What’s it like to film a season of Kitchen Ambush? 

How much of it is real and what is just generated drama? 

How much did this project cost Kosher.com (ohh the juicy questions!) 

And is the system actually working for Malkie and her family 2 months later?

These are some of the many questions we hear on a constant basis.

And because filming Season 2 was a whole experience on its own, we wanted to take you behind the scenes.

Spoiler! Almost everything you see is real and was filmed in real-time.

(Ok, ok, we kind of knew going in that we were there to tackle the garage, but more on that later.)

How it all started

As part of the Kosher.com team, we’ve been talking about a second season of Kitchen Ambush for over a year. Season 1 was such a hit, and everyone wanted more. But we didn’t want to rush it. We needed the right setup, the right space, and the right people to make it work again. And when we landed on Malkie and Shulamis, that was basically the turning point.

Malkie is funnier in real life than she is on camera, which says a lot, and Shulamis is one of those rare people who is both calm under pressure and somehow always three steps ahead. She came in with three of her organizers -- some who’ve been with her for years, some still in training -- and together they really pulled off magic.

On the production side, the entire season was shot and edited by our incredibly talented videographer and editor team, PTS Films, who (somehow!) kept everything feeling smooth even when the house definitely wasn’t.

We filmed in February, over two full days, in Malkie’s home in Monsey. And naturally, there was LOTS of snow to contend with! We actually had to push off the shoot because of a storm, and that also meant Malkie was outside shoveling her driveway just so we could get cars in and have space to dump everything we were about to pull out of the garage. The morning of filming it snowed again, so she was back outside shoveling a second time.

That’s how the day started.

Day 1, Wednesday

The film crew (traveling from Lakewood) came in super early and immediately got to work prepping the space. The garage was quite dim to begin with, so we had creative lighting up and wiring from every direction. We also set up two time-lapse cameras on either side of the garage that ran nonstop for two days, capturing the entire transformation in real time.

Shulamis (arriving from Lakewood as well) left home at 7 am, and by 9 she was sitting in the makeup chair, getting glammed by the talented Penina Bernstein. In the meantime, the crew grabbed B-roll footage of the “before” version of the garage. Maneuvering within the garage with camera gear was a task of its own!

By mid-morning, we were filming the opening kitchen scene that you can see in episode 1.

And yes, from the very beginning, we knew we wanted to transform Malkie’s garage. A tremendous amount of advanced planning went into this season behind the scenes, with Shulamis and the kosher.com team carefully mapping out every detail of the makeover well before filming began. While planning the season together, Shulamis looked at Malkie’s home and realized that transforming the garage would ultimately transform the entire flow and functionality of the house.

Malkie knew a project was happening in the garage, but she was not involved in the behind-the-scenes planning and did not know the full scope of what was being created behind the closed door. That surprise, and seeing it all come together in the end, was a big part of the experience.

Shulamis was incredible throughout this process and truly took on the role of project manager on top of everything else. Beyond the creative vision, she handled so many of the behind-the-scenes details that made the makeover possible. Coordinating with the demolition company, cabinet company, and other vendors. A huge amount of work went into making the transformation happen, and much of it was thanks to Shulamis’s dedication behind the scenes.

Remember, the whole thing had to be completed in two days; we couldn’t be running back and forth to the Container Store five times!

Shulamis and her shelving guy created a detailed rendering of the garage layout and prepared all the pieces.

By early afternoon, the garage work began and things moved really quickly from there. Shulamis and her three organizers moved through the space methodically and decisions were made on the spot. The living room filled up with Things and Things and the pile outside the garage grew Bigger and Bigger.

It was fascinating to watch everything move in sync, and while I might’ve offered to help once or twice, it didn’t take long to realize I was better off just watching the process.

An entire truck filled with what Malkie called UFOs, things that had clearly accumulated over time and no longer had a place and purpose in the garage. Random finds showed up constantly. One of the more memorable ones was a “For Sale” sign from when Malkie’s house had been sold six years earlier. (It got tossed!)

Postscript: we actually threw out an expensive $300 motorcycle cover by mistake. (Oops!) Malkie forgave us, which is very nice of her. She claims the tradeoff was worth it!

Seasonal items (think Chanuka and Purim boxes) were moved to the basement instead of staying in the garage, so the space could function for daily use rather than storage overflow. The monstrous living tree costume got sent down as well.

Once the garage was fully cleared, the demolition contractor came in and got to work, skillfully handling the loud and messy part of the job while everything else continued moving around him. Lunch happened somewhere in the middle of it all, and filming wrapped around 6pm. We left the house in a state of organized chaos.

(We really don’t know where Malkie’s family ate supper that night!)

After we left, the shelving guy made his appearance and worked late into the evening and early morning to get the job done without holding up the filming schedule. (That’s where the timelapse cameras helped fill in the gaps in filming.)

Ideally we would’ve painted and given everything time to dry, but this setup didn’t allow for that. The show must go on!

Day 2, Thursday

When I arrived on set, things were already in full swing.

As the shelving went up and the organizers were putting together the finishing touches, Malkie was in the kitchen prepping for Shabbos (as you can see in episode 3). She wanted to see the garage in its full glory, and chose not to walk in at all while the work was getting done. And that’s why we can safely say…

Malkie’s reaction to the garage was completely genuine. She had known that the plan was to work on the garage, but was totally in the dark about the execution before filming started. We loved watching her reaction to everything while trying our best to stay out of the camera frame (which is harder than it sounds in a garage that size)!

Malkie was so excited that her garage window was finally visible, she even half-joked that she was going to put a bench under it so she could sit there all day and enjoy the view of her transformed garage.

At that point, we moved back into the kitchen to film exit interviews with Malkie and Shulamis. This is where we step out of the action for a minute and let them reflect on what just happened, what it felt like in real time, and what’s going through their heads once the dust settles. The interviews fill in the gaps during editing and turn the footage into a full story.

To be completely honest, I had to contain myself very well at times to not burst out laughing and ruin the audio takes during Malkie’s replies.

We wrapped at around 6-7 o’clock, but not before we got to watch Malkie’s children coming home and reacting in real-time to the new garage!

Budget

Ok, how much does a project like this cost?

Between the demolition, shelving, organizers, junk removal, containers, and storage products, this particular project was $7,000-8,000. But it’s important to know that every garage project will vary.

Demolition can cost a few hundred dollars, though you can absolutely do that step yourself on a budget.

Custom shelving can run into the thousands, with more affordable options available, including basic shelving units at local discount stores and Amazon finds for under $100 such as this piece.

If you’re hiring an organizer, that would be an additional cost depending on who you work with, and prices can vary quite a bit.

For bins and products, Shulamis shared the links to what she used in this handy article or you can buy similar items at local discount stores.

If you’re like any of the other tens of thousands of Kitchen Ambush fans, you probably caught the organizing bug and want to know where to start! Springtime is a great opportunity to organize, and Shulamis shares all her tips and tricks in her bonus episode.

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Postscript:

Two months later, I checked in with Malkie to see how her new space was working out. Things were mostly holding steady, with a few adjustments. She shared that her son’s large bike and motorcycle weren’t there during filming so that made a few areas tighter than before. She also stocked up on more household basics afterward and needed to shift some categories around to better match how the space is actually being used.

Malkie’s takeaway was simple. A space doesn’t stay organized on its own. When she stays on top of it, it works beautifully, and that does require constant maintaining or reminding her family to be more mindful.

But what matters most to Malkie is that "it’s a joy to go in” to her garage. Malkie enjoys beautiful things, and once something is beautiful, she naturally likes to keep it that way.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe we did the entire garage makeover and filmed a full season in just two days -- in a house that never stopped moving, and in the snow, no less. But at Kosher.com, that’s just what we call a day's work.