Bravo The "Vanderpump Rules" cast.
“Vanderpump Rules” aired its explosive season 10 finale on May 17, 2023, and a three-part reunion special is set to air over the next few weeks.
But what’s the status for season 11 in the aftermath of Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss’ shocking cheating scandal that rocked the Bravo reality show?
Here’s what you need to know:
“Vanderpump Rules” Season 11 Will Begin Filming This Summer
Casey Durkin/BravoTom Sandoval and Scheana Shay in “Vanderpump Rules” season 10.
The 10th season of “Vanderpump Rules” was filmed over the summer of 2022 and wrapped in September. But amid Scandoval, cameras picked back up in March 2023 to capture the real-time fallout between Sandoval and his ex, Ariana Madix. And while it may have been tempting to keep the cameras rolling, producers said a break was definitely needed,
In an interview with Variety in May 2023, producer Alex Baskin said after the “Vanderpump Rules” reunion was filmed, he knew there needed to be a break between seasons because “new information” came out that cast members needed to process– and more is on the way. “There are revelations, and they are revelations that not all of them know now. So we need a little space,” the VPR producer said. “I had thought that we needed cameras on them right away. And I now think we need a minute.”
Baskin added that while producers want some time to pass before getting back to filming, he also doesn’t want too long of a break. While filming for season 11 will pick up this summer, he noted that if needed, the crew can get cameras up quickly to catch breaking situations.
Some VPR Cast Members Do Not Want To Film With Tom Sandoval & Raquel Leviss
Heavty/NBCUniversalThe cast of “Vanderpump Rules.”
The 10th season of “Vanderpump Rules” starred Madix, Sandoval, Leviss, Lisa Vanderpump, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, James Kennedy, Katie Maloney, and Tom Schwartz. Charli Burnett, Brock Davies, Ally Lewber, Kristina Kelly, and Peter Madrigal also appeared throughout the season.
In the Variety interview, Baskin also revealed that while it is presumed that Sandoval and Madix will both return for season 11, nothing is set in stone. “No one’s saying no, I’ll say that — but I think it’s hard for anybody to say yes right now, because they feel like they haven’t gotten any reprieve,” he said.
As for Leviss, producers have been in talks with her reps, but her status remains in limbo.
When asked about the possibility of former cast members such as Kristen Doute and Jax Taylor returning, Baskin teased, “This is not a show that you can plug an outsider into. So we definitely have those conversations. And in real life, they are still all friends.”
But some cast members have already said Sandoval and Leviss are no longer part of their friend group, which would make filming with them impossible.
While speaking on the ‘Sofia With an F” podcast in April, Kent revealed that producers contacted the cast to ask if they are open to filming with Sandoval and Leviss in the future. “I was never close with these two, I’ve never liked these two, so it wasn’t some tremendous loss,” Kent said.
Shay also confirmed no one wants to film with the two. “I don’t see anyone wanting to film with the two of them,” Scheana Shay told E! News. “In real life, we don’t connect with Sandoval and Raquel. It’ll be interesting.”
In an interview with the New York Times, Madix said she is not open to filming scenes with her ex-boyfriend or his mistress. “No,” she said. “I have nothing to say to either of them. Our show is very real and follows a real group of friends and neither of them are in the group of friends, so good luck.”
She elaborated on what she expects for season 11 in a May 18, 2023 interview on the “Today Show.” “I think I’ll be back… if they’ll have me back,” Madix said on the NBC morning show, per Deadline. She admitted that it’s not up to her if Sandoval and Leviss return to the show, but added, “I have no interest in speaking to either of them. I don’t have anything to say.”
Madix said she will focus on herself and her career, including the Something About Her sandwich shop she plans to open with Maloney. She also noted that most of the cast isn’t speaking to Sandoval, Leviss, and Sandoval’s best friend, Tom Schwartz.
“As far as the dynamics of the friend group go, that remains to be seen because there is a group of people who are friends and then there’s 2 1/2 people on an island that no one speaks to,” the “Vanderpump Rules” star said.
Lisa Vanderpump hinted that she thinks everyone should come back to continue the story. In May 2023, she told Entertainment Tonight that Leviss “really needs to discuss with us what’s going on in her life.”
“But Sandoval’s been part of that group for …four years prior to the show,” she added. “So, of course, there’s conversations and questions to be answered. I don’t think you can just shut the door on somebody. …There needs to be kind of discussions, and I think we’ll be there for it.”
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