Have you been caught up in the Vanderpump Rules drama on reality TV? It’s in your face everywhere, whether you care or not. Their ratings have skyrocketed.
During the pandemic, hubby and I, like many others with nothing much else to do, were recording lots of reality TV. We only watched it sporadically however.
When the latest scandal hit the news, we realized we had episodes taped, and curiosity as to what the drama is all about won.
VPR in a Nutshell
This show boils down to a bunch of cute (at the beginning) twenty-something kids working at various restaurants and bars in the LA area owned by Lisa Vanderpump. LVP, as she is called, is the matriarch of the show, offering motherly advice, admonishments, and even a few business loans to her brood. Some of these “kids” are currently in their forties, no longer so cute. But entertaining nonetheless.
The Vanderpump Rules drama features scandal after scandal, some more brash and brazen than others.
Scandoval
The most recent scandal, the one currently in all the entertainment news, involved a months-long love affair between Tom Sandoval and his co-star Raquel (AKA Rachel) Levis behind the backs of other castmates, including Tom’s long time (9 years) girlfriend Ariana Madix.
The s**t hit the fan when Tom dropped his phone while performing with his band and someone innocently retrieved it, handing it to Ariana for safe keeping. Well, she decided to sneak a peek at his photos, discovering a risque video of Raquel and Tom.
The funny/not funny part is that the season of VPR had finished shooting when this revelation happened. Bravo, astutely realizing they had a blockbuster on their hands, resumed filming, adding another “final episode” and several “reunion” episodes digging up the dirt, looking for signs of the affair, and emotionally airing (literally) it out.
The final last episode aired last Wednesday (May 17) with the reunion episodes still to come.
I’ve read a few Scandoval headlines but this reaction by a psychologist hits the nail on the head.
Randall Scandal
An earlier VPR scandal surfaced when film director Randall Emmitt was caught cheating on his girlfriend Lala Kent, one of the more outspoken girls under LVP’s wing.
This was not as big of a deal as it seemed (to viewers and castmates) since Lala started dating Randall when he was a married man. As LVP warned Lala way back, you lose them the same way you catch them. In other words, once a cheater, always a cheater.
Lala however, ironically took great offense to castmates calling her a mistress.
The Shenanigans of Jax
For many previous (to these two scandals) Jax was the feature. His dating and cheating (though he and his partners were never married or in long term relationships) shenanigans were typical of the show but not scandalous. He is now married and a father with his philandering (hopefully) behind him.
Team Ariana or Team Tom?
Back to Scandoval…Are you on team Ariana or team Tom in this Vanderpump Rules scandal? It seems the world, including Joe Biden, is on team Ariana.
Where that leaves Tom Sandoval and his personality-challenged, goofy sidekick and business partner Tom Swartz is anyone’s guess.
The line in the sand is clearly drawn.
