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Credit: Nicole Weingart
Vanderpump Rules is getting an all-new cast for season 12 and many of its longtime viewers have found themselves wondering why.
Although Bravo didn’t explain their decision to bring a new group of “close-knit SUR-vers who are as complicatedly involved with one another as their iconic predecessors” in great detail when they confirmed the cast shakeup on Tuesday, a couple of new reports have shed some light.
“It was completely driven by creative,” an insider told PEOPLE on November 26. “There had been a long pause in production, and nothing had really changed among the cast since the reunion. Everyone was still stuck in their feelings and refusing to bend. The network felt there was no path forward with the group in that capacity … The group ties to SUR and [Lisa Vanderpump] was practically non-existent.”
While Pump Rules kicked off in January 2013 with a group of staffers at Lisa’s SUR Restaurant, none of the season 11 cast worked at the restaurant. And, after production on the latest season, the majority of the cast was at a stalemate with each other.
“It just didn’t make sense to continue,” the source continued. “This is an attempt to recalibrate and bring the show back to the thing that made it such a success to begin with. It’s a fresh start, and the players they have are interested and motivated to participate. Fans will be happy with what they see. It’s going to feel like a return to form.”
Although the Pump Rules OGs only learned about their exits from the show on Monday night, just hours before the announcement, the insider claimed they were feeling “relief” after months of the series being up in the air.
“They’re understandably upset that it’s all coming to an end, but no one was necessarily surprised,” the source shared.
The outlet went on to note that “there were so many fractions” within the cast that producers had no choice but to move on with a new group. That said, viewers could still see the OGs back on Bravo at some point.
“The network isn’t closing the door on working with anyone in the future,” the source shared. “They will always explore opportunities to bring these stars back to their screens.”
Meanwhile, a second source denied that money came into play.
“There weren’t any negotiations happening between the cast and the network where money was even discussed,” the insider stated as a different source opened up about the “sad” divide amongst the once close group and denied that ratings impacted Bravo’s recasting.
“The decision to scrap the cast had nothing to do with ratings,” a source told the Daily Mail on November 26. “There was simply nothing more that was left to say. The story had been told.”
According to the source, there was no longer any “truth” to the cast’s friendships.
“In the beginning, Vanderpump Rules was about a group of people who were genuinely friends. They were roommates and had a close bond with each other. They also worked at SUR,” the insider stated. “In the end none of this was true anymore. They were not friends. Hardly any of them talked to each other and they no longer worked at the restaurant. They all knew after the finale last season that there was nothing left to tell.”
“Fans knew this too. It is sad how divided they had become. They knew that they were not returning when time came to shoot a new season and it was put on pause,” the source continued.
As for the new cast, no one is locked in as of yet.
“Some have been picked but the casting process is still very much underway and preliminary. Lisa is excited for this new beginning with an all-new team,” the insider revealed.
And, while it was alleged that money was not a factor, a different insider admitted that this “new blood” would be much cheaper for Bravo.
“If it is a hit, they aren’t paying anyone but Lisa the big money. It will be very cheap to produce, and if it fails, then they will work on getting Lisa another vehicle on the network,” the source reasoned.
Filming on season 12 of Vanderpump Rules will begin in 2025.
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