The Nora Theory

VPR Season Recap: Did The Predictions Come True

Olivia Smith Goulet
3–5 minutes

No matter what, season 10 of Vanderpump Rules was going to be a hard act to follow. It was one of the most compelling seasons and scandals in reality TV history. Season 11 was much about processing the fallout of the scandal, riding the train of Scandoval until it officially crashed and burned. This was not VPR’s best season, but far from it’s worst. The group brought us mess, and ultimately, that’s what we’re all here for.

The Personalities

Tom Schwartz did in fact whine and waffle, but he seemed to keep his temper, for the most part, this season. He avoided any egregious take downs of the women around him. His chemistry with Katie was off-the-charts, so much more so than when they were married. As much as he denies it, though, he is absolutely unequivocally in the middle of a midlife crisis.

Tom Sandoval’s thirst for attention was, in fact, a focal point of the season. The screaming therapy. The single’s party. His increasingly ostentatious and douchey fashion choices. Telling Scheana that she has no right to judge him because she’s been the other woman in a relationship. He sucks. He stays sucking. I kind of don’t want to watch it anymore.

Scheana was so Scheana that it was physically painful to watch. Everything was about her. She remained shockingly tone deaf on how she sounds, and completely oblivious to the feelings of her so-called best friend, Ariana.

James confessionals were, in fact, hilarious. His confrontation with Sandoval at his shitty band’s practice was iconic. The fact that he followed it up by playing Coachella this year was just perfect. He remains the number one guy in the group.

Katie, as predicted, absolutely killed it this season. She looked fabulous, stood her ground, stayed loyal to Ariana, and overall just lived her best life. Sure, she had sex with Schwartz’s best friend, but who could blame her?

Lala retained her angry energy and barked at Katie that she was “soft right now”, something that was immediately negated by the fact that she yelled it. She also added deeply cringey hypocrisy to her usual modus operandi of unhinged shouting, which was not her best look.

The Relationships

James and Ally did in fact remain solid through the season. She handled the addition of Rachel’s former dog to the household like a champ. They had their bumps but seemed to come out of them stronger than ever. I remain rooting for these two. Ally is a queen.

Ariana and Sandoval living together this season was a predictable fiasco, much of which fell on Sandoval’s poor assistant (now an employee of Something About Her) to handle. It was uncomfortable but unquestionably hilarious. And now our girl is out, living in a beautiful home all of her own in the Hollywood Hills. Good for her.

As it turns out, Brock didn’t do anything all that terrible this season, but there were certainly moments where it seemed he could be doing better. At James’ pool party, when Scheana wanted to go home and put her daughter to bed, Brock yelled at her that the nanny could do it because he wanted to stay out and have fun. Not his best moment. The dude is mediocre at best and I maintain that eventually, he will become the villain. No one has forgotten your other children or that domestic violence accusation.

The Ghosts of SUR Alley

Jax rolled in, yelled at Lisa, yelled at Katie, stirred up drama, and then fucked off back to The Valley. We were all predictably annoyed. This man is so irritating, allegedly doing lots of cocaine, but god damn it if he’s not great TV.

They did talk about Rachel, a lot. And Rachel talked about them on her podcast, a lot. Rachel, girl, you need to move on. Cut and run. You are digging yourself a deeper hole.

The Shit I Did Not See Coming

Lala ferociously defending her return to a friendship with Sandoval, given how fiercely she insisted that Schwartz could not be friends with her ex, Randall, under any circumstances last season.

Schwartz and Katie competing over the attentions of the same girl. I saw the producers set this up in the trailer, but it is so much funnier than I could have ever imagined. This was the best side plot of the season.

The Final Thought

It does make no sense that all these people still hang out. This might be the final season of Vanderpump Rules.

2 responses to “VPR Season Recap: Did The Predictions Come True”

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    […] truths. She proved that you can still be excellent reality TV without screwing over your friends. Lala and Scheana should take […]

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