Why ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Season 11 Was A Horrible Ending For The Show’s Original Cast
Since fans have been invested in the cast of Vanderpump Rules for so long, it was shocking when it was announced the show was being recast. That decision was especially surprising to fans because Vanderpump Rules’ Season 11 was such a bad ending for the show’s original cast.
Why Vanderpump Rules’ Original Cast Deserved A Better Ending
The first 11 seasons of Vanderpump Rules included a staggering 224 episodes. That means that the show’s most dedicated fans have literally spent hundreds of hours watching Vanderpump Rules. On top of that, some fans have rewatched the show more than once over the years.
Given how much time fans have spent watching the show, it is very obvious that viewers were invested in Vanderpump Rules’ cast. After spending hours watching people like Scheana Shay, Tom Sandoval, Katie Maloney, and Lala Kent, fans want the show’s stars to have had a compelling exit.
Looking back at how Vanderpump Rules’ 11th season ended, however, it becomes very obvious that the show’s original stars needed to have a better ending.
Since February 27th, 2020, the “Vanderpump Robs” podcast has been covering every aspect of the popular Bravo reality show. That show, which can be listened to on Apple Podcasts, is hosted by Rob Schulte. In April 2025, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas exclusively interviewed Rob Schulte.
During that conversation, Rob exclusively told TheThings that Vanderpump Rules original cast had a really disappointing exit.
From there, Rob went on to explain why he believed Vanderpump Rules’ original cast deserved better.
A couple of years before Season 11 ended, nobody would have expected Bravo to move away from Vanderpump Rules’ stars at that time. The reason for that was that, during Tom Sandoval’s infamous scandal, the show was the talk of the reality TV world.
In December 2023, Rolling Stone published an article titled “2023 Was the Year of the Reality TV Villain.” That article revealed how big of a deal Tom Sandoval’s cheating scandal was at that time by including an image of the Vanderpump Rules star at the top.
While talking to TheThings, the host of Vanderpump Robs, Rob Schulte, talked about how invested fans were in that cheating scandal.
“We had this huge season ten with a big drama situation with Tom Sandoval cheating on Ariana, and everyone was watching it like Columbo because the news dropped while the show was only four episodes in. So, fans were trying put the pieces together. ‘What’s the edit versus what’s the reality?'”
After talking about Tom Sandoval’s scandal, Rob spoke to TheThings about how it set up Vanderpump Rules’ original stars to have a lackluster exit.
“Then we get Season 11, which is the fallout, which is essentially Ariana walking and saying, ‘No. I don’t wanna film with Tom Sandoval. You all wanted me on this show. These were my stipulations. He treated me like garbage, and I’m gonna stand by it.’ And everyone else going, ‘Oh my god. We need to keep our jobs. Ariana, please just film with Tom.’ And, like, that’s not what anyone wanted to see. You know?”
There Are Fascinating Theories About Why Vanderpump Rules Was Recast
Even if Vanderpump Rules’ original cast was given the perfect exit, the fact that the show was being rebooted would have been shocking. After all, there aren’t too many networks who would walk away from a show’s cast that has been that successful. With that in mind, it makes sense that there are theories about the decision to recast Vanderpump Rules.
When the host of the “Vanderpump Robs” podcast was interviewed by TheThings, he spoke about the decision to reboot the show’s cast.
Interestingly enough, Rob explained to TheThings that he believed that Vanderpump Rules was recast so the show didn’t have to be reinvented.
“I think by recasting Vanderpump Rules, it is an easy out for executives to continue doing what they know how to do rather than evolving with the times and giving us the show that the fans want or need might be a better word to say.”
Rob then went on to elaborate on his belief that the team at Bravo wants to make Vanderpump Rules a low-maintenance show to produce.
“I think Bravo is really, and I’m painting with a very wide brush here, but I think they’re trying to figure out how to get something that is still fun that isn’t hard to do or too hands-on and manipulative.”
Finally, Rob told TheThings that he believed that recasting was an attractive option for Vanderpump Rules’ producers because the show’s new stars would be easier to control.
“What it appears to me from a Vanderpump podcaster and just fan and consumer of the product is that it’s really easy for them to now say, ‘You know what? Throwing my hands up. We’re starting from the beginning. We’ll be able to pull the strings more with a green cast than we would with a cast who’s done eleven seasons.’
I think there’s a control aspect to it. When I think about it, there’s a nine to ten year thing that happens with Bravo cast members. I think we see this on Southern Charm as well that they don’t even recognize necessarily that they’re self-producing, but they’ve seen so many iterations of themselves and so much fan response that they wanna make sure they’re getting the best story told for themselves. And when you’re new to a show, I think the powers that be, the showrunners, the post, and field producers, have a little bit more inherent authority over the cast.”
While talking to TheThings, the “Vanderpump Robs” podcast host, Rob Schulte spoke at length about the reasons for Vanderpump Rules’ reboot and the original cast’s exit. On top of that, Rob also explained why he has high hopes for Vanderpump Rules’ new cast.
“I’m sure a lot of the new cast members who have not been officially announced are great. I talked with Peter Madrigal on my podcast, you know, the manager of the restaurant, and he said that the drama’s hot. The people are hot. Well, he didn’t say the people are hot. The stories will be hot and it’s gonna be very exciting. And I have to believe Peter. He’s boots on the ground. He’s there.”
