Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules unsurprisingly revolves around Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval months after their explosive breakup. Last season on the reality series, the cast supported Madix since she recently found out her friend, Rachel “Raquel” Leviss had an affair with her boyfriend behind her back. But some cast members tried to blur the lines on whom to support the following season.
Lala Kent repeatedly questioned why Madix wouldn’t leave the home she equally owned with Sandoval. She grilled Madix’s new boyfriend, Daniel Wai, about his intentions and if he would confront Sandoval. The season ends with Kent ranting about Madix thinking too highly of herself after getting public support. But what’s the underlying reason for her stance? It’s a part of a long history of how people reacted to Madix on the Bravo show.
Stassi Schroeder Said Ariana Madix Was Tough to Crack on ‘Vanderpump Rules’
Madix has been on Vanderpump Rules since season 2, but didn’t become a main cast member until season 3. She announced she was dating Sandoval at season 2’s reunion. That meant we saw Madix interact with the rest of the cast more. There was no doubt Stassi Schroeder was the Queen Bee of the show for some time. However, Madix made it clear that she was more focused on her relationship with Sandoval than trying to get into Schroeder’s friendship circle, which would result in more air time.
In season 4, the couple celebrated Sandoval’s birthday in Hawaii and didn’t invite Kristen Doute which caused drama. They even said it was for “grown-ups” only. Doute was close to Schroeder and therefore made it harder for her to have a relationship with Madix. In season 5, Schroeder admitted she wanted a friendship with Madix, who was keeping her distance out of fear of being manipulated by her. Sandoval was unsurprisingly against them being friends. Madix and Schroeder were able to connect in later seasons despite that.
This didn’t stop Sandoval from picking fights with Schroeder. They had an explosive fight in season 8 over Schroeder having her book party at Tom Tom. There was a theory that Madix and Sandoval were jealous of Schroeder’s book success, which Madix denied. “We were so excited for her book to do well, and we had conversations with our publisher about how that is such a good thing for us,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “So even if we didn’t love and care about her, even on the most selfish level that’s insane.”
Madix has a history of protecting herself over screen time. But once a person is her friend, she has been down to support them despite Sandoval’s more jealous actions. She claimed she told her boyfriend not to text Schroeder before her book party, but he did it anyway, which led to the argument. It’s clear Madix never felt the need to work hard to make “great television” with forced drama or friendships. Things always seemed to come naturally for her and her cast members had strong reactions to that throughout the years. In season 11, we’re seeing a very similar conversation between Kent and Madix.
Lala Kent Accuses Ariana Madix of Not Caring
Madix was never front and center of Vanderpump Rules until season 10’s reunion when it came out that her partner of 10 years was cheating on her with her good friend. Sandoval dressed up as Leviss for Halloween, wore matching jewelry with the other woman, and hooked up with her while Madix was mourning. This made people who weren’t interested in the Bravo show to invest in uplifting Madix. She got multiple branded deals between seasons and later a role on Broadway and a hosting gig on Love Island.
But this seemed to be too much for Kent to take for one major reason. Madix never worked hard to be at the forefront of the show by delving into drama. This success seemed to have fallen into her lap because of Sandoval’s devious actions. “I’ve never seen someone go from like every–the entire world being so indifferent to this person, right?” Kent said on the after-show. “Like no one ever spoke about her and now what she says f-cking goes.”
Scheana Shay admitted she wished she got the same support and opportunities as Dancing With the Stars. She has released a song and is continuing to promote it years later. Kent has also gone to great lengths for mainstream fame by starting a relationship with Randall Emmitt, teasing her mystery man who gives her gifts on the show, and later appearing in his movies. They also seem to work harder to have storylines on Vanderpump Rules.
Shay has filmed with Sandoval repeatedly in season 11 to work on their friendship. Kent admitted to talking to producers about scenes with Madix and unsuccessfully pushed for Katie Maloney to confront her business partner on camera for season 11. Maloney refused to do so and Madix refused to talk to Sandoval in the finale, which enraged Kent.
Why is the person who has gotten so many opportunities with very little effort not putting in effort to make dramatic television? Madix has always had the air of effortlessness as a reality star, which is hardly the norm for the genre. Reality stars are often trying to have a moment or catchphrase they can later sell on merchandise. We see that Kent repeatedly trying to make “Nothing About Her” a thing in season 11. Madix’s natural “it” factor can be envious to those of us who feel like we have to work a little harder. But it’s also cool, feels genuine, and keeps fans longer.
On the other hand, Kent is facing backlash and accusations of trying to produce the hit show. She accused Maloney of trying to hurt her business by not fighting with Madix during the season at the reunion. The fear that the attention of Vanderpump Rules and the money drying out is so clear in Kent’s rants. Madix has hardly talked about the public’s love of her and yet has maintained it by being herself and keeping her boundaries.
She also addressed the framing that she was a bad reality star for keeping her boundaries. “What makes better television?” she asked on the finale’s after-show. “Sandoval crying for the millionth time on Vanderpump Rules? Or a dramatic exit?” The new Love Island host later said, “And if you think I’m doing a bad job as a reality star, I’m reality star of the year, so maybe I know what I’m doing.”
We know at least one person who disagrees. But we’ll wait and see which route leads to lasting success. The reality star who lets the cameras follow how she interacts with her cast members naturally. Or the one who pushes hard for confrontations on camera.