The final moments of Vanderpump Rules as we know it! Continue reading for a Vanderpump Rules Reunion recap.
We made it to the finish line, folks. The final part of the longest three-part reunion.
When Andy Cohen said they were “watching the final moments from the finale together” a collective shutter was sent down the casts’ spines.
As we know, the VPR finale concluded with Ariana Madix leaving Kyle Chan’s party early to avoid a Tom Sandoval redemption conversation.
A perturbed Lala Kent “channeled Tupac” as she finally vented her true feelings about her costar.
As Ariana mentioned, she hadn’t yet watched the season. Bravo made sure she would watch the conclusion of the finale, though.
Much of the season showcased Ariana Madix as stoic and angry. I think the fact she stonewalled Tom Sandoval much of the season, while simultaneously reaping the benefits of “Scandoval” upset many of her costars. Cut to Lala’s “Beyoncé” and “God” commentary surrounding her behavior.
Ariana reminded her cast mates and viewers that the season picked up only 3 months after the news broke. She was still very much *in* her angry era. She wasn’t in a position to film with Tom beyond the infamous living room scene during the season 10 finale.
Ariana shared that she doesn’t cry in front of people, or even to Scheana, but she does alone. Which is completely normal and how a lot of people process and grieve. Lala seemingly wanted Ariana to emote the way SHE wanted her to emote. Or, put another way, the way she NEEDED her to for her VPR paycheck.
Katie Maloney Vs. Tom Sandoval
Part three focused on the Bubbas. The audience felt a chemistry between Katie and Tom Schwartz that we hadn’t in years. The way we all shipped them this season was so backwards considering they were newly divorced.
Andy asked Katie if she felt Tom Sandoval contributed to their divorce. Katie answered that Sandoval wasn’t the reason for the divorce. Rather, his negative feelings toward Katie penetrated Schwartz’s mind and colored his perception of his ex-wife.
This segment called back to Sandoval and Katie at odds over Schwartz and Sandy’s. If you recall, Katie wanted to be more involved in the Toms bar.
Sandoval and Katie went back and forth over the fact that neither party has ever been quite fond of one another. Katie ended Sandoval with a simple “I don’t care, choke.”
The Bubbas
There wasn’t a dry eye in this household when Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney reflected on their relationship throughout the years.
“I don’t look at it as a failure. I had so many great moments with you, Katie, and I still love you, but I know it was the right decision,” Schwartz said.
“I like seeing the two of you as friends,” Andy said.
We all do, Andy!
At least we will always have Tom Schwartz’s “Bubba” butt tattoo.
Ariana and Dan
Viewers wondered why Ariana brought Dan on the cast trip to San Francisco even though he opted to sit out on the group’s activities.
Surprisingly, Lala didn’t take umbrage with Ariana’s decision to not have Dan film with the others.
Ariana revealed that Dan came on the trip because he always planned to come to LA that weekend to visit her. The cast trip ended up falling on those dates so she asked if he would go with her.
However, the reason he wasn’t more in the mix was due to him not getting paid to appear. Another “breaking the fourth wall” moment. Andy mentioned Brock didn’t get paid in the beginning, but Ariana wasn’t quite receptive to the comparison.
The Final Five Finale Minutes
View this post on Instagram
It was time to watch the cast watch the ending to season 11.
When Andy kickstarted this segment the energy shift was palpable. Everyone began breathing a little deeper. As a viewer and an empath, I felt every bit of it!
Tom and Ariana finally had it out. It was emotional, raw, and real. The entire cast cried as it played out.
For the first time, I felt an ounce of sincerity from Tom Sandoval through his crocodile tears.
Tom Sandoval said that him cheating on Ariana is his biggest regret to this day.
Ariana’s Walk Off
Ariana spoke to her reasoning for leaving the party early, citing not wanting another “Crying in Miami” moment that Tom Sandoval had with Kristen Doute re: his affair with Miami girl.
This divided the cast. Tom Schwartz and Lisa Vanderpump were both understanding of her not wanting to stick around to talk to Tom Sandoval.
Schwartz said in the moment he agreed with Lala when she was venting in frustration, but the more he sat with it, he felt Ariana’s walk off “was earned.”
What really set Lala off about the walk off was how she didn’t get to dictate her storyline, but she felt Ariana did.
Lisa Vanderpump was empathetic to Ariana leaving early and related to her when she opted to leave Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. LVP did not appear on the season 9 reunion. She defended Ariana saying “no one can say she didn’t show up.”
This catapulted Lala out of her chair at the “double standard.” When Lala was going through her issues with Randall, Lisa said to her “you lose ‘em how you get ‘em.” Lala feels she didn’t receive the same level of grace or support as Ariana did when she opted to not continue filming.
Ariana maintains that had she had that conversation with Sandoval it would have not been authentic. Authenticity is the secret sauce that makes Vanderpump Rules interesting.
“I don’t think our show thrives when things aren’t real,” Ariana said.
This is evident when Katie and Schwartz dated the same girl this season. The audience knew this was contrived and that’s why it fell flat. So much so, it wasn’t even brought up during the reunion.
Lala Vs. Scheana
I was shocked by Lala’s anger toward Scheana toward the end of the reunion.
Scheana mentioned that she felt equally supported by both Tom Sandoval and Ariana when their friendship was called into question.
Once again, Lala got out of her chair. Lala felt Scheana was not real. Due to this “slip up” Scheana worked overtime to correct her defense of Ariana, really advocating for Lala the remainder of the episode.
During commercial break, Scheana beelined to Lala to check on her, instead of going over to Ariana. Very telling.
View this post on Instagram
The reunion concluded, however the drama didn’t.
The End
Lala went to her dressing room and was inconsolable. She was triggered by the cast rallying around Ariana’s choice to not film, while she had no choice but to face the music during her breakup with Randall.
Lala once again threw her daughter and baby on the way in everyone’s faces.
She doubled down on her aggression toward Ariana and Katie — not caring that her friendships with them would forever be affected by her commentary.
All in all, the reunion really could have been 2 parts. However, I don’t blame Bravo for milking the final moments of “Scandoval” for all its worth. These ratings will likely never happen again.
We all agree season 11 felt like a final act, and with the way the reunion ended, there’s no way it won’t be.
My Final Vanderpump Rules Reunion Thoughts
These past 11 years have been some of the best reality TV moments that we’ve had this decade. As the VPR theme song articulates, some of the best days of the casts’ lives will forever be documented for us to enjoy for years to come.
It’s been a wild ride, but like they say, all good things must come to an end.
With Vanderpump Rules “on pause”, and The Valley’s instant success, the future is uncertain for our favorite former SURvers.
However, what I do know? Ariana and Katie deserve the world, and hopefully, one way or another, we will be lucky enough to watch them get it.
