Scandalous reality series Vanderpump Rules returns with new faces one year after entire cast fired
An Emmy-nominated reality series has returned with an entirely new cast after producers fired the original stars following an explosive cheating scandal.
Vanderpump Rules has returned to screens with fresh faces one year after its original cast on the Emmy-nominated reality TV show was sensationally fired.
The popular Bravo series, which follows former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump and the drama that surrounds her sexy wait staff at West Hollywood restaurant SUR, premiered locally on BINGE this week – and the new-look cast are just as outspoken and controversial as the OGs.
“People are very honest with their feelings, in a way [that] they want to get it all out there. That’s what Gen Z is about: ‘I want to tell my personal story. I want to tell you why I feel and how I feel it,’” Vanderpump recently told The Hollywood Reporter on the younger cast.
“So it definitely has that flavour. But the relaxed atmosphere of cameras, I think, was much easier for this group of people than it was for the first group, because the world has changed. They’re used to seeing themselves on camera, albeit on social media.”
Stream Vanderpump Rules on BINGE, available on Hubbl.
In the premiere episode, viewers can already see a love triangle unfold between resident on-again-off-again couple Kim and Marcus and fellow server Natalie, a 26-year-old head bartender who not only dated their 54-year-old workmate Paulo but also seems to be making a play for Marcus, much to Kim’s frustrations.
“Natalie’s one of my closest friends here in LA, but ever since her break-up [with Paulo] she’s been looking for attention in all the wrong places, including my boyfriend,” Kim says in a confessional after Marcus – nicknamed “the make-out bandit” – and Natalie were filmed in a passionate embrace.
“Natalie doesn’t understand what boundaries are … She’s done the same thing to Demy in the past, so why wouldn’t she do it to me?” added Kim, referring to Natalie originally stealing Paulo from Demy.
And we thought the sordid cheating drama between original Vanderpump Rules cast members – which got the entire cast fired after last season – was a lot to unpack.
Before the Kim-Marcus-Natalie love triangle, there was #Scandoval.
To refresh your memory, OG cast member Tom Sandoval cheated on his partner of nine years Ariana Madix with their castmate Raquel Leviss... for seven undetected months.
Viewership peaked when the affair was finally uncovered when Ariana found an intimate video of the pair on his phone, with the entire fallout playing out in Seasons 10 and 11, which aired in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The series was more popular than ever but in a plot twist no one saw coming, producers decided to axe its entire cast to make way for fresh blood.
Apparently Bravo decided on the overhaul because “there were so many fractions” among the original cast.
“There had been a long pause in production, and nothing had really changed among the cast since the reunion,” a source told People at the time.
“Everyone was still stuck in their feelings and refusing to bend. The network felt there was no path forward with the group in that capacity.”
“It just didn’t make sense to continue,” the source continued. “This is an attempt to recalibrate and bring the show back to the thing that made it such a success to begin with. It’s a fresh start, and the players they have are interested and motivated to participate. Fans will be happy with what they see. It’s going to feel like a return to form.”
Indeed, in her interview with THR, Lisa Vanderpump admitted that the OG stars got a little stale and it was time to “start afresh”.
“They were older now, there were more serious problems. It was fractured; some didn’t want to film with each other — it wasn’t the show that we started with,” the seasoned restaurateur said.
“I mean, it was a great, what was it, 11 years? But now it was a chance to go back to the restaurant and do it differently.”
Originally published as Scandalous reality series Vanderpump Rules returns with new faces one year after entire cast fired
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