Vanderpump Rules

Did You Know?

• Season 2's premiere was a two-hour crossover episode with the fourth-season premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
• Isaac Kappy and Tom Sandoval guest-starred in season 4 with their band Charles McMansion, performing the song "T.I.P."
• The season 8 reunion was recorded virtually via Zoom on April 30, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On March 7, 2023, Raquel Leviss filed a temporary restraining order against Scheana Shay, alleging Shay had punched her after learning of the affair; the TRO was dismissed on March 29 after Leviss failed to appear in court.

Overview

Vanderpump Rules is a reality show on Bravo that started on January 7, 2013, as the first spin-off from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. It has run for 12 seasons and centers on Lisa Vanderpump and the employees at her West Hollywood spots: SUR Restaurant & Lounge, Pump Restaurant, and Tom Tom. The show’s success led to three spin-offs: Vanderpump Rules After Show, Vanderpump Rules: Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky, and The Valley. The series follows Vanderpump and her staff as they try to make it in show business while getting tangled up in personal conflicts. It originally focused on new hire Scheana and her connections with veteran staffers Kristen Doute, Katie Maloney, Tom Sandoval, Stassi Schroeder, and Jax Taylor. The first season ran from January 7 to March 11, 2013, with regulars including Doute, Maloney, Sandoval, Schroeder, Scheana, Taylor, and Vanderpump, plus recurring cast members Peter Madrigal, Tom Schwartz, Mike Shay, Laura-Leigh, and Frank Herlihy. Ariana Madix appeared as a guest that season. On February 4, 2013, Andy Cohen announced on Watch What Happens Live! that a reunion would be taped on February 9, 2013. The show was renewed for a second season in April 2013. Season two aired from November 4, 2013, to February 25, 2014, adding Kristina Kelly and Madix as recurring cast members, with James Kennedy as a guest. Its premiere was a two-hour crossover with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season four. The reunion was taped on January 10, 2014, and a third season was announced in April 2014. Season three ran from November 3, 2014, to March 25, 2015, promoting Madix and Schwartz to regulars and introducing Kennedy and Vail Bloom as recurring. The reunion was recorded on February 6, 2015, and a fourth season was announced in July 2015. Season four aired from November 2, 2015, to April 11, 2016, promoting Kennedy to regular and adding Faith Stowers and Lala Kent as recurring. Schroeder (who left after season three) and Brittany Cartwright appeared as guests. Isaac Kappy and Sandoval guest-starred with their band Charles McMansion, performing the song "T.I.P." The reunion was filmed on February 19, 2016, and a fifth season was announced in April 2016.

Scandoval controversy, timeline, and cultural impact

On March 3, 2023, during the airing of season 10, a major personal scandal involving Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, and Raquel Leviss became public. Dubbed "Scandoval" by fans and the press, it revolved around Sandoval having an affair with Leviss while he was in a long-term relationship with Madix. Sandoval and Madix had been together since February 2014. The affair reportedly started in August 2022 and lasted about seven months until Madix found out in March 2023. Leviss, also a cast member, was shown on the series as a close friend of Madix, though Leviss later said in interviews they were not that close. Before the affair came out, Leviss had been dating fellow cast member James Kennedy. She first appeared on the show as Kennedy's girlfriend and became a recurring cast member in season 7. Kennedy and Leviss got engaged in October 2021 and split up the following month. Before Leviss, Sandoval admitted to Scheana Shay after Scandoval broke that he had cheated on Madix with a woman named Annemarie Kunkel from Miami. In season 3, episode 13, Kristen Doute brought that "Miami Girl" to California to confront Sandoval, but he denied the affair, and Madix defended him. Sandoval originally dated Kristen Doute during seasons 1 and 2, when she accused him of cheating on her with Madix. Both denied anything happened while Sandoval and Doute were together, but Sandoval later admitted they had made out in Las Vegas at the Golden Nugget Casino three years before season 2 was filmed. After Scandoval, Doute and Madix became friends and remain close as of April 2026. Doute claimed Sandoval lied to Madix about the fact that he and Doute had actually dated. It also emerged in season 2 that Kristen was cheating on Sandoval with Jax Taylor while she was accusing Sandoval of cheating on her. This led to Sandoval punching Taylor in the face in episode 14, and Stassi Schroeder slapping Kristen in the previous episode, as Stassi was dating Taylor at the time.