Drama may be the lifeblood of Vanderpump Rules, but lately, the real drama has been off-screen. Scheana Shay’s bombshell podcast confession about a possible cancellation sent shockwaves throughout the fandom and cast, especially considering Season 12 filming is already on hold (thanks, Scandoval!). But is this the end? Are we about to witness Lisa Vanderpump permanently shutter the SUR doors on our favourite group of reality stars? Bravo boss Alex Baskin has something to say. While he refuted some of Scheana’s claims, it’s clear the show’s future hangs in the balance.
Is Vanderpump Rules heading for cancellation?
“I think that was a pretty dramatic, heightened account of what happened.” Baskin told Variety, addressing Shay’s claim where she said, “I know Alex Baskin has said that midseason, the show was not in a good place.” The Bravo star in her podcast mentioned, “It was, you know, ‘X, Y and Z need to happen. Or we’re going to have a short season and the show’s going to be canceled and that’s it. Go live your lives.”
Also read: Vanderpump Rules cancellation threat: Shay claims producer warned cast amid season 11 filming
Shay was clearly attempting to clarify things following the reunion’s disastrous turn, with real-time emotions flowing in tears. She tried to justify her and Lala Kent’s apparent favouritism for Tom Sandoval over their friend Ariana Madix. But it backfired, big time. Madix couldn’t stomach a tearless apology performance from Sandoval and walked out leaving Kent enraged. “For Ariana to walk out this way is just such a slap in the face,” she said.
Alex Baskin on season 11’s reunion
Baskin attempted to clarify the decision to have a last-minute meeting with the cast. “We gathered the entire cast, feeling that they were influenced by social media at that point in the season,” he explained. The Bravo boss stressed that they urged the cast to remain authentic and true to the show’s essence, avoiding manufactured drama or scripted lines. Their intervention was triggered d by the change in the show’s natural flow, where real-time reactions among the actors were moving away.
Rebranding after Scandoval is challenging
The eleventh season of Vanderpump Rules took a disastrous turn for both the show and the cast after Tom Sandoval was caught red-handed cheating on his longtime partner Ariana Madix with her best friend Raquel Leviss. The season exploded in controversy, making it hard for the team to pick up the cameras again. In early May, Bravo confirmed that filming for season 12 had been paused, citing the need for everyone to overcome exhaustion. But, now Baskin says that “we’ll have a clearer picture a few months from now” addressing the future of the show.
“I think we will do an analysis of what else we need to consider for the show — and that’s who returns, and what the complexion of the cast looks like,” he told Variety adding, “I think everybody needs a little bit of time to live their lives, and then we can pick back up on them in a different spot.”
