Vanderpump Rules, the hit reality show that chronicles the personal and professional lives of Lisa Vanderpump and her staff at SUR restaurant, returned for its 11th season on Tuesday, January 30th.
The season 11 premiere picked up where the season 10 finale left off, with the bombshell that Tom Sandoval had had a seven month long affair with Rachel Leviss, his co-star, while he was still dating Ariana Madix, his girlfriend of nine years.
Last year, Madix revealed that she had found a screen recording (on Tom’s phone) of the two on FaceTime during her now ex-boyfriend’s concert with his band. After much persuasion, Sandoval finally told her about the affair and she broke up with him that same night.
Tom Sandoval and Ariana are still living together, despite the betrayal, as they face the consequences of their decision to buy a house together. They also had to cope with the stress of opening their own nightclub, Tom Tom, with Tom Schwartz and Lisa Vanderpump as their partners.
A source told ET that Rachel Leviss won’t be returning to this new season, however, as she has decided to take care of her mental health after the incident.
“Rachel’s mental health is the most important thing to her and her family….She spent a lot of time working on her mental health at the facility and knows going back to the show and filming will be very stressful.”
The season 11 premiere also introduced a new cast member, Ally Lewber, who is the girlfriend of James Kennedy, the DJ and former bad boy of the show.
Ally is a spiritual astrologer, who reads people’s birth charts and gives them advice. She met James through a co-star’s concert, and they moved in together into his house in Burbank, California. Prior to being casted as a member of Vanderpump Rules, she had already befriended some of the other cast members, such as Ariana Madix, Scheana Shay, and Raquel Leviss.
The premiere teased some of the drama and surprises that are to come in the rest of the season, such as the divorced couple, Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz, hooking up with the same person, and the speculations that Sandoval might still be carrying a torch for his ex-girlfriend, Ariana.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 airs on Tuesdays at 8pm ET on Bravo, and is also available to stream on Peacock.
