Vanderpump Rules / The Valley (2024)

Painful, a true fall from grace.

Unless the original cast are going to go off the rails and liven up, I’d scrap the whole lot and start a new series in in Lisa’s Las Vegas bar.

They badly need a shakeup. Some of the OGs could stay (Sandoval (and Ariana, although she wasn’t a season one cast member), Stassi for pettiness, Schaena because what even is she, even Schwartz at a push), but Jax needs to GTFO with a quickness. Brit and Lala can go with. Why on earth producers thought that Jax’s wedding and Lala’s engagement would be riveting is beyond me.

The new cast feels like a misfire, too. The convoluted Max-Dayna-Brett triangle is a snooze fest. However, two friends of, Danica and Charli show loads of petty, bitchy promise. Why they weren’t snapped up for main cast is beyond me.

I’m here for James and Raquel.

I’ve been saying for years that Bravo needs 2 shows if they’re going to continue this route: one following the original cast living their lives in the valley with zero ties to the restaurants or Lisa, and another following the next generation of ‘SUR’ staffers. The format hasn’t been working since it became obvious seasons ago that none of the main cast works at the restaurant anymore - and it was just staged for the show. Now they’ve relieved most of that nonsense (aside from stuffing Jax & Ariana back behind the bar), they should keep the original cast (Stassi/Katie/Kristen/Toms/Jax/Lala) and have them star on a newly titled series documenting them living the ‘Hills 2.0’ lives that we’ve always enjoyed, Vanderpump-free.

The desperate insertion of SUR & Lisa to make the title relevant is useless at this point, and Vanderpump Rules should be a separate show that focuses on the new crop of 20-somethings who actually still work there. That said, what we’ve learned this season is the new generation (which now includes James and Raquel) are complete duds, and the show should just be completely reworked to focus on the Vegas restaurant/staff instead. I know for a fact they’ve been pitching the Vegas spinoff to Bravo for sometime, with this season’s ‘Scheana clone affair’ being used to show a sort of bridge between the casts. But at this point they should count their losses on the LA staff and keep the show entirely developed around Vegas.

And Scheana can rot at this point. She has no actual ties to either cast, and doesn’t actually work at the restaurant, and her desperate ploys to create storylines for herself - or to randomly show up at any event the cameras are attending - have been embarrassing since Season 1.

Honestly, the show peaked at this moment in Season 2, and it’s been a slow decline ever since:

Kirkland said:

Stassi, Katie, Jax, and Lala make this unwatchable.

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I feel like Stassi, Katie & Kristen are carrying the entire show. Jax & Brittany should move to Kentucky to never be heard from again.

I stopped watching after the premiere of the current season.

Kirkland said:

Stassi, Katie, Jax, and Lala make this unwatchable.

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- this. Katie is the most unlikeable Bravo cast-member like, ever. The fact that she has lasted nearly a decade when she brings nothing except being painfully humiliated by her pathetic pseudo-husband is tragic.

Stassi used to be an icon but she's now such a 'pick me' that it's embarrassing (although I have a crush on Beau don't @ me.)

As @lushLuck said, the show needs to be split into two, but I can see why they haven't been able to do that. I guess the biggest problems would be from a marketing stand-point - LVP has no power over the original cast given that they are now all pushing 40 (or over 40) and don't work at SUR (so I don't know how they'd retain the 'Vanderpump Rules' title if focusing on this group, but the newer cast-members are failing to recapture the dynamite that the original SURvers brought in seasons 1-3.

There's also the added problem that this is LVP's only vehicle now that she's off RHOBH, but her palling around with the likes of Jax/Brittany or Katie/Schwartz is so unbelievable.

I can't even fathom a solution but I don't have any interest in an un-cohesive show with 19 (!) cast members with boring storylines. However I doubt Bravo are that bothered given that their ratings are reasonable (on-par with most Housewives shows.)

lushLuck said:

And Scheana can rot at this point. She has no actual ties to either cast, and doesn’t actually work at the restaurant, and her desperate ploys to create storylines for herself - or to randomly show up at any event the cameras are attending - have been embarrassing since Season 1.

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This is your only point that I whole-heartedly disagree with. Scheana Marie is a television icon.

I don't like LaLa, the way she's not an original but acts like she the head of show. The way Rand only agreed to be on camera if they didn't cover the 50 Cent stuff is kind of shady, and the fact he has allegedly made all the cast sign NDAs

If the new cast had more shown of their lives rather than just group scenes I think they may be more compelling. Brett seems interesting, but Max feels like he's self producing.

Is Raquel playing a character or is she really as they are portraying her?

I don't even casually watch VPR but apparently a producer went on a podcast and said she goes out of her way to make Scheana look bad because Scheana didn't befriend her. The podcast episode got taken down. Between this and Kristen getting kicked out of Tom Tom Club and eating pasta at home with her dogs, I really would be annoyed if I was an original cast member and they try to make Brittany happen while I get all the crappy moments. Not that marrying Jax is a win, anyway.

AshleyKerwin said:

I don't even casually watch VPR but apparently a producer went on a podcast and said she goes out of her way to make Scheana look bad because Scheana didn't befriend her. The podcast episode got taken down. Between this and Kristen getting kicked out of Tom Tom Club and eating pasta at home with her dogs, I really would be annoyed if I was an original cast member and they try to make Brittany happen while I get all the crappy moments. Not that marrying Jax is a win, anyway.

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And she pretty much admitted Stassi and Beau are being protected by Bravo!

The show has been on its death knell for a while now due to purely sh*tstain characters but damn if I don’t rewatch the first 4 seasons.

currently watching the episode where Jax thought Hoysay was LATOYA JACKSON

johnny_tsunami said:

The most iconic moment from the entire show was in season 2, when everyone was forced to stay on a float for hours while they listened to Scheana's iconic bop on repeat. AMAZING.

GIRL I WANNA BE!!!!!

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Also that season had them fighting in the alleyway "no you shut the f*ck up" and that season also had the slap.