Chris Hahn and Jason Cohen, two of the new cast members in the latest season of Vanderpump Rules.Hayu/Supplied
In 2024, Vanderpump Rules fans raised their glasses high one last time for a cast that normalized a semi-incestuous workplace, drinking on the job and all-around bad behaviour. Lisa Vanderpump’s beautifully Botoxed staff had been with Sexy Unique Restaurant, the establishment that started it all, for years. Add the fact that this group of friends were no longer friendly, and the Powers That Be at Bravo ordered a shift change.
Even loyal fans had to agree it was time for a new cast. The series was no longer about growing up together or hot twentysomethings figuring out their lives. There were babies to raise, sandwich shops and bars to open, and cast members who refused to film together. The 11th season reunion, which aired in May, 2024, was the capper. Instead of dissecting fan favourite moments or figuring out where certain friendships “go from here,” the reunion was rife with accusations about who had been their authentic selves, who was giving their all to the cameras and who was keeping the income stream flowing. It was a good run, but the fourth wall was down and the glamour was gone.
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Rather than scrapping the premise altogether, Bravo went back to the original well for its new stars. Somehow, SUR is alive in West Hollywood, and although it looks a little shabbier than the Sexy Unique Restaurant fans frequented in 2013, there are still plenty of good looking SURvers dishing out Pumptinis and goat cheese balls. Vanderpump herself addressed the change, revealing in the 12th season premiere (on Hayu and Citytv+) that she used to call SUR the place you’d take your mistress. Now, it’s probably where you’d meet her. Or him.
Among the contenders are Canadian half-cousins Jason Cohen and Chris Hahn, who should stand out more given their experience on Netflix dating shows but are only remarkable because of their distinct eyebrows. Marcus Johnson makes up for the cousins with his dishy confessionals and bad-boy behaviour, although his drinking at work and lazy attitude aren’t exactly relatable. Johnson’s girlfriend, Kim Suarez, appears overly jealous as a result of her edit, but the couple’s relationship with early fan favourite Venus Binkley saves them for now. Audrey Lingle could be interesting but so far she hasn’t had a ton of screen time, Demy Selem seems like she can’t join the antics given her managerial status and then there’s Natalie Maguire.
It’s hard to tell if Maguire is truly out to lunch and unaware of how unprofessional yelling at an ex is at your place of work, or if she’s playing to the cameras and trying to hook viewers. There’s no denying she brings a certain energy to the first couple of episodes, but a contingent of viewers will just find her annoying and overly done.
It all adds up to a lacklustre cast who often feel like younger, less polished versions of the originals. Even Maguire’s aspiring career as a singer is reminiscent of Scheana Shay, and watching her in the recording booth in the premiere feels way too soon.
Hahn and Natalie Maguire, another new cast member, who aspires to be a singer.Hayu/Supplied
It’s like the show is trying to turn back the clock and deliver modern iterations of the pre-money cast and what they might act like today. The problem is that the archetypes render it inauthentic, particularly in an era when the next generation drinks and parties less. Do young people still have the cash to go out, eat fancy food and then party all night? Can they afford lavish trips that test their friendships? Do they honestly care less about dating the same people and are therefore able to remain besties with the person who stole their ex? These are all things to look for in the upcoming season, and they seep desperation.
Vanderpump doesn’t even seem to be her glamorous self, and is worried about the restaurant. She’s seen how getting emotionally attached to a young staff can go sideways, and this time around she seems keen on whipping them into shape from the start. This is her business, after all, and she also knows the value of a good storyline. Just ask anyone from her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills days.
Even the edits are mostly the same, with a few photo montages thrown in to add an “updated” feel. Rather than making these characters stand out on their own merits, relationships, goals and flaws, it’s all about who can be the loudest, the most obnoxious and the least likeable to their friends.
As for the older generation who grew up on Vanderpump antics and followed Vanderpump to her spinoff when she left RHOBH? By now they all know better. When they first watched this show they related to the starter jobs, significant others and apartments. The cast and their inner-workings were fresh and often shocking, particularly when cheating rumours proved true or the cast got in trouble at work. By now they’ve moved on to MomTok influencers, true crime docs or shows about people who have more at stake than fame.
That doesn’t bode well for Vanderpump Rules, unless these new fame seekers set some new goals. After all, everyone knows that in reality TV, you need to be there for the right reasons.