Vanderpump Rules Season 11 premiere got off to a bit of a rocky start since fans, including myself, were expecting a lot more drama than what was given. Fans already knew that Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval were still living in their Valley Village home, and the move feels like something straight out of Halloween: totally psycho. James Kennedy and Ally Lewber have also moved to the Valley. Honestly, the crew is still lamenting over Scandoval, and I couldn’t help but think, “Haven’t we moved on from all this?”
Lala Kent, however, is on the ready as if she is a sniper taking aim at the next man who tries to woo her. Lala has a new roomie, her mother, and her brother, Easton, who now share a cozy apartment. Sadly, Lala is still deep in her separation from Randall Emmett as the two are battling over custody of their daughter, Ocean. However, with all this going on, the mother of one still finds time for grace and forgiveness. Or does she?
Lala Was a Very Vocal Critic of Rachel
In the past, Lala hadn’t held her tongue as she had called Rachel Leviss a “Bambi-eyed bitch” and a “mistress” when she tried to pursue a married Oliver Saunders. During the early episodes of Season 10, Lala and Rachel seemed to find common ground and even makeup. Still, when Scandoval rocked the Bravosphere, Lala was one of her loudest critics, especially at the Vanderpump Rules reunion.
During the Season 10 reunion, Lala referred to Tom as a cult leader like Charles Manson and kept making a robotic impression of Rachel, calling them both “sick” for the way they lied about the affair. The entire cast was out of control, and as a viewer, it felt like Lala and the rest of them were screaming for hours. There was clearly no love lost between the two.
Lala was extremely anti-Rachel, and after how vicious she was towards Rachel at the reunion, her 180 in the premiere was a shock. To be so critical of someone and then change on a dime raises eyebrows. Lala’s sympathy for Rachel may be genuine, but based on her past behavior, it’s difficult to believe.
Lala Just Now Realizes She & Rachel Are Birds of a Feather
During a private chat with Lisa Vanderpump, Lala expressed how she now understood why Rachel had felt “isolated” in the affair, noting she had a similar experience with her now ex, Randall.
In her confessional, Lala noted, “I know what it’s like to have a man in front of you, painting a beautiful picture, saying: ‘You’re the one for me, you’re my soulmate,’ and you see what your future could be with this person.” Lala went on to share, “And you’re willing to risk it all so much that I ignored everyone around me telling me, ‘Girl, you’re the other woman.’”
This marked the first time Lala had really opened up about her relationship at the beginning when she was being bought a car and purses. The Bravo star continued saying, “What Raquel did, what she said, how she went about things was so fu*king stupid. But as someone who knows what it’s like to walk through life and see comments about being a mistress, I don’t want her to wear that forever.”
Lala talked about having sympathy for Rachel because she was put in a similar position before by Randall. However, if she really does relate in that way, why is she just now realizing it? It seems a little conspicuous that she came to this understanding just in time for Vanderpump Rules to resume filming.
On-Camera Olive Branch
A bit surprisingly, during the Vanderpump Rules Season 11 premiere, Lala expressed a lot of sympathy for Rachel, but that always seems to be the case for the mother of one, often realizing she jumped the gun a little too late. During the episode, Lala expressed regret for how she had treated Rachel and made the mature decision to reach out. Cameras caught the supportive voice message as she asked the beauty queen to converse with her.
“I’m sure I’m the last person you expected to hear from. I hope you are doing okay. Um, I don’t know if you’re back in LA or not, but I’d like to have a conversation with you at some point if you’re open to that, um, alright, hope to talk to you soon.” Seconds later, Lala revealed Rachel had seen her DM.
Lala did leave Rachel a touching message, but she did it on camera. She could have done that at any time during the months following Scandoval. Sure, in the immediate wake of the affair, emotions were high, and it’s understandable that Lala was still furious at the reunion. However, the reunion was filmed in March, and Season 11 began filming in June. That’s two months that Lala could have reached out to Rachel the way she did in the premiere episode. It seems suspicious that she waited till cameras were rolling.
Lala’s Opinion of Rachel Has Changed…Again
It all felt a bit orchestrated if you ask me, and Lala has a pattern of softening up when those around her have started to let down their guards, too. The entire voice message felt a little suspicious, and perhaps something Lala did just for the cameras. My hunch seems to be right with Lala telling Us Weekly she regretted reaching out to her former co-star.
The mother of one told the outlet, “I would not have reached out to her had I known that the Bethenny Frankel podcast was going to happen.” Lala went as far as to say “I thought that this girl was just wanting to go and live in a small town, work in a cubicle, and just fade into the background. I thought, ‘You know what? If that’s the life she wants, I want her to know that things happen, and I hope that you can live peacefully and not wear this. Then the podcast came out with Bethenny, and I was like, ‘I’m very grateful that you did not respond.’”
Lala’s sympathy certainly didn’t last long since she already regrets reaching out. Her sympathy, which seemingly came out of nowhere, was quickly retracted, and that doesn’t feel very sincere. Lala’s olive branch to Rachel may have been genuine, but based on the way it played out, it’s easy for viewers to be skeptical.
TELL US – DID YOU THINK LALA’S APOLOGY WAS FROM THE HEART OR FOR SHOW?
