How the "Real Housewives" New Orleans trip happened

Behind the scenes: Bravo's team reached out to the Louisiana Office of Tourism as they narrowed down trip locations, the office's director of communications Jennifer Berthelot tells Axios New Orleans.

• "Once they selected New Orleans, our goal was to ensure they could present the city in the best light and demonstrate a fun girls trip that would inspire audiences to want to come as well," she says.
• The end result was a trip agenda that included a streetcar ride, a stop at Café du Monde, an airboat tour, meals at the Palace Cafe and Muriel's, the appearance in Barkus and a séance.

Follow the money: The state didn't pick up any sponsorship fee for the likely screen time, Berthelot says.

• Though they may have gotten some media rates, the film crew was primarily interested in finding "partners" who would be OK with the group's size and filming plans.

The intrigue: Bravo hasn't yet announced who will be on the cast for the show's 19th season, which is filming now, but Judge was spotted in New Orleans along with Shannon Beador, Heather Dubrow, Katie Ginella, Gina Kirschenheiter, Jennifer Pedranti and Emily Simpson, Us Weekly reports.

• Judge posted a cryptic message late Sunday to her Instagram that seemed to suggest she was quitting the show. A later post confirmed the move, the magazine says.