ARIANA Madix is ready to return to Vanderpump Rules and could make specific demands for the next season, it has been claimed.
The Bravo show has been halted yet again, as it has reportedly become difficult for producers to hash out new contracts for the cast.
Ariana is said to make around $600,000 a season, and the stars are believed to get mandatory pay bumps each year.
The show peaked with Scandoval when Tom Sandoval famously cheated on Ariana with their friend, Rachel Leviss, and it has struggled to keep up momentum since.
The fallout from the breakup saw Ariana go on to thrive in hosting jobs such as Love Island USA, while she also landed the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway.
She also competed in Dancing With the Stars last season.
SHE’LL BE BACK
It was believed Ariana was ready to leave the show to focus on her acting and presenting roles, but the author of a new Vanderpump Rules book has claimed that’s not the case.
Thea de Sousa is releasing The Unofficial Vanderpump Rules Ultimate Trivia Book after years of documenting the Bravo show on her popular Instagram blog, Your Moms Are Watching.
She told The U.S. Sun that Bravo is still planning to do another season of Vanderpump, but they are struggling to line up all the parts to secure the green light.
“Everybody wants the show to keep going, even Ariana wants another season of the show,” she said.
“I mean, squeeze that in between Love Island and whatever else she’s doing, but she would do it. It’s just a matter of getting the green light.
“She can set the terms, right? I mean, she set terms last season, ‘I won’t film with Sandoval. I won’t do this.’
HUGE PAYCHECKS
“So, I mean, she could make the same demands, but they’re not going to not do that with her.
“They’re going to want those Love Island viewers and those Dancing With the Stars viewers.
“So they’re going to do whatever Ariana wants. And I definitely know she wants to come back for a season.
“So, we’ll see. I mean, now it’s just up to Bravo.
“I know Ariana makes $600,000 per season, which is a lot. Her and Sandoval get paid the most right now.”
DEMOTING CAST
The only way to pay cast members less, Thea claims, is to “demote” them so they have less camera time and are not the main focus of the show.
Regarding the show becoming too expensive, a Bravo spokesperson said, “There is absolutely no truth to this reporting.”
Thea celebrated the launch of her book with a star-studded party at SUR in West Hollywood this week powered by CellSound, which saw stars including Tom Sandoval and girlfriend Victoria Lee Robinson in attendance.
Ariana reportedly refused to interact with her ex on camera for Season 11.
Although they still lived in the same house, they barely saw one another and communicated through an assistant.
In the season finale, Ariana found herself face-to-face with Sandoval who attempted to apologize to her at an event, but she walked away from him.
Ariana stormed over to a show producer and told him, “Him f***ing walking up on me talking to Scheana. He doesn’t give a f*** if I died in a ditch, or got a f***ing deadly STD, the way he was f***ing around behind my back.
“That is non-informed consent. He does not deserve to speak to me. He does not get access to me.
“It’s about a performance for the audience. He wants 30 seconds with the audience.
“Whatever it is that Tom is trying to get for me, it’s not for me, it’s for him,” she added in a confessional.
“I am the final boss in his video game of redemption and because he can’t get to the final boss, he’s f***ing pissed.”
She was highly criticized by other stars on the show, who want to make sure they give fans enough on-screen drama.
Scheana Shay and Lala Kent both made their feelings known after Ariana refused to film with Tom.
Thea feels the show needs to bring in new faces to keep it going, but hopes the cameras will role for Season 12 soon enough.
“I think it’s going to be tough to do another season with just this cast,” she said. “I think you would need to add some people in.”
The author would also love to see a spin-off focusing on Ariana and Katie Maloney’s sandwich shop, Something About Her.
“Obviously I love Ariana and I would watch anything she does just because I think she’s just such an iconic, strong character,” she said.
“So a spinoff at Something About Her would be amazing with her and Katie and see about that business and their lives.”