really go anywhere. So I was like, your idea of me having babies anytime soon, you just you need to back off.
But I like Instagram, because it is its own little form of a dating app. And it makes you more accessible to anybody in the world. But you also have to be a little bit hesitant in my situation when it comes to who you can trust or not trust.
I believe in the universe and everything working out the way that it should. And I think it’s important, not only for myself, but for everybody to just be very gentle with themselves during these times.
Is there anything you’re really nervous for audiences to see this season?
I would venture to say that out of most of my castmates, I am a little bit more liberal and free with being intimate with my significant other. So I am a little bit nervous about that. Although it’s very healthy to have sex with your boyfriend, it’s also a different environment when there’s a camera on you at all times. The last couple of years, I tell my dad what not to watch. I had to tell him not to watch parts of last season because of all the conversation around me and Carl. It’s like, “Okay, you can watch this week.” He kind of understands now when I’m like, “Just don’t…”
It’s hard because there is a stigma. On the one side, you’re supposed to have sex with the boy that you love, who’s your boyfriend, and you’re living with him under the same roof. On the other side of it, it’s like, okay, well, but the rest of America is gonna watch this. And you know, that’s a very intimate moment, guys. Some things you want to keep sacred with your significant other. And then there’s times when you’re just drunk and you kind of forget and just operate freely. So yeah, we’ll see.
Do you just kind of forget about the cameras?
Yeah, at this point I’m probably more comfortable with the camera in my face. Like, it’s weird for me when there’s not a camera man following me around. Yeah. You know, we’re a very, very lucky cast. We’ve had a lot of our same crew members join us for every season of Summer House, and you get to know them throughout the years. We have a family dynamic, and they see all the close, intimate sides of you and they go through and experience your life with you. They physically watch you grow up. It’s just nice, and when there are tough conversations, it makes it easier knowing that the guy behind the camera is a friend of yours.
Did you establish any house rules?
You know, if you make a mess, clean it up. If you see that the dishwasher is clean and needs to be emptied, clean it out. If the trash is overflowing, take it out. I think we attempted to establish chores. I don’t know if that ever actually happened. But I did a lot of cleaning. We couldn’t necessarily have a house cleaner because of COVID-19, so we did a lot of our own cooking and cleaning. I can tell you I cooked more than I ever have before. And I cleaned more than I’ve ever cleaned before.
How would you describe the upcoming season in one word?
There’s so much that happened that it’s just wild. I mean, it was…different. I’m excited to watch it. I’m excited to see the different conversations and life events happening to other people that you’re not necessarily privy to during filming. So yeah, I mean, I think it’s gonna be eye-opening. Personal. You can’t even pick just one, because everyone went through such a very different summer in their own way. But for me, I would say “personal.”
