Ariana Madix is doing well post-Scandoval. She doesn’t need Vanderpump Rules anymore, and there’s signs that she won’t be returning for season 12.
There are signs that Ariana Madix won’t be returning for Vanderpump Rules season 12. Vanderpump Rules season 11 was filmed a few months after she found out about Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss’ affair. The season has been received with mixed reactions. Viewers were surprised to hear the true feelings of Ariana’s friends, Scheana Shay and Lala Kent. Throughout the season, they have been incredibly supportive while speaking to Ariana, but slander her in confessional interviews. Scheana’s been grieving the loss of her friendship with Sandoval, while Lala continues to compare the Scandoval to her split from Randall Emmett.
Ariana has considered leaving Vanderpump Rules after season 11. She’s moved on to other opportunities since filming the show, and it may be in her best interest not to return. Without Ariana, Vanderpump Rules should end with season 11 – some cast members could transfer to its new spin-off, The Valley. Vanderpump Rules season 12 would be boring without her. She’s made no official statement about her plans to move forward with the franchise, but there have been signs that Ariana won’t be returning for Vanderpump Rules season 12.
Ariana Has Been Booked & Busy Since Filming Wrapped On VPR Season 11
She’s Been On DWTS & Broadway Since VPR Season 11
It’s no secret that Ariana has had an active career since the Scandoval. On Vanderpump Rules season 11, Ariana hadn’t competed on Dancing with the Stars or performed on Broadway as Roxie Hart yet. Sure, Ariana was working hard and booking gigs during Vanderpump Rules season 11, but she’s done so much more since filming wrapped. She’s been on an upward trajectory that some may have thought would slow down after the Scandoval simmered. Vanderpump Rules season 11 didn’t capture the extent of Ariana’s post-Scandoval success.
Ariana released a new cocktail book, placed third on DWTS, finished her Broadway run in Chicago, purchased a new home, and went on a mini-book tour. She’s taken part in even more brand deals as well. Ariana said she was in a tough spot financially before she split from Sandoval. She worked hard to build financial security. Ariana doesn’t need Vanderpump Rules anymore, especially if it forces her to interact with her ex. Vanderpump Rules fans would love to see her continue on the show, but she doesn’t need it like some of her co-stars do.
Ariana Is Hosting Love Island USA, Which Films At The Same Time As VPR
She Has To Prioritize Hosting The Reality Dating Show This Summer
Ariana is hosting Love Island USA season 6, replacing long-term host Sarah Hyland. During Vanderpump Rules season 10, Ariana voiced that she wanted to spend more time with Tom while they were still a couple. Sandoval said they didn’t enjoy the same things, citing how one of the activities Ariana loves to do that he doesn’t is to watch Love Island. That comment led Ariana to make an appearance on Love Island USA season 5 after the Scandoval really peaked.
Her brief stint on Love Island USA during the summer of 2023 was just one of her major bookings since news of the affair made national headlines. Ariana did such a good job that she was asked to host Love Island USA season 6 since Sarah was unable to. Ariana was a fan of Love Island, and now she is going to be fully immersed in the franchise. What some viewers may not realize is that Love Island USA and Vanderpump Rules both film during the summer.
Ariana could split her time between both shows, but she’d probably be absent for a lot of Vanderpump Rules season 12 as her priority will be hosting Love Island USA season 6. She could make small appearances on Vanderpump Rules, but the show would crumble without Ariana in its future. The series was already on the brink of cancelation, and Scandoval saved it from that fate. Without Ariana, the rest of the cast members would need to talk about different things. They could showcase Lala’s journey of becoming a second-time mother, but that could also be filmed for The Valley.
Ariana & Katie’s Sandwich Shop Is Opening Soon
She Needs To Focus On The Success Of Her Business
A big topic of conversation during Vanderpump Rules season 11 was when Ariana and Katie Maloney’s West Hollywood sandwich shop, Something About Her, was going to open its doors. The season was filmed in the summer of 2023, and Something About Her still isn’t open in spring 2024. However, that will change on May 22, 2024, as The Sun reported that this is the official opening date for the eatery. It’s been a long wait for this new venture. With an opening date set, Ariana and Katie need to pour their energy into their business.
Vanderpump Rules has filmed the opening of Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Schwartz, and Tom Sandoval’s bar and restaurant, Tom Tom. Vanderpump Rules season 10 also tracked the difficult process that Schwartz and Sandoval had opening up their bar, Schwartz and Sandy’s. Vanderpump Rules season 12 could feature Something About Her. However, with Ariana hosting Love Island USA, she’ll already have to split the majority of her time between hosting and focusing on her new business with Katie.
Ariana Didn’t Know What The Cast Of VPR Was Saying Behind Her Back
Her Friends Were Stabbing Her In The Back During Confessionals
Ariana is unsure if coming back for another season of Vanderpump Rules would be the best decision for her life. Ariana shared more insight into her future on April 21, 2024, at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. She said she wouldn’t confirm if she will or won’t be returning to the show, but that it would have to “make sense” for her to go back, per Us Weekly. Ariana added that Vanderpump Rules season 11 is not panning out how she thought it would.
“I felt like I was filming a season that felt very different than what I’m watching, just in terms of the relationships. ‘We’re the Spice Girls,’ and then it’s like, no.”
She knew that production would want to give Sandoval a “redemption season,” but didn’t know her friends were talking badly about her behind her back. Scheana and Lala have been the most vocal about Ariana in their confessional moments. Scheana has expressed how upset she was that she’d lost Sandoval as a friend and knows she will lose Ariana if she pursues a friendship with him. Lala has been the most outright against Ariana in the confessional chair, stating that she needs to “pull her head from out of her own ass” and “come back to reality.”
The only Vanderpump Rules cast member who has stayed loyal to Ariana’s face and behind her back seems to be Katie. Ariana thought she had the support of all her friends on the show, including Scheana and Lala. Additionally, James Kennedy has flip-flopped between his friendships with Ariana and Sandoval, but rarely gets called out for it. There is no point in Ariana continuing to film Vanderpump Rules and get torn apart by people she thought were her friends. If they want Ariana to get over Sandoval’s cheating and be his friend again, maybe she should leave the show.
Lala Said The Fourth Wall Will Be Broken At The Reunion
Will Ariana Announce She’s Leaving VPR At The Season 11 Reunion?
On the May 20, 2024, episode of Lala’s Give Them Lala podcast, she shared details about the Vanderpump Rules season 11 reunion. Per Reality Blurb, Lala said that the “fourth wall” will be completely broken at the reunion, with speculation being that Ariana will announce she’s not coming back for Vanderpump Rules season 12. She added that there will be “very, very, very intense” moment at the end of the reunion, seemingly between herself and Ariana.
“It’s a rare occasion that the fourth wall is broken and that happens,” she said . “It was intense in the moment … but I felt extremely relieved when I left.”
Maybe Ariana is going to address how Lala talks about her in her confessionals. Lala’s energy to Ariana’s face completely differed from the feelings she shared in her confessional interview moments. Fans have critiqued Lala for being a “producer puppet,” and this could potentially be called out at the reunion. Lala has been accused of over-producing herself and doing whatever production asks of her to make good TV. It’s unclear what she was referencing in the podcast episode, but it will be entertaining to see at the least.
Ariana may be considering her exit from Vanderpump Rules. It was crucial for the show’s success to film the aftermath of her split with Sandoval throughout Vanderpump Rules season 11. However, she’s come a long way since filming that season and has moved on to bigger and better things. Learning what some of her friends had been saying about her behind her back had to be hard for her. Vanderpump Rules season 11 could very well be Ariana’s last season with the show.
