Get the Scoop on ‘RHOBH’ Season 13 Reunion Set — Is This Why Sutton Faints?

James Pearse “J.P.” Connelly wants The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to take a seat. But in style.

“I didn’t realize how many people paid attention to the set,” reveals the Emmy-winning production designer behind the Season 13 RHOBH reunion. “It wasn’t until I [saw] Watch What Happens Live when Jeff Lewis was commenting on the Salt Lake City set. I was like, “OK, no pressure here! You’re only the one right after this, so I guess it’s not going to be a pirate ship.”

@itsabravoworld Jeff Lewis drags Andy on the RHOSLC reunion set #jefflewis #wwhl #proof #timeline #screenshots #rhoslc❄️ #marycosby #realhousewives #realhousewivesofsaltlakecity #jenshah #meredithmarks #lisabarlow #whitneyrose #heathergay #bravo #bravoholic #bravoobsessed #bravoaddict #realitytv #bravotv #bravolebrities #bravomemes #bravomoments #bravotvmemes #realhousewivestiktok #realitytvtiktok #fyp #bravotvvideos #bravotvlover #bravotvjunkie #bravotvpodcast #tvtok #realhousewivestiktok #realhousewivesoftiktok #celebs #popculture #popculturetiktok #fyp ♬ original sound – itsabravoworld

For those who may have missed it, the Flipping Out sasspot straight-up dragged the Salt Lake reunion set for being “the most horrible, tacky distasteful thing I’ve ever seen. It’s distracting.” Even Andy Cohen admitted the confounding mashup of mountain lodge and Caribbean shipwreck was “not one of our best.” Thankfully, admitted Housewives fangirl Connelly (whose next-level work can also be seen on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Top Chef, and The  Voice) doesn’t need to worry about inciting such vitriol, as he’s created a lush open-air terrace inside Amazon’s Culver City studios that is elegant, functional and so on-brand for the Beverly Hills ladies. It’s also hella inspiring for anyone looking to steal tips for those outdoor living areas we see them in so often. I mean, those plants!

JPCONNELLY; The Culver Studios

“We wanted it to just feel lux and vibrant,” he states. “At the end of the day — and this is Bravo’s guidance to me — everybody knows that this is the Beverly Hills reunion, so let’s make it feel elevated.”

The show’s exec producers “were interested in doing something that they had done with the OC reunion using LED wall-volume technology,” so Connelly has hugged the set in a 75-foot diameter screen that puts Garcelle & Co. up in the very hills they inhabit. “When you’re in the middle, it almost echoes, it’s so big,” he notes. “It’s 16 feet tall or so and wraps all the way around.” The image is “a live recording from a mansion or large home in Beverly Hills proper overlooking the city. We took several shots at different times during the day…we auditioned many different ‘looks’ so we did a little bit of a sunset, we did dusk, we did a little bit and this one, honestly, the moment it came up on screen, it was like everybody was like, yeah, this is it. [But] it’s high up there.”

The background effect is so authentic and immersive that some have theorized the feeling of being on a cliffside is what triggers the heights-averse Sutton Stracke‘s fainting spell, as seen in the trailer.

@gabs.chambers This theory as to why Sutton faints at the RHOBH reunion is cracking me up! #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen #rhobh #suttonstracke #kathyhilton #kylerichards #bravotv ♬ original sound – The Gift of Gabs

“For me though, the charm of L.A. is having this big hillside cut through the city,” the effervescent triple-Emmy winner continues. “And so you do want that hillside behind Kyle Richards‘ seat, it’s iconic to Los Angeles. And you want all those little jewels stuck in the hillside to be popping and shimmering … The thing about Beverly Hills is, and until I tell you this, you probably never even noticed it, but it’s got this English countryside architecture. There’s this lime-washed brick everywhere, mixed with Bougainvillea.”

And the distinctive flooring was pulled from his own experience in the 90210. “I’ve done the concrete and lawn separators at my house before and I just love that look. It feels very L.A…and I used to live in Beverly Hills before moving to Studio City, so with all the local architecture there, it’s a bit of a mix of all of it together.”

Todd Williamson/Bravo

For the actual seating area, he jokes that “we made an executive decision in the process to not focus on patio furniture…no lawn chairs, obviously!” Instead, it was all about big creamy couches and a massive stone-and-marble table from Coco Republic that had to be ready for its close-up. “We were on the search for the perfect coffee table because if you’re a fan of the Housewives reunions, you know that the centerpiece gets seen a lot. So finding that coffee table was a journey.” Fun fact: His own mother did the floral arrangement on the table.

Knowing just how big these reunions have gotten, not just in size (the special event is three parts) but in social-media scope, Connelly is “really proud of” what will very likely be seen in countless memes of cast member faceoffs. “It’s extra, just like it should be. I mean, you have to bring your best, and the energy on-site when you’re there is just that … The women look great.. you get chills when you see them walking in. It is an event of all events.”

Now, who do we speak to about getting Connelly to help Today solve their dreary dressing-room situation?

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Wednesdays, 8/7c, Bravo