Getty Lisa Vanderpump attends the DailyMail.com & DailyMailTV Summer Party at Tom Tom on July 11, 2018 in West Hollywood, California.
Lisa Vanderpump gave an update on the upcoming ninth season of “Vanderpump Rules.”
Nearly one year after four cast members were fired, including veteran “Vanderpump Rules” stars Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute, and the subsequent departures of Jax Taylor and his wife Brittany Cartwright, the SUR owner confirmed that there will be a new vibe to the Bravo reality series when it returns.
Here’s what she said:
Vanderpump Confirmed There Will be New Cast Members After Last Season’s Firing Spree
BravoVanderpump Rules stars Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz, Lisa Vanderpump, Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor
In addition to the departures of the four veteran cast members, newcomers Max Boyens, Brett Caprioni, and Dayna Kathan won’t be on the new season of “Vanderpump Rules.” But Vanderpump told Entertainment Tonight that there will be some new faces in the ensemble cast.
“We’ve got a couple of new people,” she confirmed. “We’ve lost a couple of people along the way, but we’ve still got a big cast of people that are very familiar with each other — sometimes a little too familiar — but it’s got a lot of great energy behind it.”
Vanderpump added that the cast will be in rare form in the new episodes.
“We’re already a third of the way in, and I’m telling you, you can tell they’ve been locked up for a year,” she said. “Everybody’s got a point of view, and they’re willing to air it and vent it. And I’m surprised, actually, I thought it would be a slower start, but it’s not. It’s boom! Straight out the gate….I’m surprised, actually, how amazingly quick, fast-paced, and intense we’re in and we’re only a third of the way through, so it’s good.”
Vanderpump Said The Cast Is ‘More Mature’ In Season 9
NBCUMVVanderpump Rules cast
Vanderpump confirmed that with the cast cleanup, viewers will be able to focus more on the core members, which will include returning stars Scheana Shay, Lala Kent, Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, Tom Schwartz, Katie Maloney-Schwartz, and more.
“You’re going to see, it’s a little more focused,” she said of the reduced cast size. “Some people have a few more challenges, that’s for sure. But you’ll see, you’ll be invested in this one. ..It’s the same ‘Vanderpump Rules,’ only different. “
She noted that viewers will see resident bad boy James Kennedy in a new light, and she teased that his fiancée, Raquell Leviss, “really comes out of a shell” this season.
“They’ve all got a lot to say, that’s for sure,” Vanderpump teased of the cast. “I think it’s more mature, the show, but there are people that really like to have their opinion and that’s not going to change. And they’ve certainly got a lot of them.”
Vanderpump herself will also be seen more—and not in a “boss” role. Veteran cast member Tom Sandoval recently told Access Hollywood that LVP will be in more of a “friend” role to the cast this season.
“Lisa, this time around, is a little more involved not just as a boss, but as a friend,” he said. “I mean, I’ve always considered Lisa a friend. But it’s a lot different when I’m bartending for her than if we’re…partners. You’re going to see that difference. And you’re going to like it.”