It is extremely hard to have a show hit every single season, and Vanderpump Rules is no exception. Season 10 was supposed to be its series final. But with the breakout star being Scandoval, the crew hung in there for one more season. Season 11 was supposed to catch the aftermath of Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss’ affair. However, currently, the show has only showcased Tom’s redemption tour, and personally, I wasn’t here for that. I think it is best to let sleeping dogs lie and move on from a once-popular show.
The episodes have been lackluster at best, and without Rachel’s return, the narrative is missing a central plot line. Season 11 has been a significant disappointment because Lisa Vanderpump stands out as the villain, and the rest of the cast just comes across as if they are trying to be real actors, forgetting we knew them when they were just normal, dramatic SUR employees fighting in the ally. Even though Season 10 was nominated for the Outstanding Unstructured Reality program at the Emmys, it failed to win, and I think this says a lot.
Season 11 Is Over Produced
This issue has been discussed a lot since the premiere of Season 11, but I think it is worth bringing up again. Naturally, the producers will try to catch or create some epic moments, but I can’t help but feel that they are trying way too hard. As a fan, I have been frustrated and disappointed with the fact that Season 11 feels like the producers have their hand in the cookie jar. Every single scene in the new episodes feels and looks one hundred percent staged. Also, I can’t watch one more scene where Scheana Shay is ugly crying!
I know I am talking about a reality TV show, but nothing feels real anymore. The whole season is actually making me feel pretty sad because Vanderpump Rules used to be my favorite because the OG cast never held back their emotions. The early years showed the cast not caring how or when they were filmed. But they care now.
Airing Old News
I do think that Vanderpump Rules should end after Season 11, and the reason isn’t all because the producers got it wrong. I think, as viewers, we hyperconsumed any content surrounding our favorite Bravo shows. When Scadoval hit in March 2023, it was HUGE. Like, when has a reality TV show affair ever hit the main news? So, fans literally ate it up. We dissected and rewatched, but we still couldn’t see Tom having a secret affair.
So now that Season 11 is airing, it all feels like old news to us because we watched it unfold in real-time. We saw Tom try to complete the SAS toughest challenge. We watched Ariana Madix dance her way onto Broadway. So, not that the new season is basically repeating what we all know: we are clearly bored. Thanks to social media and spoilers, nothing seems new to lifelong viewers, and I find it hard to believe that Bravo will be able to pull off another season if there is nothing left to be surprised with.
The Lawsuits
It never helps a series when lawsuits start falling from the sky. I feel like Sandoval is going to be running around like Henny Penny, freaking out that somebody decided to hold him accountable. Last week, Rachel filed a lawsuit against Tom and Ariana for revenge porn which is no laughing matter. The former model accused Tom of recording and distributing sexually explicit videos of her. In Season 10, she noted that Tom had recorded her masturbating while on FaceTime but never knew.
Ariana accidentally saw the video when she found out about the affair while holding Tom’s phone. However you slice it, this lawsuit is a big deal, and while I assume producers will want to catch it all for the camera, if Tom has any sense at all or is a good lawyer, it won’t be allowed. And again, fans are back to watching the lawsuit play out in real time, meaning there would be no purpose to film anyway.
TELL US – ARE YOU ENJOYING SEASON 10 OF VANDERPUMP RULES? OR DO YOU THINK IT SHOULD END?
