“Summer House” Cast Dishes on How They Decide Party Themes, Who Buys Groceries and Other Behind-the-Scenes Logistics

The Bravo show's cast members told PEOPLE how they split up chores and pay for weekly parties while chatting about their Old Bay Goldfish partnership

In between basking in the sun and stirring up some drama, the cast of Summer House is keeping the house in order.

Hamptons regulars Amanda Batula, Kyle Cooke, Ciara Miller and Carl Radke, who are partnering with Goldfish for the snack brand’s returning Old Bay flavor, tell PEOPLE that maintaining the Summer House abode is not as easy as viewers may think.

“I feel like people think the food magically pops up, the parties magically throw themselves and people magically show up,” Cooke says. “We do it all.”

The beloved Bravo show has followed the antics of Cooke, Batula, Miller, Radke and a rotating cast of Hamptons housemates since 2017 as they leave New York City for the beach every weekend of the summer, throwing themed parties by the pool and navigating their platonic, romantic and, sometimes, business relationships. Of course, there is a lot of strategy and organization that goes into vacationing every weekend.

“I feel like by the time we get back, it's already time to go again,” Miller, a model and nurse, explains of the schedule, which has the cast getting back to New York City every Sunday and going back to the Hamptons every Friday.

Before leaving on Sundays, Batula, who is the creative director for her husband Cooke’s drink brand, Loverboy, says she makes note of the house’s condition. “Every week I would do an inventory of what was in the pantry and I would make note of anything we needed more of,” she explains.

Radke, who also works for the sparkling beverage brand, says “Excel spreadsheets, group texts [and] payment apps” are key.

“It's like a real share house. We're fighting and figuring out who's going to order. People are like, ‘I'm not ordering’ and like, ‘Well, I'm not buying it this week.’ It's very real life,” according to Miller.

Squabbling over chores is nothing new, Batula explains. “I started buying groceries for the house maybe in season 2,” she says. “I was doing it for years and I felt unappreciated, so I gave up and then Ciara swooped right in and took over.”

Related: Paige DeSorbo Says She Picks Out Her Outfits to Match 'Whatever Cocktail I'm Drinking That Night' (Exclusive)

While the women of the Bravo series handle the shopping, the guys pick up the slack elsewhere. Whether they clean old oysters from the fridge left weeks before — “I can still smell it,” says Radke — or make sure coolers are full of drinks — “I joke, ‘I just work here,’” laughs Cooke —  everyone in the house stays busy.

The housemates also divvy up responsibilities in throwing weekly parties. In each episode, a cast member devises a themed bash. For example, season 8 has seen themes like outer space and race track, and the cast all works on setting up the party together.

“We're sweating. We are hands-on. We are tying, we are taping, we're running around,” Batula says of decorating the festivities.

Cooke reveals that production even helps them set up the party when the house is in a time crunch. “In between the scenes, they're helping us set up,” he says.

Related: Jesse Solomon Found it 'Hard to Care' About Summer House Drama amid Concern About Testicular Cancer Return (Exclusive)

“We put a lot of effort into our parties and they keep getting bigger each year,” Miller explains of the parties, which are “out of our own pockets,” and Cooke adds, “We keep setting the bar higher and higher.”

The costs of parties may increase and so do the guest lists, which extend beyond the 10 housemates’ friends or even friends-of-a-friend.

“There are occasions where we'll be out and about the night before and we'll meet some people, whether it's a friendly situation or a fan, and we're feeling a little generous with the invites,” Cooke says.

“Last summer, Kyle met someone's mom and invited her for the Fourth of July party and she came with a whole tray of cookies,” Batula recalls with a laugh.

When there aren’t homemade cookies around, Goldfish are the friends' go-to post-party snack.

“I would say that I am obsessed with Goldfish,” Batula admits.

Radke backs up her statement, adding, “I would say you'll see [the Goldfish box] usually on Ciara or Amanda’s nightstand.”

Their genuine love for the snack makes the Summer House x Old Bay Goldfish partnership a natural fit. The castmates are celebrating the return of the limited-time spiced flavor in more ways than just snacking.

There was a giveaway for Goldfish-shaped pool floats (a necessary part of the Summer House house) in which 20 winners were chosen every day from May 16 through May 20. But for anyone who couldn't get their hands on the pool accessory, the Old Bay Goldfish are available at stores nationwide while supplies last.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.