Vanderpump Rules has given us over a decade of pure entertainment at its absolute finest. There is no argument there.
However, Vanderpump Rules Season 11 has left fans wondering if it is time to end the show.
It’s a loaded question, no doubt about that. There are arguments for both sides.
Wasn’t it the beginning of the end when Kristen and Stassi got kicked off, and the final page turned with Jax’s exit? I mean, it was his show, right?
Kidding! Kind of.
The show has gone downhill since the SUR servers and bartenders grew up.
They have gone from throwing drinks at each other and fighting to raising kids and living in the Valley, which almost hints at the time being up.
It’s hard to imagine what this season would have even been like if it weren’t for Scandoval.
Anyway, here are the reasons it needs to end, plus the aspects that would be too hard to say goodbye to.
The lack of genuine drama
The show has progressively gotten boring over recent years. Well, really, since Season 6 or 7.
We no longer see Stassi and Jax drama, the latest accusations of Jax impregnating a stranger in Vegas, whatever Kristen Doute stirs up, or the inner workings of tequila Katie and Schwartz’s relationship.
Shocker, Sandoval is the same old Sandoval, and it has become repetitive.
How could you not see right through him in Season 1? Scandoval was horrible, but not in the least bit surprising.
Sheena has never brought that great of content, especially since the dismemberment of the witches of Weho and their endless hate for her.
Lala and James are reformed. Which they and everyone else should be happy about.
They might be the only two still standing who have kept the entertainment alive solely through their personalities after growing up.
Relatability
The biggest connection audiences could make to Vanderpump Rules was that the characters were real people. They had no money and worked at a restaurant.
They rented unimpressive apartments and worked long shifts.
Now, they have money, and that is a great thing! But we lost the ability to say, “Yeah, they know the struggle is real.”
I can’t even recall the last time I saw anyone working a shift at SUR on camera besides Rachel. Raquel? Doesn’t matter, and she doesn’t count.
Plus, along with the fame and fortune came the fact that they didn’t have to act the way they used to, either.
They captured the fan base, the ratings, and the love.
When Ariana first arrived, do you think she could tell the producers what she would and wouldn’t be doing or talking about or talking to (as she did in the most recent season finale)? No.
That is fine. I am not saying they shouldn’t have more agency over themselves, but there is no denying that it has made the show lackluster.
She is not the only one, either. She is just the best and latest example, for obvious reasons.
Some cast members
Enough of Sandoval, his transparency, and his hypocrisy. He has been irking since day one. Why are we still giving him a platform? Haven’t we seen enough?
He played a hand in Katie and Schwartz’s relationship going to hell, plus all he does is belittle everyone while being the littlest person on the planet.
The hate for him started long before Scandoval.
Katie isn’t perfect.
She has had moments that still leave questions about whether she has any likability left, but come on, that was your best friend’s girlfriend, fiancée, and then wife, and that is how you treat her?
Speaking of, Katie radiates misery. Her agreeability has waxed and waned since VPR’s inception.
She has improved, but “dishes it out; can’t take it” should be her slogan.
She has gained some sympathy.
Maybe she spent too long in a relationship she was clearly unhappy in, which is the source of her overbearing bitterness, but we have seen post-divorce Katie, and not much has changed.
Schwartz couldn’t stand up to Sandoval if his life depended on it which is tiresome. The show would not skip a beat if he left.
Solutions?
Well, a lot of ideas have floated amongst fans.
One is that the current VPR cast goes to The Valley, and they revamp the show with new SURvers, but there are a couple of problems with that.
First, not everyone lives in the San Fernando Valley, so that would not make much sense given the show’s title.
Second, VPR can’t just start over. It wouldn’t be the same.
The current cast is what makes the Bravo banger.
Their chemistry, history, and the fact that they were friends or frenemies before the hit aired makes it so good and why everyone keeps returning for more.
What would be missed?
First and foremost, it would be too hard not to see Lala, James, Ally, Ariana, and even partly Katie on the screen anymore.
James has been astonishing since the beginning, and now that he is with fan favorite Ally, he has only improved.
Maybe there are mixed feelings about Lala, but who else will keep it real?
Ariana and Katie’s hate toward Sandoval is too good to end now, plus their sandwich shop’s finished product will be to die for.
Also, how Katie looks at Schwartz, let alone how she talks to him, is amusing, too pleasurable, and well-deserved to end now.
There would be so many unanswered questions.
Will Sheena go for it and completely befriend Sandoval?
If so, how will Ariana react? How will she treat Lala after she bhit her breaking point during the finale?
How will Katie react to all of this?
Who will befriend Sandoval next? What more fake moves does he have in store? Will he stay in their house and have Schwartz move in?
What about Schwartz’s friend with benefits, Jo? Will she keep gunning for Schwartz despite his on-camera dismissal of her feelings?
Will James propose to Ally soon?
The Vanderpump Rules Season 11 finale may have felt like a series finale to some, but in retrospect, there is a lot left to cover, and there are greater hopes for an ending from a show of this magnitude.
On the other hand, there are solid points on why it may just be time to say goodbye, unfortunately.
Comment below on your thoughts on whether it should or shouldn’t end and why!
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Eve Pierpont is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow her on X.
