The drama is heating up on Vanderpump Villa — and according to mixologist Andre Mitchell and housekeeper Emily Kovacs, it’s only just begun. DECIDER recently chatted with the duo via Zoom, where they teased that everyone who works in Lisa Vanderpump‘s French château reaches their “cracking point” at one point or another.
The fourth episode of the reality show dropped on Hulu today, kicking off with some tension between Château Rosabelle manager Eric Funderwhite and mixologist Terry Hall, who grows so frustrated with her boss that she even considers going home at one point. But not everyone is turned off by Funderwhite’s “eccentric” management style, as Vanderpump put it. After cameras catch him drinking on the clock and giving the guest a lap dance, Kovacs admits in her confessional interview that she has a little crush on him.
“I think the reason that I might not view him as awfully as some others is [that] I’m naturally a little more shy in nature,” Kovacs told DECIDER ahead of the premiere. “I’m naturally someone that cares about what people think. And he does not care at all. Like he really will do whatever he wants without caring.”
But she was hardly the only staffer looking to start a Château-mance. The other housekeeper, Grace Cottrell, made the bold move of telling Mitchell how she felt about him — only for him to kindly friendzone her. “I respect Grace to the fullest. She’s a great woman, let’s just say that,” Mitchell said while looking back on the awkward moment.
DECIDER sat down with Mitchell and Kovacs to talk all things Vanderpump Villa, from what it’s like working for Vanderpump, to what viewers can expect from the show’s debut season. Keep reading for the full interview.
DECIDER: First thing’s first — what is it like working for Lisa Vanderpump?
Andre Mitchell: It’s nothing less than amazing. It’s great. She’s a very successful person and so working for her helps you strive to be the best. It’s great. It’s lovely.
Emily Kovacs: It’s inspiring and life-changing, I would say. I never thought I’d be working for Lisa Vanderpump. I literally sent in my application while folding towels in Manhattan and then I ended up working for Lisa Vanderpump in France. So I would say life-changing and inspiring.
There’s a lot of tension between Eric and some of the other staffers. But Emily, you say you might have a little crush on him. What is it about him that draws you in? Do you think your castmates are being too hard on him?
EK: Everyone views people differently. I think the reason that I might not view him as awfully as some others [is that] I’m naturally a little more shy in nature. I’m naturally someone that cares about what people think. And he does not care at all. Like he really will do whatever he wants without caring, and I was vocal. I was like, “Yeah, I like the fact that he doesn’t care. I like that he does his own thing. I like the fact that he doesn’t let other people’s opinions change his course of action.” He’s like, “I’m still going to do what I want to do no matter what.” And some people don’t like that, and some people do and that’s where the difference of opinion comes in on him.
Can you tease anything about how we’ll see that Château-mance play out?
EK: You’ll see it play out. Honestly, being there was a crazy experience and I’m very excited for everyone to see all the relationships I’ve formed play out because there’s multiple of them and they all have their ups and downs, and it’s going to be very intense to watch back for me. But I feel like a lot of people are going to be able to relate to all the different relationships I formed.
Speaking of crushes, Grace shoots her shot with you, Andre. What was going through your mind when she said she liked you?
AM: Grace is an unbelievable woman. There was nothing really going on in my head. I respect Grace to the fullest. She’s a great woman, let’s just say that. I’m not teasing anything.
Andre, you got really emotional when Lisa called you in to praise your work. How much did that mean to you?
AM: Okay, you’re clearly trying to get me to cry again. But no, it was everything. It was very emotional. It was very raw. And trust me, I did not intend [to cry]. I’m a pretty big guy, I did not intend to [cry] and everything. But Lisa has that effect where she really cares about who she involves herself with in life. And when you can feel that energy, it’s like you have those walls and those guards that go down, and that’s what happened.
Question for both of you. I think the clear elephant in the château is Marciano Brunette’s behavior and the way he treats some of the women. What is your reaction to the disagreements he’s had so far?
EK: In life you meet people of all different personalities, and he definitely has a big one. Learning to not only work with it, but live with it is definitely going to be a story that plays out. You’re going to be able to see every single person try to deal with him in their own different ways. But I don’t think there’s any doubt about it that he might be a little pot stirrer.
AM: He is a great guy. He has a good heart. But sometimes he can probably be — he has a very unique way of displaying his good heart and being a great guy.
Well, I think that that kind of reflects the reality in reality television, because we don’t love everybody we work with. There’s always that one person that everyone clashes with.
EK: Anyone that’s had a job before knows that they don’t get along with every single co-worker every day. So it’s gonna be very relatable to the audience.
Why do you think Hannah Fouch turns a blind eye a lot of the time?
AM: She probably knows a different side than we do. She probably knows his intentions. He probably has a different way of putting those intentions out or expressing those intentions, but she probably knows differently.
EK: It’s hard to stand up for people that you know everyone else doesn’t like. I think she struggled a little bit with the person she knew versus the person other people knew him as. Because they had a prior relationship — that’s a known thing — and we didn’t with him. So, seeing that play out is going to be interesting, I think for the audience, but also once again, relatable. You’re gonna be able to see “my man versus my new friends.”
What can you tease about the rest of the season?
AM: I will just speak on the drama part of it. Just when you think [there’s] probably not going to be any drama anymore, there’s drama. So I’m just going to leave it at that. The pot always gets stirred at some point. Everybody plays a part in it, everybody does a little bit of stirring. Some people have smaller spoons, some people stir with forks, you never know.
EK: Everybody’s got their cracking point. And at one point or another, they reach it.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
New episodes of Vanderpump Villa come out every Monday on Hulu.
