During the finale episode of Vanderpump Rules season 11, a producer cryptically declared, “That’s the end.” But is the show really being dissolved by Bravo?
Following a report claiming the series was being put on a production pause ahead of its potential 12th season, which Andy Cohen, 55, confirmed, an insider is speaking out about the future of the show, and how the possible second season of The Valley could be impacted.
“There’s always a possibility of a cast shakeup, or having the legacy cast members move to The Valley, but no decisions have been made yet,” an insider told Entertainment Tonight on May 7, noting that Tuesday’s episode was definitely a season — not series — finale.
On the latest episode, Ariana Madix, 38, and Tom Sandoval, 41, remained at the center of the series’ controversy, despite Ariana’s efforts to avoid filming with him throughout production, with him fuming over her claims that his apologies for his sordid affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, 29, were “performative.”
“This is f*cking bullsh*t,” Sandoval said. “Ariana’s just going around saying I’m not being honest, that I’m performative. Do you know what it is? Ariana is f*cking performative. She doesn’t like any of these motherf**kers. So she can f*ck off saying I’m performative.”
At the same time, Ariana defended herself, saying in a confessional, “He’s never tried to talk to me off camera. He could’ve written something in a f**king letter and left it on my kitchen counter and I could’ve read it at my leisure. But if you would only do it on camera, to me you just showed your true colors.”
Although Ariana found Sandoval to be disingenuous, Scheana Shay, 39, and Lala Kent, 33, took his side.
“I get it! He f*cking cheated! You did a really f*cking sh*tty thing! It was weird how you looked us all in the eye and said a lot of sh*t,” Lala said. “But he did not kill somebody! She moved on eight days later! Eight days! I’ve never in my life experienced someone who gets cheated on and suddenly she becomes God.”
Lala also targeted Ariana in a confessional, saying, “I don’t feel that Tom and Ariana were ever honest about their relationship until Tom was caught cheating. You think that you get to be honest for one moment, and then you get to pack it all away and all is good? F*ck that.”
Now that filming has wrapped and cast members have other commitments, like Ariana’s hosting gig on Love Island USA and return to Broadway, and Lisa Vanderpump‘s potential filming duties with Vanderpump Villa, Entertainment Tonight’s source said those roles “are factors at play” when it comes to Bravo’s decision to hold off on filming season 12.
Meanwhile, on X, formerly known as Twitter, Brice Sander, Entertainment Tonight’s chief Real Housewives correspondent, added to the report, mentioning possible casting changes.
“While it might’ve felt like a series finale, I’ve been reassured that it was just a season finale for [Pump Rules] — but (and this is just my opinion) a creative retooling/cast refresh could very much happen going into season 12, post-production pause,” he wrote.
The three-part Vanderpump Rules season 11 reunion begins on Tuesday, May 14, at 8/7c on Bravo.