‘Winter House’ Inspired Danielle Olivera to ‘Stop Getting Involved in Other People’s Stuff’ and Just Have Fun

Summer House star Danielle Olivera traded more than Hamptons beaches for Colorado mountains by signing up for season 3 of spinoff Winter House; she also swapped her approach to filming reality TV.

“I really gave myself a talking to before landing in Steamboat Springs, and just said, ‘Listen, if you’re gonna have a good time, be selfish. Make it about you and you only, and don’t involve yourself and other people’s s**t,” the tech entrepreneur confesses to ET over video chat. “It hasn’t gone very well for you in the past, so stop doing it. So that’s what I did.”

That meant stopping herself from texting Vanderpump Rules star Katie Maloney a play-by-play of Katie’s ex-husband, Tom Schwartz‘s, every move in the house in the wake of Scandoval, and avoiding inserting herself into Kory Keefer‘s entanglements with co-stars Malia White and Jordan Emanuel, while knowing he was also dating their Summer House castmate, Sam Feher. 

“I said, you know what, Kory? In my head I’m like, Kory, if you’re gonna dig yourself that hole, man, you’re an adult — have at it!” she cracks. 

It’s a lesson learned from season 7 of Summer House, which saw Danielle deliver a few cringeworthy moments as she questioned then-estranged BFF Lindsay Hubbard‘s race to marry longtime co-star and friend Carl Radke. In hindsight, Danielle’s concerns proved valid, as Carl abruptly called off his and Lindsay’s engagement in August, just three months before the two were set to say, “I do.” 

“My behavior wasn’t so despicable, it was just very opinionated,” Danielle offers in her own defense. “I was very passionate, because I am such a — what I would would think is a — loyal friend, and my intention was good, and my heart was in the right place, even though my execution and level of tact wasn’t there.”

“I did not want this to be the outcome,” she says. “I’ve always wanted them to end up together, but …  I wanted them to communicate more. I wanted them to figure out certain things out before planning a wedding, but you know what? Better, I keep saying, you’re better off not having walked down the aisle.”

Fans will see the lead-up to and the aftermath of Carl’s decision on season 8 of Summer House, likely to premiere early next year, including Danielle jumping back into action as Lindsay’s no-longer-estranged bestie.

“I was happy only that I got to be there for her, and that we did work on our friendship way ahead,” she teases. “Like, way before that, because if we were still kind of going through it, and I couldn’t be there for her now? That would have also been pretty devastating.”

Danielle’s not alone in offering support to Lindsay; the women of Summer House have rallied around the PR professional in the months since her split, even shocking the internet with a recent girls’ night out photo that included Paige DeSorbo and Ciara Miller, who have long had friction with Lindsay. Danielle bonded with both women when her friendship with Lindsay was at its most strained. 

“I love it,” Danielle admits of the shift in group dynamics post-breakup. “I think that what happened over the summer, you see that the walls are finally, like, breaking down. Like, the reunion happened. I think everything that was said needed to be said, especially between Paige and Lindsay.”

The season 7 all-cast reunion proved to be tense, with Paige laying into Lindsay and Carl for projecting a false version of their life to the public. It’s an allegation Lindsay denied at the time. 

“I was like, yes! Let’s go, ladies,” Danielle recalls, “because they did really open this door for, like, just moving forward. You know, you guys don’t have to be friends, like best friends, but we could all live in the house and be good — and not only were we good, we were great.”

Danielle is adamant the ordeal was not an “I told you so” moment for her, even if some fans might assume as much.

“When she felt that heartbreak, I felt it, too,” she says. “Like, that’s not what I wanted for her at all.”

Danielle plans to “play defense” for Lindsay at BravoCon, the network’s annual fan convention set to take place in Las Vegas. Carl is set to attend, as well.

“I might exchange some looks, but I don’t think I need to waste my breath, to be honest with you,” Danielle says of interacting with her one-time close pal at the event. She anticipates it being an “awkward situation.”

She is, however, looking forward to reuniting with her Winter House-mates in Sin City. She says their group chat hasn’t stopped popping off since they filmed in March. 

“There’s gonna be just pure debauchery,” she predicts. “We’re like magnets for each other. I want everyone to give me their location. I just want to be in their orbit at all times, because we we truly have so much fun, and I can’t wait.”

Season 3 of Winter House blows up the franchise’s format a bit, incorporating stars from shows beyond the Summer House–Southern Charm connected universe. Southern Charm was in production on its currently airing season at the same time, meaning the likes of Craig Conover, Austen Kroll and Paige were unable to take part. In their place are familiar faces from the worlds of Below Deck and Family Karma. Danielle’s a fan of the shakeup, saying it frees the show of being an incubator for drama that carries over into Summer House. 

“What happens in Winter House over a two-and-a-half-week period of time really just stayed there, and nothing is bleeding over,” she says. “That’s what I thought– to be honest, I didn’t really love about previous seasons of Winter House, like … you don’t want some drama that happened … six months ago, or however long, to seep into this; it just feels fresh and just ends where it ends.” 

“It was our positivity vortex,” she adds. “It was the unbreakable bubble. I think we all went in with the same intention, and just wanted to get after it and meet new people, and revisit some friendships that are already there. Like, man. Yeah, chef’s kiss to that whole experience.”

Danielle’s main directive for herself while filming was to have fun and reclaim her “mojo.” She was fresh off a breakup of her own, having called it quits with longtime love Robert Sieber just months before. 

“I really thought, this is the perfect opportunity to find a nice mountain man in Colorado,” she laughs. “See what happens, have some fun.”

She found that fun with Below Deck‘s Alex Propson, indulging in a little vacation romance with the deckhand.

“I was trying not to at first,” she confesses of giving into her attraction to Alex. “But his well-conditioned hair, the mountain air, it was just… I don’t know! There’s like a twinkle in his eye, and then there’s like, eventually, some guy liner involved. I’m just, like, I’m weak. I’m so weak.”

Their fling stays just that, though.

“He’s in Florida,” the New Yorker notes. “There’s definitely still flirting going on. You know, I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but it’s definitely just fun, and … we both know there’s nothing serious. So, we just have this great fun, flirty friendship.”

Beyond the would-be romance, Danielle’s also excited for viewers to get eyes on her fashions. She curated her Après-ski lewks with the help of her new clothing curation app, Donne. 

“Like, my wardrobe is so good for it,” she promises.

Winter House airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.

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