How The Valley Contributed To The Vanderpump Rules “Pause” (The Drama Unpacked) (2024)

The intermediate Vanderpump Rules production “pause” after season 11 was unequivocally impacted by the success of its new spin-off, The Valley. VPR resurged as a reality television phenomenon in March 2023 after it was revealed that Tom Sandoval had cheated on his partner of nearly ten years, Ariana Madix, with their co-star and friend Rachel Leviss. For years, the show had dealt with affairs among its cast members, but Scandoval breached new grounds of press for its cast. Cameras picked up to film the wake of the scandal for VPR season 11, which was received with mixed reviews.

Scandoval prompted the production of The Valley, a spin-off of VPR that features a cast of its former longtime stars Kristen Doute, Jax Taylor, and Brittany Cartwright. Despite some uncertainty, The Valley season 1 was met with great reception. The series made use of the popularity and typical format of its predecessor with new and interesting personalities. When a new supreme rises, the old one fades away, and it may be time for VPR to end after season 11 and The Valley likely contributed to its downfall.

The Valley Is A Fresh Extension Of Vanderpump Rules

New Drama, Faces, & Storylines Set The Valley Up For Success

It’s no secret that the pilot for The Valley wouldn’t have begun production in 2023 if it wasn’t for the fallout of Scandoval. The VPR team idealized a spin-off that would follow its founding cast years before it premiered in 2024, but was shelved after Stassi Schroeder, Jax, and Kristen were fired for racist remarks. In a clip of Stassi on The Toast podcast in 2022, she revealed that The Valley was set to begin with her May 2022 wedding and showcase the VPR stars moving on to the next stage of their lives.

“The way that ‘Vanderpump Rules’ started where it was like ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ and it transitioned into ‘Vanderpump,’ that’s what we were gonna do with my wedding.”

It wasn’t a coincidence that The Valley began with a segment of Jax sitting down alongside Sandoval for the first time since his affair with Rachel. As Stassi detailed in her appearance on The Toast in 2022, The Valley was meant to emulate the beginning of VPR which transitioned out of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

However, the consensus on the spin-off swiftly changed. It was interesting to see how Kristen, Jax, and Brittany’s lives had changed since VPR season 8. They ushered in a new slate of friends turned co-stars who were all at similar stages in their lives. Each couple was navigating the perils of adult and parenthood in their own ways. The cast of The Valley were all friends in real life, which made the show and the drama among its cast feel organic. The only awkward sense about The Valley was that Bravo essentially reversed the firings of Kristen and Jax.

Vanderpump Rules Was Overshadowed By Tom Sandoval’s Redemption Storyline

The Valley Was Rid Of All Scandoval-Related Drama

While The Valley introduced fresh drama and faces to Bravo, VPR was busy rehashing stale narratives. There was no way the network wasn’t going to pick up cameras to film the fallout of Scandoval on the show in the summer of 2023. However, looking back on VPR season 11 feels like a time capsule. Ariana has said she won’t even watch the season because she was in a tough spot as the news of the affair had only broken three months before their filming schedule for VPR season 11.

VPR production attempted to force moments throughout season 11. They tried to give Scandoval a redemption storyline that some cast members were unwilling to fall in line with. While Lala Kent and Scheana Shay were ready to play ball with the producers, Ariana and Katie did not budge in their stances. Lala and Scheana reaped the benefits of the scandal in the months after by incessantly talking about it on their podcasts. They essentially stripped VPR season 11 of all shock value because they had discussed every moment on their podcasts beforehand.

They were far more vocal than Ariana about how distraught they were by Sandoval’s actions. So, when their stances on the situation did a full 180 on VPR season 11, it felt unauthentic. It seemed as if Lala and Scheana were pressured by production to feed into the Sandoval redemption arc. None of the drama in The Valley felt manufactured or set up. VPR and The Valley are supposed to be reality shows, and it felt like the cast of the latter was more focused on creating conflicting TV moments rather than filming natural updates on the situation.

Now, Vanderpump Rules Stars Have The Option To Go On The Valley If Their Show Gets Canceled

If Vanderpump Is Done, Its Cast Has The Option To Continue Their Reality TV Careers On The Valley

If VPR is officially canceled, its former stars have the option to hop over to The Valley to continue their careers as reality TV stars. The Valley was renewed for season 2 while VPR has been put on a production “pause,” originally reported by TMZ. At this point, it doesn’t matter what happens to Lisa Vanderpump’s reality show, because the cast knows it can switch over to The Valley.

They’d all likely be devastated if it was canceled. At the VPR season 11 reunion, Lala noted that she “loved” filming the show because it was a large part of her livelihood and one of her main sources of income to support her family. She’s one cast member that has been accused of creating manufactured moments. Lala views VPR as a job, which it is. However, she’s become so focused on producing herself that her intentions have gotten muddled.

It seems Lala’s performance in VPR season 11 impressed the production. Page Six reported she was in “early talks to join ‘The Valley’” and stay on VPR when season 12 began filming. She prepared herself for her potential introduction to the spin-off at the VPR season 11 reunion while revealing a conflict she’d had with Brittany. It came out of left field for Lala to randomly reveal she had minor drama with The Valley star Brittany, but the news of her potential casting on the show made the moment make sense.

The Valley Will Suffer If It Turns Into Vanderpump Rules 2.0

The New Show Doesn't Need The Drama Of Vanderpump To Succeed

The Valley will lose its spark if it turns into Vanderpump Rules 2.0. The Valley has been positively received because it felt like a separate extension to VPR. Instead of continuously rehashing the same storylines over and over again, The Valley felt completely fresh and rid itself of its roots after its first episode. It was smart to cast only a few of the show’s former stars while introducing many new faces. If Lala, Scheana, Sandoval, Schwartz, Katie, and Ariana joined The Valley season 1, it would have felt like another season of VPR.

While it was incredibly controversial to rehire Kristen and Jax, their inclusion in the season felt natural. They pioneered VPR and helped contribute to its success as a show over the years. While they’ve gotten older and grown up a little bit, Kristen and Jax still possess personalities that thrive on reality TV. You know what they say, a leopard can’t change its spots, and they surely didn’t for The Valley. The spin-off didn’t feel overcrowded by ex-SUR employees and thrived by ushering in a completely new cast that felt connected by real bonds of friendship.

The success of The Valley has undoubtedly contributed to the VPR “pause” in production. Viewers are tired of rehashing the drama of Scandoval and have taken a liking to the revamped vibe of the new spin-off. If VPR got canceled, its former cast would taint the success of The Valley and ruin the franchise for good.

Sources: Bravo/YouTube, The Toast, TMZ, Page Six

Vanderpump Rules

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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 try 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.

Cast

Scheana Shay , Lisa Vanderpump , Katie Maloney , Tom Sandoval , Tom Schwartz , Ariana Madix , James Kennedy , Lala Kent

Release Date

January 7, 2013

Seasons

11

Streaming Service(s)

Bravo , E! , Peaco*ck