Vanderpump Rules is currently airing the 11th season on Bravo. Fans are anticipating tough scenes given it was filmed on the heels of Scandoval. While VPR has never seen a scandal quite like Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss’ affair, it certainly isn’t the first time a surplus of drama has made the show hard to watch. While some seasons have been very enjoyable, others had us totally cringing. Let’s take a look back at some of the roughest Vanderpump Rules seasons.
Season 10
VPR was at its peak with Season 10. We haven’t seen that much drama since Stassi Schroeder backhanded Kristen Doute at SUR. However, as thrilling as it was to play detective and look for clues exposing Sandoval and Rachel’s secret romance, it was also brutal to watch. Our hearts broke for Ariana Madix as she continued to stick up for Rachel without knowing her so-called friend was banging her boyfriend behind her back. So rough. While it was perfect television in many ways, the thought of watching that reunion again makes me anxious.
Season 8
Season 8 was difficult to watch for a different reason than Season 10. It wasn’t an overwhelming amount of drama that made it unbearable; in fact, quite the opposite. Season 8 was, well, boring. The producers tried introducing a new group of characters that fans were not invested in and it didn’t work. In addition, Season 8 is the season where Tom Schwartz blows up at Katie Maloney at Jax Taylor’s 40th birthday party, which is actually a grueling scene to watch. From him telling her “he’s never been more turned off in [his] life” in front of a group of their friends to saying “no one gives a s***” about [her] opinion, the whole thing was a bad look and we wish we never had to watch that.
Season 3
Season 3 would be a tough one to rewatch because of Miami Girl. At the time, we all dismissed the Miami Girl saga as just another one of Kristen’s ploys to ruin Sandoval’s life but the situation looks a lot different after 2023. Last year, we found out that Sandoval did, in fact, sleep with Miami Girl, and Ariana helped cover it up. Yikes. It’s super tough rewatching Sandoval gaslight a woman and declare over and over again that they did not sleep together. Also, justice for Kristen; she was right the whole time.
Season 5
Season 5 is difficult to rewatch because of Schwartz and Katie’s wedding. Knowing how the relationship ended, it’s hard watching them tie the knot and cheers to the future. There were many signs the romance was doomed in Season 5 and it’s no fun rewatching all the red flags the couple chose to ignore. From the New Orleans trip from hell to their constant bickering, it is not one of the more enjoyable seasons.
Season 9
Season 9 is not a great rewatch season for a couple of reasons. The season kicked off with about half of its OG cast missing, which meant the dynamics of the friend group had changed significantly.
Stassi and Kristen were fired by the network in 2020 after their former co-star, Faith Stowers, claimed the Vanderpump Rules stars reported her to the police after “reading a Daily Mail article about a Black woman wanted for theft,” TODAY reported. Jax and Brittany Cartwright also left the show after Season 8.
Season 9 struggled to find its footing after losing half its cast and it was clear the show was losing the thread. Similar to Season 8, there was a shortage of natural drama, which meant a lot of the season felt over-produced. Season 9 is also the last season we see Randall Emmett. It’s sad watching Lala Kent talk about her future with a partner she would later discover cheated and lied to her throughout their whole relationship.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH OUR LIST? WHICH SEASONS OF VPR DO YOU FIND THE HARDEST TO REWATCH?
