Affairs. Scandals. Lies. These are the building blocks of a great reality show. But the last season of Vanderpump Rules was one of — if not the most — iconic seasons of reality TV, and it kept us all glued to our TVs for months. So, in preparation for the new season (which airs on Bravo on January 30 at 8 p.m.), here’s a recap of everything that happened last year, why it resonated with us and what you need to know going into the premiere.
Source: Bravo
What Is ‘Vanderpump Rules’?
Many of us have been diehard fans from the beginning, but for those who have yet to experience the magic of VPR, it’s a spin-off of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The show follows the staff of Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant, SUR, in West Hollywood. These servers have all grown up together at the restaurant, and, as a result, they’ve formed a tightly knit group — who also all seem to date each other.
What Happened Last Season? What is “Scandoval”?
Last season, a bombshell was dropped when the news of an affair among the cast members came out, otherwise coined as “Scandoval.” The affair was a betrayal on multiple levels between a group of longtime friends. It was also fascinating to watch because the news broke while season 10 was still airing. As a result, episodes were being re-edited to slowly unveil the affair, and audiences were waiting for the other shoe to drop. So what happened, and how did it all play out?
There are a few longstanding relationships on the show. Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz were together for 12 years and married for over five years. James Kennedy and Rachel (formerly known as “Raquel”) Leviss were together and formerly engaged for five years and Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval were together for nine years. At the beginning the season 10, Maloney and Schwartz had recently gotten divorced and were trying to figure out how to remain friends. She asked Schwartz to not date anyone in their group of friends on the show, but he and Leviss started flirting and ended up kissing at Scheana Shay’s wedding. That seemed salacious enough, but slowly we learned that the relationship between Schwartz and Leviss was all a misdirect from the actual affair that Leviss and Sandoval were having for months behind the scenes.
The Last to Know
It all started to unravel when Ally Lewber, Kennedy’s girlfriend, saw Leviss and Sandoval dancing at a club at 1 a.m. without Madix. Rumors swirled through the cast, but Madix remained in the dark. All the while, Leviss and Sandoval were trying to keep the affair under wraps, but because audiences already knew about it, their behavior seemed, at best, baffling and, at worst, sociopathic. Rachel played the “cool girl” with the two Toms, and even bought a lightning bolt necklace to match Sandoval’s. Meanwhile, Sandoval kept trying to paint his relationship with Madix in a bad light to justify his affair with Leviss which he knew would ultimately come out. All the while Schwartz helped Sandoval (poorly) string together reasons on camera that his relationship with Madix had gone downhill.
In what was supposed to be the season finale, Madix and Maloney had a sandwich tasting at SUR for their upcoming sandwich shop. There, longtime cast member Lala Kent approached Madix about Sandoval’s suspicious behavior. Madix’s grandmother had recently passed away, and, while she was grieving at home, Sandoval had decided to stay at a party with Leviss — instead of going home to be with Madix. Madix defended him saying that he’d stayed because he couldn’t get a ride home. If that wasn’t bad enough, later Leviss approached Madix (her then best friend) and brazenly asked her how her relationship with Sandoval was going. Madix insisted that she was very much in love with Sandoval and loyally defended their relationship.
Madix’s Discovery
Production wrapped, but then, shortly after, the news came out that Madix and Sandoval had broken up, and cameras picked back up to document the fallout of “Scandoval.” It turned out that, while Madix was at one of Sandoval’s band’s concerts, she discovered a lewd text from Leviss on his phone, and she confronted him about the affair.
Soon after, all hell broke loose, both leading up to and during the fiery reunion. Leviss accused Shay of punching her when Shay confronted her about the affair. And she even got a restraining order against Shay, so the two couldn’t film the reunion together. Leviss watched much of it from her trailer with what seemed to be a macabre glee. The entire cast came together against the couple, and it seemed like it was Sandoval and Leviss against the world. But unsurprisingly their relationship was short-lived.
What To Expect?
Production immediately resumed following last year’s reunion since the cast was still reeling from the affair. Leviss and Sandoval broke up, and she decided not to return to the show. Madix maintained that she wouldn’t film with either of them, but, based on the trailer, it looks like she’ll be in many contentious scenes with Sandoval. Much of season 11 looks to be centered on the fallout of the affair and how it’s affecting the group of friends. But that’s not all the drama that’s expected. In the trailer, Schwartz and Maloney are seen making out with the same person, Madix’s new boyfriend makes an appearance and it’s rumored that Schwartz kissed Shay in Vegas. Whatever’s on the horizon, if this season is half as good as the last one, we’re here for it all.
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