# A Post-Scandoval World

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/a-post-scandoval-world/
- Published: 2023-06-22T12:15:02-04:00
- Author: chatterblastteam

In 2016, Pulitzer Prize winning critic Emily Nussbaum described watching _Vanderpump
Rules_ as “less like watching TV than like becoming a sports fan,” which has never
felt more true.

You proudly don your Something About Her merch. You screech over Lisa Vanderp-ump’s
bad calls (“You’re not a bad person, Tom”!?). You watch in nail-biting anticipation
as the extra innings drag on and on and on through Peacock’s extended, uncensored
three-part reunion. You are dedicated to the flawed feminist queen, #TeamAriana,
more than you ever have been before, and you gleam with superiority as your friends—
who you’ve been begging to watch with you since 2013—scramble to catch up on the
past 9 seasons. 

You are finally the #1 guy in this group. You know everything there is to know about#
Scandoval. 

In the wake of an event producers have literally likened to the shooting of John
F. Kennedy, Real Housewife of Beverely Hills Lisa Vanderpump’s spinoff show has 
suddenly catapulted itself into the zeitgeist on a level akin with reality TV’s 
first family, the Kardashians. 

For withered and wrinkled viewers, #Scandoval has been a jaw-dropping, unprecedented,
interactive moment in television history. For innocent bystanders, it’s an annoying
earworm, inexplicably making international headlines as far as [the White House](https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a43752545/ariana-madix-scandoval-joke-white-house-correspondents-dinner/).
For Andy Cohen and co., it’s been a “producer’s dream.” With record ratings for 
both the show and its network, Bravo, the cheating scandal between longtime _Vanderpump
Rules _principals Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, and Raquel Leviss has definitively
changed the future of reality television production as producers inevitably scramble
to recreate the impossible. 

> View this post on Instagram
> [A post shared by Who gon’ check me, Boo? (@bravo_boo)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsTv9MsA3Hd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)

## **How did we get here?**

If you’re reading this, you probably know how we got here: “guys” night (or maybe
Coachella—jury’s still out on that one). But if we take a step back from the actual#
Scandoval timeline, it seems almost impossible that _Vanderpump Rules _is currently
the [most watched cable series of 2023](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/vanderpump-ratings-scandoval-season-10-viewers-1235646782/),
and the fastest growing unscripted series of the last year on broadcast or cable.

Even avid fans admit the show had been waning for several seasons now, as unsuccessful
attempts to force storylines, insert new characters, and fire former principals 
in a slapdash attempt at wokeness (undermined entirely by the fact that rumors are
swirling about the return of Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright, who were fired,
amongst others, for blatant racism against another cast member) dragged viewership
down. Now, the completed 10th season has closed out with a gobsmacking [11.4 million viewers](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/vanderpump-ratings-scandoval-season-10-viewers-1235646782/),
making it the most-watched season ever. 

The finale itself brought a series high of [4.1 million viewers](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/vanderpump-rules-scandoval-episode-series-high-ratings-bravo-1235619339/)
across platforms, only to be eclipsed a week later with the first part of the reunion
reaching [4.6 million viewers](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/vanderpump-ratings-scandoval-season-10-viewers-1235646782/),
making it the most-watched episode of any Bravo show in 9 years. (As a point of 
comparison: the highest episode of _Keeping Up With the Kardahians_ was in 2010 
with [4.8 million viewers](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-09-08/what-the-end-of-e-s-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-says-about-the-changing-tv-industry),
and the 2022 Emmy’s had [5.9 million viewers](https://variety.com/2022/awards/awards/2022-emmy-ratings-nbc-1235363473/).)
This is a feat especially notable in our current television landscape fractured 
by streaming wars. And speaking of Peacock, the third reunion episode became the
[best first-day viewership of any NBCU series](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/vanderpump-ratings-scandoval-season-10-viewers-1235646782/)
on the platform.

All this to say: really high numbers. 

When news of Tom and Ariana’s breakup first hit [TMZ](https://www.tmz.com/2023/03/03/tom-sandoval-ariana-madix-breakup-split-cheating-raquel-leviss/)
in early March, four episodes of season 10 had already premiered, and were doing
well as sufficient storylines carried ratings (Schwartz and Katie’s divorce, mostly).
The rest became entirely #Scandoval fueled—thanks in no small part to the scorned
woman herself. 

## **Why did we get here?**

Season 10 of _Vanderpump Rules _wrapped production in early September, 2022. Ariana
discovered Tom and Raquel’s relationship via his phone on March 1st, 2023. On March
2nd, she called the producers to let them know what was happening. On March 3rd,
the cameras turned back on to film what would become the new season finale.

Call it commitment, call it fame-hungry, call it whatever you want—it was a genius
move on Ariana’s part. If you take away the absolute emotional wreckage of discovering
your partner of nine years has been having a months-long affair with one of your
best friends, Madix has been making bank off #Scandoval. As fans scrambled to support
the heartbroken _Vanderpump _hero, merch for her and fellow cast member Katie Maloney’s
still-unopened_ _sandwich shop, [Something About Her](https://wehosah.com/), flew
off the digital shelves. They [reportedly](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/06/vanderpump-rules-scandoval-merch?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=vf&utm_mailing=VF_HWD_060823&utm_medium=email&bxid=5bd675ec3f92a41245ddd351&cndid=36853590&hasha=c30535455a9f0a274cfc445605d76f24&hashb=ba037a5da9e2c3b6ab9d3f9b57dda3dedc408f1b&hashc=954e33fa93714bfdbc4424da17319976bcc2df962f0b826c5305dd0d5994735c&esrc=vf_hwd_120616&source=EDT_VYF_NEWSLETTER_0_HWD_ZZ&utm_campaign=VF_HWD_060823&utm_term=VYF_HWD)
made $200,000 as of the reunion filming in March, with half of that coming from 
the first 12 hours the shop was live. (My favorite, released the day after the third
reunion episode, is a [direct response](https://wehosah.com/products/fuck-me-in-this-t-shirt)
to one of Sandoval’s most offensive comments about their relationship, in which 
he berated her for wearing a t-shirt during sex.) She’s also made commercial deals
with [Lays](https://www.instagram.com/p/CtumdEagPNZ/?hl=en), [SoFi](https://www.instagram.com/p/CsknfxWgkFK/?hl=en),
Duracell (another dig at Tom), got a [Glamour magazine cover](https://www.instagram.com/p/CtOoVbVg3x4/?hl=en),
and snagged a role in an upcoming [Lifetime movie](https://deadline.com/2023/06/lifetime-ariana-madix-movie-vanderpump-rules-1235411288/).

> View this post on Instagram
> [A post shared by Duracell (@duracell)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtM9mdXvaML/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)

And while Madix herself claimed to “not love” picking the cameras back up March 
3rd in her [_Los Angeles Times_](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-05-24/vanderpump-rules-reunion-ariana-madix-katie-maloney?utm_id=98703&sfmc_id=1098343)
interview, it’s important to remember that _Vanderpump Rules_, at its core, is a
show about people trying to get famous. Though far removed from where they began
10 years ago, the original premise was a group of struggling LA models/actors/singers/
famemongerers working at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant as they attempted to pursue
their dreams. Ariana has always been one of the more likable/least terrible characters,
and certainly never as desperate for fame as wannabe-Pete-Wentz Tom Sandoval, but
she did have dreams of acting. Early seasons showed a since-lost commitment to comedy
and improv. Sure, reality TV-stardom came with the success of _Vanderpump_, but 
nothing like the attention (and money) she’s getting now. 

Meanwhile, Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras (yikes) are butchering “Stacy’s Mom”
to crowds half-filled with #TeamAriana fans there solely to mock. It’s nice to see
Ariana doing well as a “fuck you” to her worm-with-a-mustache-ex, but it’s hard 
to believe she didn’t know exactly what she was doing in terms of her own career
when she picked up the phone to call executive producer Alex Baskin on March 2nd.

>  [@coccacocca](https://www.tiktok.com/@coccacocca?refer=embed)
> here’s round one of my night at the tom sandoval and the most extras show in new
> york city. he definitely says raquel is not for me during stacy’s mom/schwartz’s
> mom. lots of high note attempts and sweat. if you want a part two i’ll post one
> because i’m still trying to find that damn trumpet in my live replay. anyways 
> enjoy my collab with the countesskush sisters and follow them ok bye @countess
> kush
>  [♬ original sound – christina](https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7231237335013264170?refer=embed)

> View this post on Instagram
> [A post shared by SC (@not_today_neck)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsNJ8glMHXC/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)

## **Where do we go from here? **

Picking up production five and a half months after it’s stopped is no small feat,
especially to do so at the speed _Vanderpump _achieved. In an interview with [_Variety_](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/vanderpump-rules-filming-season-10-finale-raquel-leviss-scheana-shay-1235611925/)
about the importance of filming this “critical moment,” Baskin credits Bravo for
pulling available crew members from _The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills_, which
was already in production at the same time. 

The gut-wrenching showdown between Ariana and Tom in the season 10 finale, Baskin
claims, was essentially the first time the two had spoken since she’d found out 
about the affair two days prior. And it shows. Capturing that unscripted emotion
plays a huge role in what makes this compelling television. _Vanderpump Rules _injected
a jarring dose of reality back into reality TV this season, and it’s hard to imagine
how other shows will keep up.  

Frankly, it’s difficult to imagine how even VPR will keep up. To many, the penultimate
episode felt like a potential series closer had #Scandoval not hit. Practically 
the entire cast has vowed to distance themselves from Sandoval (even his other TomTom
half, BFF and human-mozzarella-stick [Tom Schwartz](https://www.tiktok.com/@realityops/video/7243814926970752302)).
Lisa Vanderpump has wildly outgrown her usefulness in all their lives (hot take,
I know—but news of her getting another reality spinoff picked up by [Hulu](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/lisa-vanderpump-new-hulu-show-french-villa-1235510476/)
doesn’t feel like a coincidence), and there’s absolutely no way DJ James Kennedy
can last as top dog unless he suddenly decides to become a little more true to himself.
We all know what I’m talking about. 

So where does the cast go from here? Tom and Raquel will inevitably return because
a paycheck’s a paycheck, and the cast will be forced into scenes with them. It will
be awkward and likely grow stale as friendships ping-pong around them. Hopefully
Lala will be able to talk more about her own toxic relationship with Hollywood Executive
Shitball Randall Emmett, but if she’s still tied up in the courts system, probably
not. Katie and Schwartz are at their natural conclusion, and even if Bravo _does
_bring back the infamous Jax Taylor, he’ll be missing his devious counterpart in
Stassi. Let’s be real: he’s a dad hocking merch on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/CsXRZ43PF3b/?hl=en)
now. He won’t bring anything close to the level of hospice-fucking drama he used
to. 

So while it seems doubtful _Vanderpump Rules _has more than a handful of seasons
left to live, you can hardly blame them. It’s not possible to come down from a high
like #Scandoval without crashing in the process, though producers will certainly
try. 

Networks will work into contracts that crews are expected to be on call year-round.
Influencers vying for reality-stardom will look at Ariana and find inspiration: 
document yourself 24/7, heighten the trauma, and success is sure to follow. Attempts
to create more authentic “moments” that shock and titillate viewers will be tenfold(
and I’m sure Kris Jenner is already trying to figure out how to apply this tactic
to the Kardashian narrative)—but none will succeed. 

#Scandoval wasn’t an orchestrated moment of TV-magic for instant gratification. 
It was 10 years worth of (mostly) real-life SURvers creating personas, crafting 
storylines, and trying to get famous. Then a mid-life crisis got out of hand, got
caught at the right moment, and real-life feelings got hurt as viewers and cast 
alike sleuthed their way through the season with a kind of clairvoyance only possible
due to the finale’s voyeuristic production.

As [_AV Club_](https://www.avclub.com/vanderpump-rules-scandoval-good-ratings-1850472189)
points out, both Vanderpump and Baskin’s attempts at solace regarding the “human
cost” of #Scandoval feel as fake as Sandoval’s crocodile tears. Ratings will always
be good as gold, long after Vanderpump no longer rules. 

>  [@pumprules](https://www.tiktok.com/@pumprules?refer=embed)
> The Uber One✖️Good As Gold Remix has arrived. ⭐️
>  [♬ original sound – Vanderpump Rules](https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7234025599851924270?refer=embed)