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Credit: Michael Mattes/Shutterstock, Ben Symons/Peacock
Nick Viall claimed a Vanderpump Rules producer told him there’s a “backup plan” if Ariana Madix walks away from the show. The podcast host hinted that Ariana would be “replace[d],” and he alleged that she makes “so much more” on Pump Rules than Broadway or Love Island.
Last season on the show, Ariana filmed as few scenes as possible with Tom Sandoval, her ex who cheated. The ratings were significantly lower than season 10, though castmates’ salaries increased. Now, reports are claiming that certain costars are playing hardball regarding pay negotiations for next season.
“I ran into a producer of Vanderpump,” said Nick on his “Viall Files” podcast, via @breakingtherulespodclips on Instagram. “It was a while back and I heard they have a backup plan to replace Ariana.”
“They have been preparing for the possibility of Ariana not coming back,” he went on. “They also pointed out to me that like regardless of all the things that Ariana is doing — whether it’s Love Island or Broadway — what she makes on Vanderpump is so much more.”
Nick suggested that her Love Island salary is “drastically different” than her salary on Vanderpump Rules.
“Say what you want about not wanting to film or do scenes, but like how much is not enough? Like a million dollars? Two?” he asked.
His co-host then commented, “I would talk to Tom Sandoval for a couple mil.”
“So [there’s] a lot of speculation … about Vanderpump and why it may not come back,” said Nick. “And there’s a lot of speculation that they’re just having a hard time affording all these people.”
One co-host speculated that Ariana is “one of the most expensive” castmates.
In an October 16 interview for The U.S. Sun, author Thea de Sousa shed light on the show’s alleged future.
“Bravo’s still saying that they for sure plan on doing another season, which will most likely be the last one,” she said. “And the reason why is because this show has gotten very expensive for Bravo.”
“Every cast member gets a mandatory salary bump each season. So now we’re up to season 12, so you can imagine how completely just underwater that Bravo is in terms of paying this cast and that’s been the issue since spring,” the author added. “The reason why they didn’t film over the summer was they couldn’t handle the same contracts.”
