Bravo Bosses Made the ‘Sad’ Decision to Kill the Entire Vanderpump Rules Cast After Deep divisions and irreparable friendships threatened the future of the long-running reality television show.
Fans were shocked on Tuesday when the broadcaster announced plans to reboot the show with an entirely new cast after 11 seasons, despite Long-running series that reaches its highest ratings thanks to the ‘Scandoval’ saga.
“The decision to remove the cast had nothing to do with ratings,” a source told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘There was simply nothing more to say. The story was already told.
The source emphasized that the dynamic between the cast members had broken down and there was no longer any “truth” to their friendships and their work at Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant.
“At first, Vanderpump Rules was about a group of people who were genuinely friends,” the source said.
‘They were roommates and had a close bond with each other. They also worked at SUR.’
Bravo bosses made the “sad” decision to remove the entire Vanderpump Rules cast after deep rifts and irreparable friendships threatened the future of the beloved reality show.
And they continued: ‘In the end, none of this was true anymore. They weren’t friends. Almost none of them spoke to each other and they no longer worked in the restaurant. Everyone knew after the end of last season that there was nothing more to tell.
‘The fans knew it too. It’s sad how divided they were. They knew they wouldn’t be coming back when it came time to film a new season and it was put on pause.’
The source went on to confirm that the new cast is not yet finalized, but insisted that they will all work at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurants, primarily SUR, and have genuine relationships.
“Some have been chosen, but the selection process is still underway and is preliminary,” they said. “Lisa is excited for this new beginning with a brand new team.”
A second source said that both Bravo and Lisa ultimately decided that extending Vanderpump Rules with “new blood” was the best way forward.
“If it’s a success, they won’t be paying much money to anyone but Lisa,” they said. “It will be very cheap to produce and if it fails they will work to get Lisa another vehicle in the network.”
Bravo is also interested in working with the fired Vanderpump Rules stars on different projects.
Lala Kent and Scheana Shay have already filmed the second season of the Vanderpump Rules spin-off, The Valley, while Tom Sandoval will appear in the third season of The Traitors.
The dynamic between the cast members had broken down and there was no longer any “truth” to their friendships and their work at Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant, sources said.
In October, DailyMail.com reported that some of the new servers at Lisa’s SUR restaurant in West Hollywood were “desperate” to be cast in the rebooted series.
When Vanderpump Rules season 11 finished airing in May, Ariana Madix was still refusing to interact with her ex-boyfriend Tom, who had cheated on her with Rachel Leviss. He also didn’t want to have much to do with his best friend and business partner, Tom Schwartz.
Ariana also fell out with her former best friends Scheana and Lala, and grew closer to Katie Maloney.
To show her loyalty to Ariana, who she co-owns the sandwich shop Something About Her, Katie ended up fighting with Scheana and Lala as well.
A source told DailyMail.com at the time that the cast was “no longer an organic group of friends who want to hang out together.”
The new cast is made up of ‘tight-knit SUR-vers who are just as complicated with each other as their iconic predecessor,’ the network said in announcing the show’s renewal on Tuesday.
Lisa will return and the next season will begin filming next year. The new cast and release date will be announced in due course.
While the cast has changed over the years, last season’s top stars were Ariana, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz, Katie, Lala, Scheana and James Kennedy.
“It’s sad how divided they were,” one source said. “They knew they wouldn’t come back when it was time to film a new season and it was put on pause”
Season 10 became a defining season for VPR and earned some of its highest ratings after Tom Sandoval cheated on Ariana Madix with Rachel Leviss (pictured together in 2022).
“How exciting it is to build on the legacy of this series by doing it all over again,” executive producer Alex Baskin said in the statement.
“With a deep appreciation for the original group and their iconic journey, we can’t wait for audiences to see a dynamic new group of co-workers and friends make their way through life together.”
“Under the watchful eye of Lisa Vanderpump, West Hollywood mainstay SUR, and now TomTom, welcomes the next group of servers, hosts and bartenders full of drama, situations and enemies,” the statement said.
Lisa stated in the announcement: “The last 12 years of filming have been extraordinary, full of laughter, tears and everything in between. I can’t thank those who have shared their lives enough.
‘How I love you all. In the restaurant business, one shift always gives way to another. Cheers to the next generation of Vanderpump Rules.’
Additionally, the show will “celebrate the past decade of heartbreak, friendship breakups, and scandal with a special retrospective highlighting the past 11 seasons.”
A spin-off of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules first aired in 2013 and followed the lives of waiters working at Lisa’s various restaurants in Los Angeles.
At the time it also starred Kristen Doute, who also announced her pregnancy on Tuesday, Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright and Stassi Schroeder, who are no longer on the show.
Fans were surprised on Tuesday when the broadcaster announced plans to reboot the show with an all-new cast after 11 seasons, with stars like Katie Maloney paying tribute.
Lala Kent, who now stars on the Bravo show The Valley, also paid tribute to her time on the show.
Vanderpump Rules veteran Brittany Cartwright commented on Lala’s post: “Oh the memories we made! I love you LaLa’
Kristen Doute responded to Ariana’s post with this sweet message
Season 10, arguably the show’s most controversial, earned the show its first Emmy nomination.
During that season, it was revealed that Sandoval had been cheating on his girlfriend Ariana with his co-star Rachel, an explosive controversy that was quickly dubbed ‘Scandoval.’
The fallout dominated season 11 and became a national obsession.
But in April, it was reported that production on season 12 had been suspended to allow the cast to “decompress.”
“Everyone needs a moment to relax after two very tough and intense seasons,” a source told Page Six at the time. “Cast hopes to take a break from filming the show”.
Ariana’s career flourished after Scandoval, with starring roles on Chicago, Dancing With The Stars and even a presenting role on Love Island USA.
Tom announced this week the closure of his bar Schwartz & Sandy’s, which he owns with his co-star.