When joining an ongoing reality TV show, viewers will know that new cast members will always find ways to stand out from those who have been on the show for longer. Lala Kent joined Vanderpump Rules during its fourth season, and she instantly became a fan-favorite because she was not afraid of ruffling feathers and always kept the cast on their toes. Such is the case with Lisa Rinna, who joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills during Season 5. Her addition brought the show back to life and made it the show everyone always loved. They have a big responsibility to keep the momentum going of what is happening on the show and stir the pot among everybody. Both of them came into their respective shows to bring a breath of fresh air to it, and because of their no-filter personality, it would be great for shows as popular as RHOBH and Vanderpump Rules.
However, as their shows progressed, there was a change in both of them. They started to seem more calculated and even became hyper-aware that they were filming a TV show and relied on their co-stars for a storyline. What is unique about them is how they pushed for honesty during their time on their respective shows and even moved their co-stars to start talking about issues not being filmed. Lala and Lisa became producers’ pets, and viewers began to notice it, which was not good. At the end of each of their last seasons, they started to lose the coveted fan-favorite space because viewers did not like the attitudes shown on camera and who they became because of fame. If Lala Kent doesn’t realize who she is becoming, she could become Lisa Rinna, which may not be good.
Lala Kent’s Journey in Vanderpump Rules
Viewers met Lala Kent in Season 4 of Vanderpump Rules; she was working as a host at SUR and trying to make it in Hollywood. From the get-go, she seemed like a fun girl who was not afraid of speaking her mind. She even made many of the girls crack because they all went at her during her first season. Viewers will never forget one of her confrontations with Katie Maloney when she called her a homewrecker, and Katie said, “I call it like I see it.” Lala showed a sense of mystery during this time because of her dating life. Whenever questioned about it, she would move on to another subject or be very aloof about the situation. Later, Lala came out and said she was dating Hollywood producer Randall Emmett, which would explain her expensive lifestyle on a host salary.
Even though she wasn’t being honest about her dating life, she was still unapologetically herself, and viewers enjoyed having someone who could go head-to-head with Kristen Doute and Stassi Schroeder. Besides being hated by all the girls initially, her friendship with James Kennedy became one of the most beloved parts of VPR. Lala has come a long way from her first season, and her growth was shown thanks to the show. Her path toward sobriety also helped her to become a better person.
Lisa Rinna No-Filter Personality
Lisa Rinna came in as a fun new addition to lighten the mood, since there had been a rift between the Beverly Hills housewives, and the show was losing its spark. Enter Lisa Rinna. When she joined the show, she was fun and showed her no-filter personality immediately by deciding to question Kim Richards about her sobriety. This was a touchy subject between the ladies, and having someone come in to ask this ruffled many feathers. She was not afraid of questioning anybody, and if she felt something was wrong, she would be the first to try to find the truth; such is the case with her questioning Yolanda Hadid on her Lyme disease. Her “own it” persona was fun to watch, and she quickly became a fan favorite. From then on, viewers could not imagine seeing the show without her because of what she brought to the show. Lisa knew what it would take to do great TV and was not afraid of doing anything; she even said, “I will do anything to make a buck,” which could have been a hint about what would come later for her.
Lisa Rinna became a staple cast member for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for eight years. She became a vital part of the show’s success, but she also made the show transition into something viewers did not enjoy. During her first three seasons, she was getting along with most of the cast, but there was a shift when she felt cast member Lisa Vanderpump was playing her. After being one of the first to bring up the word Munchhausen into the group regarding Yolanda Hadid, Rinna realized at the end of Season 7 that Lisa Vanderpump wanted her to get the rumor out about Yolanda. Being the no-filter person she is, Rinna confronted Vanderpump about this during one of their cast trips, which started their feud.
Creating an enemy out of Lisa Vanderpump made Lisa Rinna stand out in the cast because no one could ruffle LVP’s feathers as much as she had done. After their feud started, there was a change seen in Lisa Rinna because she wasn’t stopping with her “own it” behavior and attempted to take down many Housewives that would come into the show. Her wrath wouldn’t stop with new housewives but with ladies with whom she was friends. Such is the case with Sutton Stracke and Denisse Richards. Lisa lost touch with reality when she forgot about her real-life friendships for the sake of the show. It was heartbreaking to see how disappointed Denisse Richards felt when seeing her friend of years accuse her of an affair with Brandi Glanville. This was one of the main turning points for Lisa Rinna, and viewers started turning away from her. It seemed Lisa enjoyed being seen as a villain on the show, and she got a thrill from it, but she needed to realize how she was not connected to reality anymore, and all she cared about was being on the show.
Lala and Lisa Became Manipulative
Throughout their last seasons on their respective shows, Lala and Lisa started to show a shift in themselves that made viewers question their intentions on the show. It seemed they were both acting more manipulative within their cast and trying to grasp a storyline without even thinking about the outside world or the friendships they have made while on the show. Viewers were disappointed with how Lala Kent mainly acted out against Ariana Madix after the year she had with Scandoval looming over her head. Many of the things she did throughout the last season of VPR seemed disingenuous and showed viewers how she was only looking out for things that could help her on the show. Even though breaking the fourth wall on reality TV shows can be exciting for viewers, Lala decided to do it in a way that made her seem petty and only wanted to collect a check.
After being on a show for so many years, it’s natural for reality TV stars to lose touch with reality, but the way Lala handled it could’ve been better without making her look jealous. As someone who wanted honesty out of everyone in the Vanderpump Rules cast, she has been the one who has been the more dishonest since she would not talk about her relationship with Randall. Even after the season has ended, Lala doesn’t regret how she handled herself and has even gone against fans calling her out for her actions. Many of her actions were similar to how Lisa Rinna handled herself in her last season of RHOBH.
As mentioned before, Lisa Rinna would do anything for a buck, and stirring the pot was one of the things she would do. During that last season, she went through many things in her personal life, including her mother’s death, but this doesn’t excuse her behavior against Sutton Stracke and Kathy Hilton while in Aspen. The Aspen trip from hell was the turning point for her and viewers because they could not stand how she tried to manipulate Kyle Richards into thinking her sister was terrible. Lisa knew she could manipulate Kyle, but it didn’t work in her favor because many fans turned away from her after this behavior. This would have made many ladies crack, but Rinna loves the attention and doesn’t care how she is perceived.
Both of them went through pivotal points in their lives while on a reality show, and as much as there were times to celebrate or grieve, they would use these instances to be seen as victims. Lisa, with the death of her mother and Lala, mentioned she is a mother. Had they both left their shows gracefully, the stories would be different, but by acting as the producers’ pets, they damaged their fandom and their credibility.