Bravo’s ‘Summer House’ Newcomer Reveals People Trying to Get to the Hamptons Are ‘Out for Blood’

Summer House newcomer, Luke Gulbranson said getting to the Hamptons during the summer is not for the weak. The new cast member joined the city crew this season for a raucous and wild time, which he said sometimes started on the train ride through Long Island.

Gulbranson was introduced to the summer share through Summer House OG Kyle Cooke. He told Showbiz Cheat Sheet he’d never watched the show but he and Cooke shared a mutual friend who suggested he consider joining the cast. Gulbranson, who has lived in New York City for about 14 years, said that last summer was a unique experience for him in the Hamptons.

He dished about what it was like to join the party show, plus offered a pretty real account of what it is like to fight the crowds in order to get to his weekend nirvana.

Getting to the Hamptons is a blood sport

Weekend travel to the Hamptons during the summer is never an easy feat. While some take the Hampton Jitney bus, others prefer the train. Gulbranson said he’d rather drive any day.

“My God, the days I took the train … that in itself could be a reality show,” he shared. “Holy hell, I mean are you kidding me? These people are out for blood. Jumping over each other. People are punching and fighting each other because there’s no room on the train. It’s packed.”

He said the crowds on the train are out of control. “The trains going from Penn Station to the Hamptons are so crowded,” he added. “People are sitting on the floor.” Gulbranson is originally from Minnesota and observes that people in the Midwest are typically a little more low-key and overly polite, so witnessing this traveling mosh pit was shocking. He added that people hurl expletives at each other without thinking twice.

Gulbranson preferred to sit in traffic all the way to the Hamptons instead. “When I drove it was great,” he shared. “Traffic … listen you’re going to deal with traffic. Sometimes it wasn’t bad, sometimes it was.” He said it typically took him about two to three hours to get to the Hamptons house.

He also thought he might be riding the couch this season

Gulbranson said he was actually thrilled to learn he was getting a bedroom in the house. He knew he was the new guy on the roster so he wasn’t sure how to navigate the house dynamic when it came to bedrooms. “So when I got there I was like, ‘How do I break the ice?'” he remarked. He just went for it and just asked if he was sleeping on the couch. Thankfully, he was relieved to find that he actually got his own room (with a bed).

Gulbranson said that he’s remained close with the entire cast, but really bonded with Hannah Berner. The show also proved to be a learning experience.

“I learned a lot about myself and I wasn’t really expecting to do that just because, you know, you’re basically living with people that you don’t really know,” he admitted. “So you have to navigate the waters and handle the ups and downs throughout the summer.”

Gulbranson also shared that he had to find smarter ways to manage conflict during the summer. “Maybe in the past, I would have acted a little bit more aggressive. But given the sense that I was living with people that have to spend a summer with, I didn’t want to let it get to that point.”

Meet Gulbranson and the rest of the Summer House cast when the show returns on February 5 at 9/8c on Bravo.