Is This the End of 'Vanderpump Rules' As We Know It?
Every Scandoval must come to an end. On Tuesday, Bravo announced that it had renewed its hit reality television series Vanderpump Rules for a 12th season—but with an entirely new cast. That means saying goodbye to VPR stalwarts like Lala Kent, Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz, James Kennedy, as well as to the couple whose messy breakup took the show to a whole new level: Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
The long-running show, which follows servers and bartenders at former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant (initials that stand for Sexy Unique Restaurant, of course) premiered in 2013 and reached new heights in its 10th season, when viewers learned that Sandoval was cheating on longterm girlfriend Madix with another cast member, Rachel Leviss. The ensuing brouhaha known to reality fans as Scandoval brought record ratings and even critical acclaim, earning VPR Emmy nominations for outstanding unstructured reality program in 2024 and outstanding picture editing for an unstructured reality program in 2023. While season 10 was a smash hit, the fallout of the breakup was so bad that Madix reportedly refused to film with Sandoval, leading to a very awkward and underwhelming 11th season.
Now season 12 is starting with a clean slate. “Under Lisa Vanderpump’s watchful eye, the West Hollywood mainstay SUR—and now TomTom—welcomes the next batch of servers, hosts, and bartenders rife with plenty of drama, situationships and frenemies,” read a news release from NBCUniversal.
“The last 12 years of filming have been an extraordinary run full of laughter, tears and everything in between,” said Vanderpump in a statement. “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.’”
Vanderpump Rules executive producer and Bravo exec Andy Cohen also seemingly commented on the news on social media. “These were the best days of our lives.…” he wrote cryptically on X, referring to VPR’s theme song.
While the original crew members from Vanderpump Rules have been cast out of the reality TV garden of eden, they have a soft place to land if they so choose. There’s always The Valley, a Vanderpump spin-off series that airs on Peacock and follows past VPR stars, including newly pregnant Kristen Doute, and the recently separated Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright.
Production on the 12th season of Vanderpump Rules is set to begin next year, with the premiere date and cast to be announced at a later date. The last time VPR tried to shake up its cast, it didn’t go all that well—but perhaps a bunch of fresh, messy faces is precisely what the doctor ordered. Either way, we’ll always have Scandoval and Scheana Shay’s bop “Good as Gold.”
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