Vanderpump Rules: A Decent Proposal [Season Premiere]

December 4, 2018 8:41 AM - Season 7, Episode 1

Lisa Vanderpump finds herself behind schedule on TomTom, the new bar she's opening with Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz; James lands in hot water with the group after insulting Brittany; Scheana settles into single life; Jax proposes to Brittany.

Vanderpump Rules Premiere Recap: The Gang’s All Hair [Vulture]

For the uninitiated: Emily Nussbaum in The New Yorker on why it's a reality show worth watching ("There’s also a nudist trickster named Lala, and Ariana, a hipster comic, who startled me when she complained—during yet another fight over whether a boyfriend should go to Vegas—that she hated “heteronormative fucking bullshit.” The nice men are hard to tell apart, since half of them seem to be named Tom.")

posted by nightrecordings (4 comments total)

Is it possible that Brittany is doing any of this seriously? Or any of the others really, but with her there seems to be the biggest likely gap between her actual life and what she does on the show. The rest of them are probably looking to ride the Bravo train to wealth a la Bethenny Frankel and it's not too much of a stretch for them either, being in Hollywood and into acting or modeling or whatever. But Brittany? That really seems fictional, and her whole family is in it too. I guess in that way it is rather brilliant.

But then it also seems like Bravo has moved towards tantalizingly playing around with the gap between what's on the shows and what is revealed in other ways. The casts of Below Deck and Southern Charm, in particular, talk a lot about what's real versus what's fake, and they engage with viewers who are doing the same. Below Deck has completely lost me because it's so obviously bullshit. But with Southern Charm, I actually worry about the young women who are getting involved with the likes of Thomas Ravenel and probably letting it go a lot farther than it normally would because it's TV.
posted by BibiRose at 9:24 AM on December 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

I am weirdly obsessed with this show but anything involving that dude is becoming way too dark for me right now.

Ditto; and it disturbs (but does not shock) me that Jax is the highest paid cast member. You know, besides Lisa and Ken, anyway. Watching the show take him from "self-professed sociopath and serial cheater" to "reformed family man" has been one of my least favorite storylines because it feels like it transgresses reality TV's typical demand that I just suspend my disbelief and stick along for the ride. Do I think people can change? Yes. Do I think Jax has changed? Hahaha.

I agree that the proposal was a pretty 'meh' season opener. We all know that they've been wanting to turn James into the next Jax for a while now, so I assume that's what they're going to have to do since everyone else seems to be settling down into marriages or seemingly calm LTRs. James is the wild card who they can predictably rely on to be unpredictable since he doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself.

But with Southern Charm, I actually worry about the young women who are getting involved with the likes of Thomas Ravenel and probably letting it go a lot farther than it normally would because it's TV.
*QFMFT*

Also, hearing them talk about how "Time's Up" for James, but using that as his story arc, is gross. If his Time was really Up, he wouldn't - shouldn't - be on the show anymore. And hey, maybe by the end of the season, he won't be. But I wouldn't place bets on it.

Did anyone else notice that scene at the beginning where Billie reminds Lala of the no cell phone policy at SUR, and Lala mocks her? I was really hoping for more Billie this season, but it would be nice if it wasn't under the guise of her entering into some kind of staged cat fight with Lala.
posted by nightrecordings at 7:18 AM on December 6, 2018

Oh man, I love seeing Pump Rules on FanFare!

Does anyone else listen to the "Watch What Crappens" podcast with Ronnie Karam and Ben Mandelker? Their impressions of the Pump Rules cast was literally what made me start watching the show.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 8:00 PM on December 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

Does anyone else listen to the "Watch What Crappens" podcast with Ronnie Karam and Ben Mandelker?

YES. ❤️
posted by nightrecordings at 8:35 PM on December 6, 2018 [2 favorites]