Heavy/Bravo "Vanderpump Rules" season 11 opener.
The “Vanderpump Rules” season 11 opener was released by Bravo, and fans had a lot to say about it.
On January 29, 2024, Bravo dropped a first look at the opening titles for the Emmy-nominated reality show a full day before the season 11 premiere. The theme song, Dena Deadley’s “Raise Your Glass,” remained the same. But fans zeroed in on other changes for the new opener — and the shot of co-stars Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval really stood out.
For the past year, Sandoval has been under fire for his shocking cheating scandal with co-star Raquel Leviss. His placement in the new title sequence is another indicator that he’s no longer the number one guy in the group.
Tom Schwartz & Tom Sandoval Filmed at TomTom, Not Their Solo Bar Schwartz & Sandy’s
The “Vanderpump Rules” new opening credits kick off at Something About Her, the still-unopened sandwich shop owned by Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix. In the clip, the glammed-up reality stars stand in the entryway amid a display of sandwiches, with Madix holding a teacup.
Next up, a drone takes viewers to TomTom, where Schwartz and Sandoval are posed at the bar. Finally, the camera shoots around SUR, Lisa Vanderpump’s place where it all started. Scheana Shay, James Kennedy, and Lala Kent stand by the hostess station before Vanderpump makes her grand entrance.
On social media, fans noted that Madix and Maloney are right at the beginning of the clip, despite the fact that their sandwich shop has yet to open. Others couldn’t get over the fact that an unopened sandwich shop got space in the opener instead of Schwartz and Sandoval’s solo bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s.
“I absolutely love that Schwartz and Sandoval are forced to be at tomtom and aren’t promoting S&S,” one viewer wrote on Instagram.
“Obsessed they didn’t let the Tom’s film their part at schwartz and sandy’s,” another agreed.
“Oh HELL yea🔥 Katie and Ariana at Something about her👏 looking fire🔥 Tom and Tom NOT at Schwartz and Sandy’s😂😂,” another chimed in.
“Oh you just KNOW Sandevil threw a fit when producers said you’re intro is at TomTom and i love that for us,” another fan cracked.
Others questioned the move. “The Tom’s have 2 operating restaurants. The girls have none, yet it’s featured in the opening credits? Hmmm,” one commenter wrote.
“The sandwich shop isn’t even open…” another agreed.
Other fans were annoyed by the lack of drink “spillage” as seen in past openers, as well as no purse toss from Lisa Vanderpump.
Previous ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Openers Were Shot at SUR
The first nine seasons of “Vanderpump Rules” featured openers shot at SUR. For season 10, producers made the move to change the focus from SUR to include TomTom, Schwartz & Sandy’s, and an exterior shot of Pump, which has since closed. In fact, season 10 opened with the two Toms clinking glasses at their Schwartz & Sandy’s bar.
In an interview with The Wrap, showrunner Jeremiah Smith explained the change to the original format of the opener. “When the opening sequence was originally conceived back in 2011 or 2012, the idea was to bring people into this world of SUR restaurant,” he said. Nine seasons later, Bravo executives pressed for new main titles to reflect how the focus of the show had changed now that none of the main cast worked at the restaurant.
In October 2023, James Kennedy shared an Instagram story to tease that he was heading to film his part of the season 11 main title shoot at SUR.
In videos shared to Instagram, fans also got a look at Maloney and Madix posed in front of a table in their West Hollywood sandwich shop as a drone camera recorded footage.
Nowhere were there previews of footage being shot at Schwartz & Sandy’s, despite the fact that it was prominently featured in the season 10 opening.
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