At most TV tapings, you're met by a production assistant wielding a clipboard who directs you to stand in a very long line. At Watch What Happens Live, you're met by an associate producer behind a fully stocked bar who just can't wait to make you a drink. (For full disclosure, it's not actually a proper bar, but more of a welcome desk piled with liquor handles and soda cans. Still, it gets the job done.) Audience members are encouraged to mingle amongst themselves. "You all came with someone, but you might leave with someone else!" the bartender/associate producer chimed as Chrissy Teigen walked by in search of the (public) restroom down the hall and all of the straight men died tried not to stare.

The audience is small — really small by television standards — totaling just 20 souls. About half of the gang at Monday night's taping won their seats in a charity auction, which is fairly standard for the show. In other words, these are people who paid, and even traveled, to be here. Combine die-hard fans with a splash of Fresquila (Andy Cohen's signature drink: Fresca and tequila, which I highly recommend), one Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, and a slightly nervous LL Cool J, and you've got a recipe for a pretty good time.

In keeping with the intimate nature of the operation, there isn't a formal green room (hence, Teigen chillin' in the hallway). Rather, various production execs' offices get transformed into "dressing rooms" for the guests. Sometimes the furniture gets cleared out for this purpose; sometimes it doesn't. No one really seems to care either way. Andy does have his own official dressing room, which looks like an extremely well-lit walk-in closet and is attached to the control room — thereby making its location pretty much the least private possible. When I asked if anyone's allowed inside, Andy quipped, "If you can fit, you're welcome." (Sadly, I couldn't.)

View photos Andy and his piece of Tic Tac art (Elizabeth Durand Streisand) More

Everywhere are signs of Andy Cohen's fandom. Paintings and needlepoint pillows (of both Andy and his dog, Wacha, who happily roams backstage) seem to be popular items, but there are more unusual homages as well. Andy showed off a portrait of himself made entirely of Tic Tacs, which was displayed on a coffee table in his office. (Side note: If anyone ever makes you a portrait entirely made out of Tic Tacs, it's safe to say you've made it. It's also probably safe to say that you've struck a chord with pop culture... which brings us back to the drinking.)



From the beginning, one of the markers that has set Watch What Happens Live apart from its predecessors has been the free-flowing alcohol for both host and guests (and, as was mentioned earlier, the audience).

"In the early days of the show, I would get loaded and 20 minutes into the show I would be reading the teleprompter and it would just be — well, I would feel like I was careening towards the end of the show," Andy laughed as we took our seats in the Clubhouse and I realized I might be sitting in the exact same chair where Oprah once sat. "We were on at midnight and I was so excited that I could actually drink," Cohen explained.



His initial enthusiasm waned a bit, however, as common sense took hold. "I did have a point about 15 episodes in where I thought, 'You know, maybe I should drink a little slower,'" he admitted before adding, "Then there was a period of time where I didn't drink at all and I thought, 'Wow, I'm actually a little bit better when I don't drink.'" That said, for the record, he's now back on the sauce, but in wise moderation.