Vanderpump Rules fans are in mourning after Bravo announced that while VPR has been renewed for season 12, the upcoming season would feature a brand new cast taking over Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant’s SUR and TomTom.
In the press release, Lisa said: “The last 12 years of filming have been an extraordinary run full of laughter, tears and everything in between. I can’t thank enough those who have shared their lives. How I love you all. In the restaurant business, one shift always gives way to another. Cheers to the next generation of Vanderpump Rules.”
While some VPR stars are set to move onto spin-off reality show, The Valley, with Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, and Tom Schwartz set to make appearances and join their old cast mates Brittany Cartwright, Jax Taylor and Kristen Doute, eyes have been firmly on VPR star Ariana Madix and her next move, after the infamous Scandoval shocked fans in 2023.
What was Scandavol?
If you need a refresher on one of the most dramatic reality TV scandals the world has seen in recent years, here’s what went down.
A bombshell cheating scandal, dubbed Scandoval, rocked the Vanderpump Rules cast in 2023 after cast members Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss (who now goes by her real name Rachel) were caught having an affair. Raquel was single at the time, but Tom had been with his long-term partner Ariana Madix for nearly 10 years. Raquel and Ariana were close friends, and Ariana found out about the affair when she had Tom’s phone during one of his gigs, and reportedly saw an explicit image/video of Raquel on it.
The saga blew up the relationship and the whole cast of VPR, with Season 11 focusing on the fallout from the affair with Ariana refusing to film scenes with Tom. The reunion ended on a bitter note, with Ariana later saying she felt ‘trapped’ into having a conversation with her ex.
“It felt, ‘Well, we have her trapped in this room now. We didn’t get what we wanted to get [during the finale]. We didn’t get to break her down in real life in the moment,’” Ariana said later on the podcast Disrespectfully. “‘So we’re gonna retaliate by doing that right now in a place where she’s contractually obligated to be here and try to force this moment now.’ Great, I cried. Are you guys happy now?”
Ariana and Katie Maloney have reportedly not spoken to other VPR stars like Lala Kent since the reunion episode aired in May.
Ariana Madix speaks out about Vanderpump Rules: ‘I don’t know these were the best days of our lives’
With Ariana making waves in the entertainment world following Scandoval — she’s since become the permanent host of Love Island USA, she came third in Dancing With The Stars, and also made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago — it’s safe to say she probably doesn’t really need the show anymore.
However, she did pay tribute earlier on Instagram to the show that catapulted her to fame.
“Vanderpump Rules, you will forever be that girl 💖 I was up until 4am looking for all the right pics and the right words, but there’s no post or caption that could ever encapsulate everything. I am forever grateful to have been a part of such an incredible cultural phenomenon,” she wrote.
“Thank you @bravotv , @lisavanderpump, @evolutionusa for every experience over the last 10+ years.
thank you to every single crew member, producer, and our showrunners. seeing you guys every summer was like coming home to see family! That I will miss very much but you have my number so… just text me 😂,” she continued.
“Thank you especially to the fans. You’ve been the constant over the last decade your love and support is what I’ll miss the most about it’s ending. You made this show what it is. To the fans who have shown up for us, old and new, it’s all because of you that we are here.
“I’m feeling at peace with closing this chapter and I’m excited for everything that is to come. I don’t know that these were the best days of our lives, but they were definitely something special.”