A Vanderpump Rules spinoff is currently in production at Lisa Vanderpump‘s West Hollywood, California hotspot, SUR Restaurant.
Following rumors of a potential reboot of the long-running Bravo reality series, a source has confirmed that while a new cast will be featured in the potential project, the original members of Pump Rules will be returning for the 12th season of the main show.
TMZ shared the news with its readers on September 6, noting that the new group, who all work at the restaurant, has been filming at SUR for a couple of weeks, and that none of the men and women from the original Pump Rules will be featured.
In a series of photos shared by Bravo Snark Side on Instagram, a screenshot from a Reddit user was featured, sharing details of a recent filming session at the restaurant.
“Went to SUR tonight for my last night in LA, and there was a full film crew in the restaurant. Looks like new cast speculation may be true..! (But also, someone told us that!)” the insider wrote. “They were in a different part of the restaurant but people with mics and cameras were buzzing all over the place!”
Although the spinoff hasn’t been picked up quite yet, the report confirmed that it will absolutely not be a reboot. Instead, Scheana Shay, 39, Tom Sandoval, 42, Ariana Madix, 39, Katie Maloney, 37, Lala Kent, 34, Tom Schwartz, 41, James Kennedy, 32, and the rest of the cast will begin filming their series this fall.
That said, it was additionally revealed that producers could be testing SUR employees of the spinoff to see if any would make sense for Pump Rules season 12.
Following reboot rumors earlier this summer, a source spoke to OK! Magazine, seemingly giving a nod to the potential testing of new people for season 12 and shooting down rumors of a complete recast.
“Producers are always feeling the people who work at Lisa’s restaurants out to see who is friends with the current cast, who may gel with the cast, and who may have something new to add that the viewers would find interesting,” the insider explained. “However, it’s important for fans to remember that if Vanderpump Rules was to be completely recast, it would be akin to The Real Housewives of New York City — fans would not be invested in the new peoples’ lives and the show would likely go belly up in ratings.”
“They wouldn’t have the same connection to new people, and at its core, the show is not about a business — it is about this group of friends and their lives,” the source added.