“We love a good drama queen or king”: This guy is bringing a Summer House–inspired reality series to Muskoka

Classic reality drama, but make it Muskoka. That’s the plan behind TV producer Lafe Jordan’s latest project: a Summer House–inspired series that will follow a group of 20- and 30-somethings around Ontario’s ritziest lakeside retreats. Jordan worked in LA for fifteen years before coming to Toronto for work and falling in love—with both his partner and the city. Now he’s committed to upping Toronto’s reality TV game, one dockside drama at a time.

You’re pitching a summer-in-Muskoka reality series inspired by Bravo’s hit Summer House. For those who don’t know the original show, what are we talking about here? That show is about a bunch of young people spending their summers in the Hamptons, which is a great New York tradition. My feeling was that we have something similar here with the way people from the GTA head up to Muskoka every summer. What I have in mind is partly inspired by Summer House, although we are currently working on an initial pitch presentation and are not affiliated with that series at this point. And then the other inspiration is the time I have spent in Muskoka over the last several years, living that quintessential lake life. It’s warm days on the boat, out on the water. It’s grilling burgers on the barbecue. It’s a great party, a fun night out at a place like Turtle Jack’s or Kee to Bala.

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And one-percenters cruising around in boats that cost more than some condos. Obviously, Muskoka is associated with a particularly luxe version of lake life. Is that what you’re hoping to portray? If someone wants to be on the show and that’s authentic to their life, then sure. It’s not like having a great boat or an incredible cottage would count against you—but not having that isn’t a deal breaker either. In terms of trends in reality TV, we’ve moved past the era that was all about faking wealth for the cameras. Summer House or The Valley, which is another Bravo series, are both great examples. They’re messy, and of course there are moments of drama, but they’re also just about people being themselves. You don’t have to have a million-dollar cottage to spend time in Muskoka—some people just go up all the time.

Because their friends have million-dollar cottages, no? Well, sometimes, but you know, we have talked to people who live in those condos in Port Carling. As long as the Muskoka connection is authentic, we’re good.

Am I sensing that you have had some applicants trying to fake their Muskoka connection? We definitely have, but it’s pretty easy to suss out if you go on their Instagram and there’s not a single picture from Muskoka.

Any other casting red flags? We’re not looking to fill our cast with influencers, people who want to be on TV just to build their own followings. I’m not saying we’re not hiring anyone with an online presence, but it’s not a prerequisite. Really, we want a mix: maybe a nurse, someone who works in finance, a journalist…

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On Summer House, the whole cast lives under the same roof. Is that what you’re planning? Not necessarily. That’s something we’re still trying to figure out. In the Hamptons, you have a “summer share,” where a bunch of young people go in on a rental together, and that’s a big part of the culture there. In Muskoka, it’s more about people at family cottages, some of them going back generations, so maybe there is a better option. It’s about figuring out what set-up will best facilitate a great show.

As you mentioned, a lot of cottages in Muskoka represent vast generational wealth. Could the next Kardashian come out of Ontario cottage country? We’re super open to including family dynamics. At the moment, we’re in talks with two sisters as well as a brother-and-sister duo, both with family cottages and interesting families.

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Let’s talk a bit about your background. You’re from LA. How did you become an expert in the Ontario lakes region? Well, actually, I’m originally from Utah, but I spent the first fifteen years of my career in LA, producing scripted television. I first came to Toronto in 2016. Warner Brothers sent me here to film a comedy called People of Earth. It was by Greg Daniels, who created The Office, so I was excited, but nobody really watched it. Toronto had never been on my radar before that, but when I came here, I truly, truly fell in love with the city, and I started requesting to work on shows here. In 2018, I was an associate producer on What We Do in the Shadows, and I have been working here ever since. I met my partner here and so many of the people who are now my closest friends. That’s how I first started going to Muskoka and up to the Kawarthas with friends and friends of friends. I really fell in love with the culture and with being so immersed in nature. In a lot of ways, cottage country reminded me of Utah.

What kind of experience do you have in the reality genre? Reality is something that I’ve followed for a long time as a fan. I was producing all of these scripted series, but what I loved were the unscripted shows that I was watching. My mom died during the pandemic, but before she did, she encouraged me to go to Toronto and make what I love, so that’s what I did. A couple of years ago, I developed Selling the Six, a reality concept based around a group of wild realtors from Property.ca that was like Selling Sunset for Toronto. In my humble opinion, it was way more authentic than Luxe Listings Toronto, which ended up getting the green light. That was tough, but it confirmed for me that top-calibre casting is possible in Canada.

Your casting flyer says you are looking for “strong personalities.” Is that code for drama kings and queens? We love a good drama queen or king, but it doesn’t have to be like that. We’re looking for people with compelling narratives who are capable of telling their own stories. People who aren’t afraid to show up as themselves. And it’s not always the people you assume. At the moment, we have a few really promising contenders: one is a guy in his twenties, good looking, who owns a couple of businesses in Toronto. He’s got a pretty high profile on social media, and I think at least some people will have heard of him. One of my favourites is another guy, 31 years old, who recently came out as bisexual. He talked about how he finally feels like a full person now that he is in a relationship with his boyfriend.

But the castling call says singles only... I think we put that in because single people tend to have more going on in terms of a social life, but it’s not a strict rule. I was just speaking with a woman who is really interested in being on the show, but her long-term boyfriend has no interest, and that isn’t necessarily a strike against her.

The reluctant boyfriend is its own spicy reality trope: Kim and Kanye, Chrishell and Justin Hartley... Right. It’s interesting, and sometimes it can become its own storyline. What we really want is the right mix. Another candidate I’m extremely excited about has recently come out of back-to-back relationships and is unapologetically looking to get out there and have a fun time.

You’re seeking candidates who aren’t “afraid to get messy.” Does “messy” mean wasted? Messy means real. If that kind of partying is what you do in your real life, then sure, but we’re not trying to influence anyone. And actually, one of the potential cast members is sober. The days of “you’ve gotta get drunk, you’ve gotta get crazy” are pretty dated in terms of the genre. We’re not casting a Jersey Shore–type thing, and I’m not going to be the guy putting down my credit card at the Kee to Bala.

But you are funding the project at this point? I am an independent creator and producer, so yes, it’s just me on this one, and then the idea is that, once we create the pitch presentation, we get a producing partner. I have a couple of projects in development with Lionsgate at the moment. But I can’t share anything because they’re under strict NDAs.

You mentioned Kee to Bala. Have you reached out about shooting there? What kind of reaction have you gotten from local businesses in general? We have not reached out, although of course if they were open to having us film there, we would be thrilled. It is definitely an iconic destination. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback, and I have an inbox full of Muskoka-area businesses asking about how they might be involved. Muskoka Brewery reached out, so that’s something we’re exploring. BrewBus, which is like wine tours but for breweries, reached out. We did get one negative reaction from a grocery store called the Farmer’s Daughter. They were on our Facebook page really trashing the project, but the overwhelming majority has been supportive.

A lot of cottage owners probably just want reassurance that their summer oasis isn’t going to feel like a film set. And it absolutely won’t. Honestly, I think most people will have no idea we are filming, unless they happen to come across a particular shoot.

There are a lot of celebs who spend their summers in Muskoka: Cindy Crawford, David and Victoria Beckham. Are you hoping for a cameo? I highly doubt Cindy Crawford is going to be on a reality show, but there are local celebrities. Joan Kelley Walker is sort of the queen of Muskoka. I’d love to feature someone like that.

You would not be the first reality series to shoot in Muskoka, and most of them have suffered from the cardinal Canadian sin: being a bit subdued and snoozy. Burgers and boat rides are a great backdrop, but how do you ensure the drama? It really is about finding the right people, and that is not a quick process. We started casting last year around this time with the plan to film last summer, but I felt like we weren’t quite there in terms of having the full cast of characters. I think one of the challenges with Canada is that people tend to be a little more reserved, so it’s about finding those people who aren’t afraid to lean in to everything they are—flaws and all.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.