Vanderpump Rulesseason 12’s returning to Bravo in the new year, but the show will feature an entirely new cast of SUR-vers whomay be able to save the series by recapturing the magic of the original show. When it began,Vanderpump Rulesfeatured a cast of servers and bartenders who worked at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant, SUR. The West Hollywood bar and lounge, called SUR as an acronym for Sexy Unique Restaurant, had a tight-knit group of employees. SUR’s roster worked in the service industry for pay while their dreams of modeling, acting, or other entertainment endeavors came to fruition.
Theoriginal cast ofVanderpump Rulesincluded Jax Taylor, Stassi Schroeder, Scheana Shay, Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz, Kristen Doute, and Tom Sandoval, who worked at SUR before the show’s start. The cast, aided by the sage, subversive wisdom of Lisa, waded through their relationships on camera as their friend group went through serious changes. While the show began with Stassi and Jax as the ruling couple, Kristen and Sandoval’s drama was highlighted early, while Katie and Schwartz’s relationship moved in a consistent, slow spiral. The cast was magnetic, andthe new SUR-vers joining the series hope for the same fate.
Vanderpump Rules Season 12 Has Been Renewed With A Twist
A New Cast Will Take Over
After over a decade ofVanderpump Ruleswith many of the original cast members still attached, the series is going to be returning to Bravo next season with a complete overhaul. Announced alongside the renewal of the series,Vanderpump Rulesexecutive producer Alex Baskin shared that rather than bringing back the original cast of the showto continue on the somewhat overplayed drama of the recent seasons, the show will return next season with a whole new storyto tell. While many were hopeful to see more of Ariana Madix after the drama of Scandoval, the change isn’t exactly shocking.
Thenew cast ofVanderpump Ruleshasn’t been revealed, butAlex shared that like the early days of the show’s original cast, the new faces will be SUR servers working at Lisa’s restaurant. With so many entertainment industry hopefuls flocking to Los Angeles for a shot at fame and finding themselves working in the service industry to pay their bills, the premise ofVanderpump Ruleshas the unique ability to always be ready for a reboot. Despite some of the original cast feeling like their stories aren’t over, they won’t find themselves telling those stories onVanderpump Rulesmoving forward.
The Old Vanderpump Cast Won’t Return In Any Capacity
Some Cast Members Will Appear On The Valley
Although many were hopeful to see more of Ariana, especially in her renewed feud with Lala Kent,the cast ofVanderpump Rulesseason 11 won’t be returning to the series in any capacity. There were a few loose strings that may need to be tied up for the show, like James Kennedy and Ally Lewber’s next steps in their relationship, or Ariana’s struggles with her longtime friend Scheana after the latter accepted Sandoval back into her life, but it’s been reported the cast will be featured elsewhere,moving over toThe Valley,now that they’re no longer onVanderpump Rules.
The Valley,aVanderpumpspin-off featuring Jax, his estranged wife Brittany Cartwright, and Kristen, began in 2024. Sharing the stories of the former cast members who were allfired afterVanderpump Rulesseason 8and their friends living in Valley Village, the series was a dramatic look at the lives of the group who have moved into a different phase with marriage, children, and mortgages on their minds. Jax and Brittany’s marital issues were previewed in the series, leaving the couple headed for divorce.Scheana, Lala, and Schwartz are all said to be making appearances onThe Valleynext season.
Vanderpump Rules’ Original Cast Was Struggling Through Recent Seasons
AlthoughVanderpump Rulesis quite different than it was in its early days, the show had a great run in its first several seasons.The drama between the friend group was real and raw, proving that Bravo tapped into the right cast when they began making moves onVanderpump Rules. In the initial seasons of the series, Stassi and Scheana clashed consistently, while Kristen and Sandoval’s relationship crumbled on screen. Kristen, who went on to date James, returned to the show duringVanderpump Rulesseason 10 after it was discovered thatSandoval cheated on Ariana with Raquel Leviss, James’ ex-fiancée.
While the drama of the later seasons was intense,Vanderpump Rulesbegan to veer off coursearound season 7. Things slowed down in the lives of the cast members, who were all approaching their 30s and beginning to find themselves in serious relationships or interested in having kids. Their lives were changing, which meant the show was changing with it. Rather than investing in intense drama, the cast was looking to settle down, which doesn’t always make for great reality TV. Aside from Scandoval,the last few seasons of the series saw the original magic of the show fadingquickly.
A New Cast Of SUR-vers Will Recapture The Original Magic
They Can Bring A Genuine Tone To The Series
Although things have ended forthe current cast ofVanderpump Rules,the new cast could save the series entirely. While the original cast was getting older and slowing down, the reboot will feature a new cast of young SUR-vers who are just starting their lives. The drama and intensity of the group of Lisa’s employees who are chosen to be part of the show will surely be more interesting to watch,especially after two seasons of similar storylines playing out. Even though the original cast will be missed, bringing in a fresh new group of SUR employees will be great.
Although viewers won’t be able to know until they see the new cast on screen,the producers ofVanderpump Ruleswill likely work hard to ensure that they can recapture the original magic of the series.Finding a pre-existing friend group of SUR employees to ensure that there are already dynamics in place could be difficult, but knowing theVanderpump Rulesproduction team, they’ve likely been scouting things out for months. While it will take some adjusting, the new cast ofVanderpump Rulescould find the fate of the show in their hands, but hopefully, they’ll know what to do.
Vanderpump Rules
Cast
Vanderpump Rules is a reality-drama series created for Bravo that stars Lisa Vanderpump, a former star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, as she expands her restaurant empire and staff. The cast consists of Lisa’s staff members across her various establishments in West Hollywood as they attempt to build their futures and establish relationships that range from friendly to romantic. All of which frequently turn messy as mixing with business pleasure, as they are warned, doesn’t always end well.
