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The race is on amongst Vanderpump Rules stars to land a lucrative TV spinoff after they were dropped from the cast ahead of season 12, and a source exclusively tells Life & Style that it’s gotten very competitive.
“This has been their bread and butter for over a decade. Sure, they all have their brand deals and other ways to bring in money right now, but without the show to keep them relevant, there’s only so long that they’ll be able to keep charging the rates they do,” the insider says.
The source adds that “it’s not just about money” for stars Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz, Ariana Madix, Scheana Shay, James Kennedy, Katie Maloney and Lala Kent.
“They’re all addicted to the fame and attention. The thought of fading into obscurity is horrifying,” the insider continues. “Scheana and Lala have already been dropping hints about getting their own spinoff. There’s talks about Katie and Ariana getting a show about their sandwich shop and Tom and Tom are desperate to get their own show too.”
The insider also notes that VPR alums Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright, who announced their exit from the show in December 2020, “are starting to look like they’re ahead of the game since they opted to bail out years ago and ended up with their own show [The Valley].”
“No doubt Bravo will give some other cast members a chance for a spinoff, but odds are they won’t all get a shot, so the claws are out big time,” the source concludes.
TMZ first reported on November 26 that Bravo was bringing in an entirely new cast, save for Lisa Vanderpump, for VPR’s upcoming season 12. Sources told the outlet that the current cast members were only told of this decision by production the night before.
A source also told In Touch that “the cast members were left in the dark for months about the plans for season 12.”
Bravo officially announced the news that day in a press release, revealing plans for season 12 to return to the show’s original format of showcasing a behind-the-scenes look at Lisa’s many restaurants. The new installment of VPR is set to feature the English TV personality, 64, and “a new group of close-knit SUR-vers who are as complicatedly involved with one another as their iconic predecessors,” the press release read.
Additionally, the new season will “celebrate the past decade of heartbreaks, friendship rifts and scandals with a retrospective special highlighting the past 11 seasons.”
The announcement continued, “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.”
Season 12 production is slated to begin in the new year. An official premiere date and cast list have yet to be announced.
The recasting decision has sparked speculation about what led to the decision, and many fans have been quick to point a finger at Ariana, 39, whose split from Sandoval, 42, after his cheating scandal with Raquel Leviss was at the center of season 10.
“Ariana might have good reason not to want to see Tom’s face,” a source exclusively told Life & Style on December 12, noting that her refusal to film with her ex caused chaos for the show, which was “built around having the cast interact as a whole.”
“There’s no doubt it threw a huge wrench in things and now that the show got canned, of course there’s a lot of blame being directed towards Ariana,” the insider continued. “That’s not the only issue. A lot of people are whispering that the salary demands from her, and from Lala, were also an issue, so fingers are also being pointed at her over that aspect too.”
However, the source notes that “Ariana doesn’t care” about the rumors — or even about the recasting.
“She’s got so many opportunities, not being tied to the show anymore is a good thing,” the insider concluded. “But there are quite a few people on the cast that are really stressed and they want to put the blame somewhere, so Ariana is a convenient scapegoat.”
