Well, dolls, the end has come.
After 20 seasons of sharing their lives, loves, and losses on E!
It’s been an eventful 14 years for the show, both in front of and behind the cameras.
The cast of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.E!
Documenting a family’s (almost) every move is no small feat.
You have to adapt and change with it.
In the beginning, I was definitely more like a friend.
Behind the scenes of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.Courtesy of Cesar Castillo
I developed this really close friendship with the cast, especially Kris Jenner.
They were more accessible.
Even to plan a family trip oh my God, to find a date to plan a family trip.
Behind the scenes of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.Courtesy of Cesar Castillo
“Okay, great.
Block out this time to this time.”
AMANDA WEINSTEIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:My job was to gain access and have a relationship with them.
Behind the scenes of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.Courtesy of Landon Hosto
I was constantly in contact with them, figuring out what’s going on.
Their worst moments, their best moments it’s just being there for them and going through that.
We shot a lot with iPhones.
Cast and crew of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.Courtesy of Farnaz Farjam
RYAN MCLAUGHLIN, LEAD CAMERA OPERATOR:I was the lead camera operator and director of photography backup.
There’s also drone operating.
So it was a lot.
Behind the scenes of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.Courtesy of Landon Hosto
That’s basically the gist.
It was always a challenge.
Every day was a challenge, a new Lego piece we had to figure out.
Kris Jenner of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.Courtesy of Farnaz Farjam
It’s just a 24-hour, nonstop, seven-days-a-week job.
But I loved the family so much that I didn’t want to leave the show.
And then I became an audio mixer on the show, and eventually the audio supervisor.
Behind the scenes of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.Courtesy of Landon Hosto
CESAR CASTILLO, FIELD PRODUCER/PRODUCER:My job evolved.
A lot of field producers do different things on other shows than what I was doing onKardashians.
On any day, I could be told, “You’re going to Paris.
The Kardashians at Splash Mountain.Courtesy of Cesar Castillo
Go home and pack a bag.”
Or “you’re going to New York tomorrow” or “you’re leaving in two hours.”
I always had a bag packed.
Khloé Kardashian with the crew from ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.Courtesy of Farnaz Farjam
I would do audio.
I would produce and film all at the same time.
I’d sit there and look for stories that we’d want to air on the show.
SELE LEOTA, SENIOR SUPERVISING STORY PRODUCER:I landed onKardashiansright at the beginning of my career.
I started as a logger and then worked up through the ranks on the show.
In the last few years, I’ve been supervising producer, since about 2016.
Essentially, if Amanda wasn’t there, it was me.
Together, we would report to our boss, Farnaz [Farjam].
It’s like reverse writing because there isn’t a script.
We were also in charge of the confessionals.
Sometimes cast members as on all unscripted shows look at producers as therapists.
The people that do them now are super important to the team.
It really is a team.
Everybody has a vital job.
LANDING THE JOB
FARJAM:I was at Bunim/Murray [Productions].
We got this little reality gig.
It should be quick and easy."
I started [during] the season when Khloe got married.
After that, there was no break.
It just kept going.
PAXTON:I was working on another show at Bunim/Murray and they put me on [Kardashians].
I started in season 3.
CASTILLO:In 2008, I was living on my father’s couch.
I had lost my apartment.
I’d proposed to my girlfriend.
You want me to tell the lady here you’re looking for work?"
I said, “I don’t do production work anymore.”
But then the line producer calls me, this woman called Lauralee [Jarvis Rausch].
I’d worked with her two years prior on a different show.
She said, “Hey, I could really use you on the show.
I have this job.
It’s called the release coordinator.
You wouldn’t have to PA.” I was just like, “Screw this.
I gotta get out of here.
I can’t sleep on my dad’s couch anymore.”
So I took the gig and had no idea what I was doing.
LEOTA:I found a job on [Project]Runwayover at Bunim/Murray.
The position was to be the person taking notes of everything that was talked about in the scene.
My first day on the job was at Kim’s housewarming party when she lived in Beverly Hills.
It was supposed to be a temporary thing.
That was when Farnaz stepped back as showrunner and was looking for people to step into her role.
She just happened to be at Paris Hilton’s house when we were shooting there once.
She was helping Paris reorganize her closet.
So I didn’t know her on a personal level until we started this.
In the beginning, Khloe always made me laugh.
Kylie was the fiery little girl who loved to play to the cameras.
I’m sure “I’m the queen of the world” is like a big famous line.
Kendall was a bit more reserved and shy.
Blah, blah, blah.
Little did she know that it was all going to turn around.
And then I loved Kourtney, but I was scared of her at the same time.
MCLAUGHLIN:It was such a blessing.
So it was just the camera guys setting up a couple of lights.
I came in and was like, “This looks like trash.
We need to establish a lighting look.”
I also come from scripted, so I wanted to bring in big lights and block it.
It really changed my lighting style.
I don’t think they realized how important lighting was for making you look good.
As their fame grew, so did their houses.
Kim started out with this little apartment on Robertson [Boulevard], and Kourtney had a townhouse.
They were all in houses where I could drill my lights into the wall.
As their houses grew and they got crazy-expensive wallpaper, I wasn’t able to drill anymore.
I was like, “Oh my gosh, how am I going to do this?”
This company, Light Gear, has the most amazing LEDs.
So then I wouldn’t get the evil eye from Kris Jenner like, “What you doing?
Why are you ripping up my wallpaper?”
I remember thinking, ‘These guys are fun, and I love fun.’
So I knew at that time it was going to be a really, really good fit.
They had to grow up at some point.
We’d go film in whatever club they were at.
My first or second day on the job, we went to some club.
They walked over to me and sandwiched me in this weird, grind-y kind of deal.
That ended up airing in the first episode ofKourtney and Kim Take Miami.
Things ended up slowing down because we all knew Kourtney was pregnant with Mason.
I packed my bags, and three weeks later on my birthday I’m driving to L.A. by myself.
I got there July 15, 2008, and I’ve been there ever since.
She had just moved into this place and was very particular about how clean everything was.
They were just so fun right off the bat.
Kris is still very much this hilarious person.
GOTTLIEB:They weren’t nearly the stars they are now.
When I joined, it was like the cute family show.
Right after I joined, probably about eight months later, is when they really blew up.
It was probably in between seasons 1 and 2 ofMiami.
So I knew who they were and didn’t really have much of an opinion.
That was when I started to recognize, ‘Oh, this actually has some reach.’
PRIVATE CHOPPERS AND FIVE-STAR HOTELS
HOSTO:I got to go to so many cool places.
We went to Greece, Thailand, St. Barts, London, France.
Being with them, we didn’t stay at the Motel 8.
I mean, some of the craziest places I never even dreamt of going to.
CASTILLO:We went to Armenia and it was pandemonium.
That’s what it’s like when they’re in Armenia.
All the fans have gifts and they know the crew!
LEOTA:So I went to Tahoe.
I did Wyoming, Bali, Costa Rica, Vail.
I remember thinking, ‘I just feel like I’m taking an Uber.’
I got really comfortable with it.
I know that sounds bizarre.
And there was an article written about me saying I was, like, theworld’s sexiest cameraman.
PLAYING FAVORITES
HOSTO:Kim and Khloe were my favorites.
She was so nice.
The first time I met her, she was a stylist with Brandy on a hair commercial I did.
To see her rise to what she is now, this mogul fashion icon, is amazing.
PAXTON:Khloe is one of my closest friends.
We text every weekend.
Funny enough, she’s really good at mic-ing herself.
I’ve taught her a few things, so she knows a little bit about audio.
It’s like a joke between us.
And she’s like, “I got you, Pax.
Don’t worry.”
LEOTA:I was probably closest with Khloe and Kris.
I remember one time she brought upDoctor Zhivago, and nobody on the crew knew what it was.
If I had to pick a person to take out for drinks, it would be Kris.
CASTILLO:Khloe and I are the closest.
She’s talking about me.
GOTTLIEB:I’ve had a closer relationship with Khloe.
When I started she was just partying and having fun.
To see them all grow into parents is amazing.
You don’t want it to fall flat.
WEINSTEIN:It was a lot of moving on the fly.
For trips, it’s obviously a bit more planned out.
We would know where the family wanted to go and plan as best we could.
But it didn’t always go that way.
And then they’d get there and we’d want to go somewhere different, and things would evolve.
So you just always were trying to plan the best you could, but things changed constantly.
MCLAUGHLIN:I was really proud of the way our team handled COVID.
Kim had to flip a switch that would turn on a camera and the light.
HOSTO:It could be really hard.
We are close enough where we can hug each other and talk it out.
They’re still humans at the end of the day.
So stuff like that is complicated and difficult, but I like a challenge.
LEOTA:Two things were the hardest: Kim’s robbery and Khloe’s breakup interviews.
Kim is very open.
Can we put a mic on you and start rolling?"
I think it was important for her to keep a routine.
She was very gracious, really happy to see the crew.
Then there was Kim’s interview and Khloe’s interview where they broke down separately.
By that point we had become really invested in them as people, so we all started crying.
I was sobbing trying to get to the next question.
Those were hard days.
That’s a testament to why they got to where they got and why the show lasted so long.
Go home pack a bag."
I’m like, “Oh, I already have a bag in the car.”
By 9:00 a.m., I was with Kim driving back to Teterboro Airport and jumped on the plane.
As we were taking off, Kim is telling her mom her story.
I was able to shoot her telling the story for the first time, which is pretty crazy.
That was one moment I wasn’t as excited to be on a private jet.
It was extremely personal.
HOSTO:We definitely took our time with Kim [after the robbery].
She was open about it.
She gave us the boundaries of what she was comfortable with, and we did take our time.
That time I could tell she was going through something.
When she told us what she went through?
There’s nothing short of the strength that she had to keep on going.
GOTTLIEB:[The hard times] are what makes the show relatable.
It doesn’t matter how big of celebrities they are, you will always have something to relate to.
The biggest challenge we have is keeping things fresh.
Information is so accessible to the public, and social media and the internet make things immediately available.
We made it happen all the time.
I think we were always surprising viewers, but that was definitely a very difficult task.
And I had to scream at our DP “Stop!”
all the way across the ocean.
Filming her birth with True, that six hours was the most special time to me.
So I feel like going through Khloe’s entire pregnancy was really special to me.
And because the crew and cast were like family to us, it really felt special.
It really meant a lot to my wife and me.
A second fond memory would be our trip to Armenia.
I’m getting chills talking about it.
HOSTO:Two great moments really touched me.
It was so weird.
Then we were there, shooting Lamar getting the video and watching it and his reaction.
I couldn’t stop laughing.
He couldn’t stop laughing.
He was so proud, but it was funny.
Another time, we were in Thailand, and we took them all to this sea cave.
I think it was a dormant volcano.
So we’re all trying to filter in and each kayak had its own Thai guide.
So no one really thought of how to communicate with them.
It was just a clusterf—.
I remember being so happy for her.
CASTILLO:When I first moved to L.A., we started season 4 ofKeeping Up With the Kardashians.
We’re going to stop for a little bit of season 4."
We’re like, “Oh my God, what happened?”
They’re like, “We have 13 days to produce a wedding.”
We had a wrap party a few seasons ago where we went roller-skating.
I went to take a picture and punched Kris Jenner in the face, accidentally.
That was hilarious and petrifying.
It became a big joke and something that I’d never live down.
People should realize that they are just like you and me.
when you’re trying to sort through your own emotional pain.
I felt like they really needed a break.
I love that we stopped on a season where Kourtney was living her best life.
That makes me happy.
Khloe was very positive while we were filming everything.
Turning 40 and all those things made her realize what she wanted for herself.
So it just felt like a good time.
You kind of knew what was going to happen.
WEINSTEIN:I’m going to miss the crew and cast, the family we built.
MCLAUGHLIN:It’s a family unit, and I have so many good friends on the show.
We still have their phone numbers and keep in contact, but it’s just not the same.
HOSTO:The biggest thing I will miss is my crew family.
You don’t spend 12 years, 10 hours a day with someone and not have them become family.
We’ve also established little shorthand jokes.
We were constantly trying to make each other laugh.
PAXTON:I’m telling you, I would follow them to the ends of the earth.
They are some very, very special people, and they have treated me like family.
Kim came to my wedding, and Khloe supported me while I was trying to get pregnant.
People always say, “Oh, they’re just famous for being famous.”
And yes, if they start filming again and want me back, I would go in a heartbeat.
CASTILLO:I’ll miss my friends, man.
They’re my family.
We didn’t get to have the final party, the final goodbye, because of COVID.
The cast has got to catch their plane."
I didn’t have a chance to run around and say goodbye to everyone.
I didn’t know it was going to be the last time.
I remember being choked up and then being whisked away to fly back with the cast.
It was such an awful moment, but I’m grateful.
To say we have the energy to keep going and going…
I don’t think that’s an accurate picture of it.
It was really, really hard.
So to hear it was ending was bittersweet, but there was this pressure released as well.
I said, “Oh, I feel like I need to see this out.”
Had you told me it was going to go all the way until 2021?
We were all invested at that point.
We needed to see it out despite how hard it was.
It had to be done.
That’s what I’m going to miss.
You don’t even have to say the show title you just say the name.
It’s a whole different thing.
These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
