Transcript [00:00] I heard it was your um you were the one [00:03] that pushed to be on Housewives. Is that [00:06] true? [00:07] >> I did. [00:08] >> And she didn't want it and it took a lot [00:10] of convincing. [00:10] >> So a lot of convincing. She said no. And [00:13] I just signed the contract without him. [00:16] >> Oh yeah. I basically just lied to a guy [00:18] named Alex Baskin. If you know who this [00:20] guy is. [00:20] >> I know who he is. [00:21] >> He's a wonderful brilliant human being. [00:23] >> He really is brilliant. I've talked to [00:24] him a couple times. He does all those [00:26] shows. He does about eight different [00:29] shows. He's incredibly smart and uh [00:31] >> his family's ice cream. [00:33] >> Well, his well, yes, a Jason family. [00:36] Yes. [00:37] >> And um so I had I met with a whole bunch [00:41] of people. We we were friends with [00:43] groups of people who whose husbands were [00:46] like the CEO of Smith and Wesson, [00:48] neurosurgeon, CEO of major companies [00:51] while we were in Newport Beach. And [00:52] we're sitting around and I thought, [00:54] wouldn't it be fun to have a reality [00:55] show? You know, go wouldn't we make a [00:57] funny reality show? How many times have [00:58] you heard that? [00:59] you know, our our company would be a [01:01] great reality show. Of course, it [01:02] wouldn't. And I said, "Would it be fun [01:03] if we open up our own restaurant with [01:06] our wives doing it? It would be a [01:07] disaster. That would be a" and they were [01:09] all gorgeous, wealthy women. This would [01:11] be a funny reality show. And they go, [01:13] "Yeah, we should we should just open up [01:15] our own restaurant anyway." So, I 4:00 [01:18] in the morning, I don't sleep anyway. I [01:20] took my iPad out and I wrote up a [01:21] treatment and I sent it off to like [01:23] seven production companies. and we were [01:25] going to do a deal with a production [01:26] company for this reality show about [01:29] opening up a restaurant. We thought it'd [01:30] be a disaster. I'm sure it would not [01:32] have been picked up anyway, but [01:34] production companies, big ones, were [01:35] willing to do the show. And before we [01:37] did a deal, I thought, you know, who [01:38] does that housewife show? And I sent it [01:41] off to Alex Baskin, whoever that was at [01:45] Evolution. And he said, "Yeah, why don't [01:47] you come in for a meeting?" They flew [01:48] over there. I presented and Tim he goes [01:51] I go do you want to pick up you want to [01:52] do the show and maybe we could sell it [01:53] to a network and he goes how about this [01:56] why don't your why doesn't your wife [01:58] come on as the next housewife and we'll [02:00] incubate that show on Real Housewives of [02:03] Orange County and you'll have a much [02:05] better chance of getting a spin-off. So [02:07] I went home to Heather and I said how [02:09] about this? Instead of do that show why [02:11] don't you come on Real House and I'd [02:13] never seen the show ever. [02:15] And so she goes and my wife was an [02:17] actress. She had her own TV show on a [02:19] Friday night with Ellen Buren and Matt [02:21] Dylan, you know, Kevin Dylan. She was a [02:24] very serious actor, had a whole bunch of [02:26] TV series, very talented and amazing. [02:29] She said, "I am not ever going to be a [02:32] housewife." [02:34] And I said, "Okay." So, I called Alex [02:35] Becca. I go, "She'll do it." Oh, why [02:38] not? [02:41] And he goes, "She will?" He goes, [02:43] "Yeah." I go, "Well, will she come up, [02:45] you know, just to meet everybody at [02:47] Evolution?" I go, "Yeah, she'll come [02:48] up." And of course, she I'd go back. I [02:50] go, "So, let's talk about this high." [02:52] I'm not talking about that housewife [02:54] thing. I'm not doing that show. That'll [02:56] be the death of my acting career. I'm [02:58] not doing. And I said, "So, he calls me [03:00] and he goes, "So, when's she coming up?" [03:02] I go, "Um, I don't know. She's not [03:04] feeling well right now." And then I got [03:07] through that period. He goes, "Well, [03:08] she's got to sign the contract." So, we [03:11] I show her the contract. She goes, [03:12] "Listen, if you want me to do it so [03:14] badly, you sign the true story, you sign [03:16] the contract." [03:18] So, I signed Heather to Bro, it was [03:21] actually Heather Paige Kent. And I sent [03:24] it in and I go, "Okay, we're doing the [03:25] show." And then we or [03:28] >> Well, cuz your whole family comes on. [03:30] >> Oh, okay. [03:30] >> It's a thing, you know. [03:32] >> Oh, I didn't know that. I thought [03:33] >> I had never seen one episode of it. So, [03:35] I thought, you know, I should go look at [03:38] the show. So I I I couldn't, you know, I [03:43] never and so I went on YouTube and the [03:46] only scene I could find is this one [03:47] scene of Tamara Judge, her name was Tana [03:50] Tamara Barney at the time, at a party [03:53] throwing a glass of red wine in another [03:55] woman's face. And I went, "Oh, I'm not [03:58] going on this show." [03:59] >> You already saw it. I thought, you know, [04:02] I said, "I am. We are not." And I showed [04:04] it to Heather. I go, "I'm sorry. This [04:06] Let's We're not doing this. I know I [04:08] signed it, but forget it. And she looked [04:10] at it. She goes, [04:11] >> "Oh." She thought it was like a [04:14] Christopher guest movie or something, [04:16] you know, like Best in Show. [04:18] >> Yeah. Right. And I said, "Really?" She [04:20] goes, "Yeah, that might be fun." [04:23] >> And I went, "Okay." And we did it. And [04:26] that was what, 11, 14 years ago or [04:28] something. And here we are. Go. I find [04:29] it so funny though that you sign every [04:31] other [04:33] >> I don't for lack of a better term house [04:34] husband [04:35] >> that signs up or convinces their wife to [04:38] do it. It's because they're about [04:39] >> to break up [04:40] >> to break up and get a divorce and they [04:41] give their Yeah. Like Kelsey Grammar [04:44] convinced Camille to do it right before [04:47] they separated. It's a thing. But that [04:50] wasn't your What was your reason for [04:52] making her for being so gung-ho about [04:54] it? [04:54] >> So I thought okay it was 200 [04:59] seven global financial crisis [05:03] and for about six months even though I [05:06] was a famous blast surgeon because I did [05:07] a TV show called The Swan in 2003 and [05:10] four that show [05:10] >> I was the surgeon on that by the way. [05:13] >> Holy Oh, finish the story. Finish [05:15] the story. [05:16] >> And so overnight it was like tumble [05:19] weeds in my office. Nobody was having [05:21] plastic surgery. So and nobody had a [05:24] job. I mean, I'm sure you were on [05:26] television during that time, but [05:28] >> you know, restaurants were empty, [05:31] businesses were dead. You know, [05:33] >> deal or no deal at that. [05:34] >> Yeah. Okay. You were I was doing good. [05:36] >> You were doing great, but nobody You [05:37] remember this time, your friends were [05:39] out of work and you know, [05:41] >> do they offer a lot of money to a new [05:43] house? [05:43] >> No, but I thought this would be a fun [05:45] some. We I had no surgery to because [05:47] nobody was having elective cosmetic [05:49] surgery cuz nobody had any money. And so [05:52] I thought, okay, what what are we gonna [05:54] do here? I said, let's do a reality [05:56] show. So I thought, all right, let's [05:58] >> This is before you lived in that you [06:00] that house you sold for over $50 [06:01] million. [06:02] >> We had another one that we sold for like [06:04] $20 million before that. We build we [06:05] >> I know you built, but you So you weren't [06:07] making money. Well, the the [06:08] >> I was making money up until the global [06:10] financial crisis and then overnight, you [06:13] know, with the credit swaps and the [06:15] whole thing, the economy crashed. I [06:18] mean, major banks were going under. So [06:20] you want you need the money. [06:21] >> So yeah. [06:22] >> What do they start at roughly? You don't [06:24] have to [06:25] >> I think I'll tell you I back then season [06:28] one you got $30,000 [06:30] >> for the whole season. [06:31] >> The whole season. [06:32] >> How many episodes is that? [06:34] >> Uh usually about 18. Yeah. [06:37] >> So it's not life-changing money. [06:39] >> No. But I thought it would be something [06:41] to do. It would be amusing. Um [06:45] you know. Wow.
