Photo by Bravo
Fans old and new of the long-running reality series Vanderpump Rules are dying to know one thing: which of the cast members have the guts (or enough financial incentive) to return for season 11? After all, Season 10 of Bravo’s hit reality show gave us #Scandoval, a cheating scandal that sent a tidal wave to not only longtime viewers of this highly drama former restaurant workers and their love life, but also on major news outlets like The Washington Post.
While the storylines will include the main cast members opening Something About Her sandwich shop, most viewers are dying to see the fallout from the affair between Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss., which made major waves among the cast, ruined close friendships and destroyed the nine-year common law relationship between Sandoval and his now ex Ariana Madix. After news of the affair came to light in early March 2023, viewers were shocked at the mess that was unfolding.
The three-part Season 10 reunion showed the rifts between longtime friends Scheana Shay and Raquel Leviss, after Shay took Leviss under his wing and let her stay rent-free in his apartment after Leviss broke up with fan favorite James Kennedy. Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz, best friends and often unfaithful accomplices, experience terrible tension as the case affects the business of their new bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s. James Kennedy spoke on the show about his feelings of betrayal, as he considered Tom Sandoval an older brother and close friend. As expected, Ariana Madix cut Raquel Leviss out of her life after learning about the affair, as the two had been close friends throughout Leviss’ betrayal with Tom Sandoval.
So, who’s coming back for more in season 11?
Well, the matriarch, several restorers and one of the serial producers of Vanderpump Rules is a controversial figure.
Lisa Vanderpump
While some fans and even cast members (like former cast member Jax Taylor) have complained that Lisa Vanderpump is no longer their boss at SUR Restaurant and much older than the therefore more relevant cast, Vanderpump is definitely coming back. But what about the most aggrieved party, who has been most betrayed and emotionally crushed by the case? When asked, Vanderpump said, “I’m opening two new restaurants this year. I have Vanderpump Rules …” so it’s safe to say that fans will see her in the next season.
Ariana Madix
Madix was notoriously devastated when she found out her longtime partner had been cheating for at least seven months with one of her best friends, Raquel Leviss. Fans are wondering if she’ll leave the show to take care of her mental health, or if she’ll return after the brand deals and the positive attention she’s received in the media.
In a recent interview, Madix said she would return to the show, but planned to be left alone with her remaining friendships while avoiding Sandoval and Leviss, confirming that she “just wouldn’t be hanging out with them.” So what about the woman who betrayed her best friend?
Rachel Leviss
Ariana Madix’s Cattier supporters are now calling Raquel by her legal name, Rachel, in a show of disrespect for the actor. Madix herself called her that on the show that followed the revelations of the affair, and in media interviews as well as on social media she is now called Rachel.
So she did wrong. And now she’s in a health facility treating her sanity after the massive backlash she’s received. Will she brave her old friends and return to the show? Although nothing has been officially stated, it is widely believed that Leviss will return to face the music.
It is reported that Raquel is “in negotiations” to return to acting for Vanderpump Rules, but Bravo waits for her to complete her treatment at the mental health facility first. So what about public enemy #1?
Tom Sandoval
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkKDQQOm3gY
Words cannot fully describe the anger that has been unleashed online against Tom Sandoval. After flying under the radar for years as a good character, his true nature wasn’t revealed until after the #Scandoval. As cast member DJ James Kennedy likes to repeat at his concerts, “Sandoval is a liar!” And a cheater. And a gas lighter. And a “mustache worm”.
The rest of the cast berated him mercilessly during reunion episodes. During their first post-breakup chat on camera, his ex Ariana intoned the now-iconic statement, “I regret ever loving you.” But Sandoval loves the attention, and he’ll return a bit later in the series after wrapping up filming another reality show: Fox’s Special forces. But there is more than one notorious Tom on Vanderpump Rules.
Tom Schwartz
Another Tom who flew under the radar for years because the other cast members were more dramatic, Tom Schwartz is known for his proud use of 10-cent words and his “aw, shucks” attitude. However, in Season 10, his affable mask fell when he repeatedly disrespected his wife as they navigated their divorce. In fact, some fans have noticed his blatant disrespect for Katie Maloney for years, such as when he told all his friends at a party that she disgusted him and that he wasn’t sleeping with her.
Now fans are wary of his claims that he was unaware of the affair. Many say that Schwartz knew for much longer than he admitted and that he kept his mother to protect his business and his best friend. So what about his ex-wife? Is she coming back or is she tired of dealing with evil Toms?
Katie Maloney
This woman has suffered enough! Katie Maloney’s pain over her divorce from Tom Schwartz was palpable in Season 10, as she struggled to maintain a friendship with him despite his continued disrespect for his feelings and values. However, she returns to Vanderpump Rules for season 11.
Katie recently said that she now feels supported by her friends and that she is ready to return to the series despite the Toms: “I have my friends. I have [Ariana Maddix], I have Lala. Me and Scheana get along well. So many great things are happening and so many other things I need to worry about, it’s not for me to worry about how you fit into my life because you’re not in my life. Katie had issues in Season 10 with recurring friend Scheana over how the latter treated her during the divorce.
Scheana Shay
Famous for being a friend who never takes a stand, Scheana Shay changed that reputation in the Season 10 episode “Scandoval.” In it, she sat down with Tom Sandoval and told him she couldn’t no longer be her friend. Shay wept bitterly, saying “I’m going to miss you” and in her confessional she recounted how, early in their friendship, Sandoval made her feel included when the rest of the group rejected her. She ended their last conversation by saying, “You don’t deserve any friends right now.”
While there was talk about whether Shay could attend the Season 10 reunion due to a restraining order Raquel Leviss filed against her, she ended up attending and is expected to return for Season 11. So, who else is coming back for season 11? James Kennedy is likely to return, and three former cast members are being considered for a spinoff series: Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright and Kristen Doute.