Just a little greater than a yr since TMZ reported that the “Vanderpump Guidelines” stars Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval had damaged up as a result of he had been having an affair with one other co-star, Rachel Leviss, it stays the defining story within the higher world of actuality TV.
The brief model of the story goes: Sandoval was performing a present together with his band, he misplaced his cellphone, and somebody handed it to Madix for safekeeping. She went by way of the cellphone and located a display recording of a FaceTime between Sandoval and Leviss that confirmed the affair. The lengthy model … effectively, let’s mirror on the state of the Scandoval, one yr later, with the assistance of a “Vanderpump” govt producer, Alex Baskin.
A Uniquely Disastrous Affair
Because the starting of the present, dishonest has been a part of the panorama — arguably, an important a part of the drama. However not one of the indiscretions between different castmates made it to the headlines of CNN, The New York Instances and Time journal or received a devoted identify and hashtag like #Scandoval.
So what made this affair completely different?
Baskin sees the scandal as just a few various factors “swirled collectively to make it one thing that had a far higher impression than the quite a few dishonest scandals that had come earlier than it on the present.”
First, it was a long-term affair, which means that Sandoval had been residing a little bit of a double life. That’s considerably extra intriguing for viewers and extra devastating for real-life contributors than a one-off kiss or one-night stand.
The magnitude of the scandal additionally set it aside, since producers resumed taking pictures, regardless of Season 10 filming having wrapped.
“It felt like this had a significance such that we must always cowl it in actual time if we might,” Baskin mentioned. So that they borrowed the digital camera groups from “The Actual Housewives of Beverly Hills” and received again to filming.
“It’s actually chilling to observe since you have been seeing within the second the group come to phrases with what had simply occurred,” Baskin famous.
Moreover, Baskin famous that Season 10 was nonetheless airing when the information broke, so “it turned then a sequence of Easter eggs that the viewers was recognizing within the present itself.”
In fact, the scene of Ken Todd, Lisa Vanderpump’s husband, staggering into the kitchen to say, “I can’t imagine Tom had Raquel over whereas Ariana is away, within the Jacuzzi as effectively, and she or he stayed all night time,” instantly involves thoughts.
(And simply in case you have been questioning, Ken was confused however not that confused: Raquel and Rachel are the identical particular person — on the present, she glided by Raquel however has since switched again to her given identify, Rachel).
The Fallout: Leviss left the present after the top of Season 10 taking pictures, and in February she filed a revenge-porn lawsuit towards Madix and Sandoval, in relation to the distribution of the FaceTime footage that exposed the affair. Legal professionals for Madix and Sandoval have requested a court docket to toss the declare. Season 11 kicked off in January with the most-watched season premiere in Bravo’s historical past.
‘A Level of Demarcation’
Although manufacturing of Season 11 resumed as standard, the present exists in a time interval of its personal making, B.S. or A.S. — earlier than or after Scandoval.
Because the season opened, Madix refused to talk to Sandoval in any respect, although they have been nonetheless sharing their Valley Village dwelling. With every episode we’ve seen Madix and Sandoval tolerating one another increasingly more socially.
Of late, “Vanderpump Guidelines” has returned to a few of its regular, ensemble-oriented shenanigans that made the present so beloved within the first place. There was Lala Kent’s sperm donor social gathering, James Kennedy’s weeping breakdown over his canine Hippie (formally often called Graham), whom he considers a fur child, and naturally the race between the exes Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney thus far a 25-year-old singer.
“It nonetheless was necessary for us to serve all the opposite story elsewhere as a result of we wished everybody else to nonetheless be alive and as necessary to point out as they have been earlier than,” Baskin mentioned. “Additionally, tonally, I feel that watching a sequence of episodes of Scandoval would develop actually carrying to the viewers.”
It’s Not In regards to the Pasta: There may be nonetheless a Scandoval-related dialog in nearly each scene.
“Vanderpump Guidelines,” “The Valley,” “Vanderpump Villa” — oh my!
To nobody’s shock, the elevated publicity has led to a big enlargement of the Vanderpump universe.
Bravo is at present airing the primary season of “The Valley” which stars the previous “Vanderpump” forged members Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright and Kristen Doute as they attempt to “grownup.”
Then there may be “Vanderpump Villa,” airing on Hulu, which follows the workers of Vanderpump’s French chateau.
Extra Pumptinis, please: Lisa Vanderpump is nowhere near slowing down her restaurant empire — “Vanderpump à Paris” in Vegas remains to be up and operating, and she or he and her husband, Ken, simply opened “Wolf by Vanderpump” in Lake Tahoe.
So what’s subsequent?
One of many largest and most blatant outcomes from Scandoval has been Madix’s success outdoors of the present. She made it to third place along with her companion Pasha Pashkov on the newest season of “Dancing with the Stars” and not too long ago completed up her run as Roxie Hart in “Chicago” on Broadway.
Will the present veer away from Los Angeles and observe Madix on the highway?
“I feel that the present has at all times grown and expanded, in line with no matter is actually occurring with the group, so I do anticipate that we’d cowl all of that, however nonetheless the central focus is the core friendships throughout the group,” Baskin mentioned.
A Scheana Shay-less Summer season: “Vanderpump” would take a break from filming this summer season, TMZ reported, although the present often movies by way of June and July. Madix is the one forged member who’s booked and busy throughout that point, with a brand new internet hosting gig on “Love Island U.S.A.”
