'Vanderpump Rules' bosses on Season 11, spinoff plans and more

and The Envelope podcast team

When “Vanderpump Rules” debuted in 2013 as an offshoot of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” the series followed former housewife Lisa Vanderpump and her staff at SUR (Sexy Unique Restaurant) in West Hollywood. But it wasn’t until a decade after its inception that a high-profile cheating scandal, dubbed “Scandoval,” propelled the series into the Emmy limelight.

On this episode of “The Envelope,” host Yvonne Villarreal chats with producer Alex Baskin and star-turned-producer Lisa Vanderpump. They candidly delve into the juicy details behind the show’s scandals, a forthcoming spinoff featuring familiar personas and their perspective on the burgeoning calls for reality show residuals. Plus, their response to awards recognition — and whether any “Housewives” counterparts had anything to say.

Mark Olsen: Hello, everyone. We’re back with more episodes of “The Envelope,” from the Los Angeles Times, where we bring you in-depth conversations with some of the talents behind your favorite movies and TV shows. I’m one of your hosts, Mark Olsen.

Yvonne Villarreal: And I’m your other host, Yvonne Villarreal. So, Mark, tell me something: if I say the words “Vanderpump Rules,” what comes to mind?

Olsen: OK, now you’re trying to trick me here. I know that it’s a television show, a reality show, and I know it’s got something to do with a restaurant in West Hollywood. And I think there’s been an affair. Some sort of cheating scandal that really captivated the attention of fans and the tabloid press. And that’s about it.

Villareal: Yes, yes, I couldn’t open Twitter, Instagram or TikTok without being inundated with information and speculation about the scandal that rocked the series. But because you’re not well-versed, let me give you a CliffsNotes version of it all, since you’re not a student at Bravo University’s School of Messy Television — I hold a PhD, just FYI.

So, “Vanderpump Rules” is a spinoff of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” that premiered in 2013 and followed the sordid drama of this good looking waitstaff at SUR, which is a restaurant and lounge owned by former Beverly Hills housewife Lisa Vanderpump. And, you know, a decade later, hardly any of the core cast members actually still work at SUR, but their collective drama continues to provide ample entertainment. And cheating? It’s part of the show’s DNA. But this latest cheating scandal, nicknamed “Scandoval,” dropped like a bomb on the fan base.

Olsen: OK, “Scandoval” is a word I have heard, but I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to use it or not.

Villarreal: You are, you are! So, here’s what happened. In March, TMZ reported that stars Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix, who were a couple for nine years, split after Sandoval had an affair with their co-star Raquel (Rachel) Leviss. In true Bravo fashion, it gets even messier, as seen in the 10th season, which chronicles the period of time when the affair eventually began. Raquel had been making advances towards Sandoval’s business partner, Tom Schwartz, and also worth knowing, Raquel used to be engaged to James Kennedy, who was also a cast member and was a good friend of Sandoval’s. Are you still with me, Mark? I feel like I’m losing you.

Olsen: I’m a little confused by the two Toms, but I think we should just keep moving.

[Both laugh]

Villarreal: Yes, OK, but what set all of this off was that, you know, principal production on the season had wrapped by the time news of the affair broke, and so it sent producers sort of scrambling to get cameras back up to capture the aftermath. And it was a wild ride from start to finish, and the effort certainly caught the attention of Emmy voters.

Olsen: It’s true! “Vanderpump Rules” scored its first-ever nominations thanks to the “Scandoval.” Two, actually: unstructured reality program and picture editing for an unstructured reality program.

Villarreal: And I spoke with executive producer Alex Baskin, as well star and executive producer Lisa Vanderpump, to dig into it all. Here’s our conversation.

Villarreal: Alex and Lisa, thanks so much for joining me today.

Lisa Vanderpump: Well, thank you for having us.

Alex Baskin: Thanks for having us. Yeah.

Villarreal: So, before we dive deep into the season, congratulations on the Emmy nominations. The show received two nods — unstructured reality program and picture editing for an unstructured reality program — this is a show that’s been on for 10 years and it’s the first time it’s received such recognition. Alex, how did it feel?

Baskin: Oh man, it felt amazing. We couldn’t have been happier. It’s a validation of the work that team has put into the show over the course of 10 years, and so truly shared all the way around and we’re really pleased, and just the fact that we are still here after 10 years, and the show is the quality that it is, let alone that we’re up for a couple of major awards, is something of which we’re very proud.

Vanderpump: Well, that sounds so calm and moderated. I ... absolutely went f— bonkers. I have to tell you, I was so excited. I stopped the car. I started to cry because I got the news, I was downtown at the flower market, some ungodly hour, and I got the news and I don’t know why… I think it’s because it’s the highest acclamation, I mean, the Emmys is just something that you hear of, you hear of it as a kid, you hear of it in the business … and it always seemed not unreachable, but it, it seemed like something we were always reaching for. And when I say the show has been on for 10 years, I feel like I’ve aged 20 years since it’s been on. All the duress and stress, but Alex and I, we just wanted to make something that was naughtier, more honest, edgier, sexier, you know, all of the superlatives, and now all these years later to come to fruition to be nominated for two Emmys … yeah, I literally wet my knickers. I was so excited. I, no, I didn’t, but I mean, I, I thought about it.

Villarreal: Close. Close. Well, and you were, you were already in production on the new season when the nominations were announced, right? How did you break the news to the cast?

Vanderpump: Oh, I think we all knew at the same time. It was something like wildfire. You know, it’s like with any kind of thing that happens in this group, because they’re all so closely connected. You just think you’re going to explain it to one of them and they all know it already. So there wasn’t much kind of telephoning. It was like, poof, it went out and it ignited. And yeah, it was very exciting. I can’t minimize the excitement for me and the importance, and I know Alex is better behaved than I am and more moderate, but I know he felt like wetting his drawers as well. I don’t care what he says.

Villarreal: Well, let’s talk about the other wildfire of this season. Let’s get into the scandal that really turned this season on its head.

[CLIP: Tom Sandoval: “when I turned 40, I had this sort of spiritual awakening, like, I was gonna break up with Ariana regardless.” Friend: “But you didn’t you f— her best friend instead.”

Villarreal: Who on the production team did Ariana call first when she learned about the affair, Alex, and how quickly did that get back to you?

Baskin: Ariana called our showrunner, Jeremiah, right away, and he then, you know, sent the information on to us as well, and then, by the next day, we were in conversations with the network about picking cameras back up, and the following day, we were back up. She discovered what she did on Tom’s phone, the illicit material on Tom’s phone, on a Wednesday, and on a Friday, we were shooting again, and we knew that the tabloids would pick this up, and TMZ did on Friday, and I think that that actually in some ways played to our benefit because we had the real story and so like really like public interest was crazed, but we actually had the thing that everybody needed to see, right?

Vanderpump: I was with her just literally five minutes prior to the phone falling out of the pocket, but this, I mean, this was pretty much a gobsmacking revelation, but they never fail to surprise me, this group of people. I mean, for some reason. When you’re really in the heart of people’s lives… I mean, infidelity happens universally, all the time. Of course, this was different, we can talk about that, it was compounded by many different factors that kind of exacerbated the importance of it. But, you know, when you’re right in the middle of people’s lives that are totally honest and totally transparent and they live a, you know, a life that’s... It’s full on. I mean, it really is, all of them. So, the merry-go-round has never really stopped. But this really took the biscuit. But we’ve dealt with many, many things over the years that we’ve thought, “Oh, who does that?” And then I go, “They do,” you know?

Villarreal: Mm Hmm.

Baskin: And I think also that anything that would otherwise be a ripple is felt across the group. So, I think that this wasn’t just something that involved the three principles in this, but it was something that the entire friend group felt. And there’s a sense of accountability in the show too, where this group sees themselves as a friend group that is putting their lives out there. And so, they ensure that everyone else, all of their peers, has to do the same thing, is held to the same standard. So, I think that’s why you get a show that is as honest and raw and real as it is.

Vanderpump: Yeah, transparency is paramount in this group because they feel if they’re under the microscope then damn —

Villarreal: Then you gotta be, too…

Vanderpump: If we’re going down, you’re all coming down with me. So that’s … but that I think speaks to the essence of the show, really, is the fact that when we created this show, the cohesion was so important. To have this group where — it’s actually a show if Alex and I were honest, that could almost have shot all year round because you always feel when the cameras are down, you’re actually missing something. But how could we do that? I mean, we literally had a plethora of episodes each season, but it was a show that was always full of vitality and life and most importantly, authenticity. And I think you can’t create things that aren’t happening.

Villarreal: Well, this was all developing so fast and you’re processing it all. I was processing it in the moment, taking in every TikTok… Was there a moment when it became clear that this was a full-fledged Hollywood scandal?

Baskin: Very early on, because we were surprised by the level of interest. So we knew that this was going to leak, like I mentioned, and it leaked right away. But then there was this abiding interest in it, where there was a zealous interest and also, the other thing is, it didn’t stop, right? And so, every development was reported with bated breath. And we kept it, it was a cat and mouse kind of thing too, where we then were waiting for other details to emerge and we were trying to shoot around what people, and it took on a life of its own.

Villarreal: Like, on paper, this cheating scandal on a show built on cheating scandals should not have broken into the zeitgeist the way it did. Like, what was different this time? I mean, Lisa, you’re sort of from this world, like, you know what it’s like on, like, “The Real Housewives,” how quickly things can catch, but, like … what was it about this cheating scandal in particular that just had us riveted?

Vanderpump: I think, actually it’s a good question, because I’ve asked myself that many times to take it to this level. I think it just gathered momentum and it just kept rolling and rolling. But I think what compounded it was the fact that we’d been invested in Tom and Ariana for so many years, it was almost like watching “Friends” and suddenly Joey and Phoebe are having affairs, like what? Like, rewind the tape, what happened? We’ve been there, we’ve been in their lives, how did this happen? But it’s also... Tom kind of had this attitude of holding everybody to a higher standard and whatever their relationship, albeit not perfect, they kind of had this pretty strong sense of being right in the middle of this group and keeping it together. And you’d seen Jax and Stassi fall apart, you’d seen, you know, Tom and Katie, you’d seen James, you know, fall apart, and his relationship with Raquel, Rachel, a.k.a. So, you know, to have Tom and Ariana, and then dragged Rachel into it, Raquel into it, to me, I was, I was, I would say gobsmacked. Gobsmacked, that’s what should have been the name of that episode, I think one of the cast was gobsmacked as well, wasn’t she? Wasn’t she?

Baskin: Yeah.

Villarreal: Yeah.

Vanderpump: So, it was just, it was also devastating because Ariana had always defended Raquel, and Raquel had confronted Ariana about their life, about them, and it just seemed so ridiculous to have this on footage, you know, this footage. But as I say, we capture everything, and you’ve got these people that share their lives, and boy, did they share it.

Baskin: I think the timing also played into the impact of it too. The fact that we were just airing the rumors of this story, and then we caught the aftermath of it, and then that obviously ran at the end of the season, heading right into our reunion. So it’s like we were feeding the audience a story that they were already consuming.

Villarreal: Well, I want to talk about that a little bit more because, maybe in the early seasons, if something like this happened, the sort of reaction would be let’s hold this for next season to draw interest. But how has social media and the fandom shifted how critical it is to turn seasons around faster or, or just to keep the narratives from spilling out from what we see on screen.

Vanderpump: We knew that it would change everything and it would be remiss of us not to capture it then and there because going forward everything was going to change. And as I say, it’s like you’ve been invested in characters for so long, and I think one of the magical components of this show is the fact that people feel they’ve grown up with these people and I think they felt shaken by it as well. I can’t imagine us, you know, delivering this kind of footage a year later.

Baskin: I was going to say we did make the decision to dip down for a little bit before we brought cameras back for the next season, because at that point, coming out of the reunion, it was clear that everybody needed a little bit of a breather. And so that we could pick up in a slightly different place that we left the group.

Villarreal: Well, I want to talk about that. I mean, talk about raw! The reunion filmed a couple of weeks after the scandal broke, and from what I remember that date had long been set. But it made for a very intense and hostile reunion. Emotions were high. The dust hadn’t settled yet. So like Alex, how was it in video village watching it all go down?

Baskin: It was incredibly intense and we knew that right out of the gate that everybody would be really charged up and frankly it made it difficult to talk about the season preceding this because it all felt very small relative to this.

[CLIP: Ariana Madix: So my dog had just died. I cried in your f— arms, and you thought, ‘I should go f— her boyfriend.’ You are lower than the f— lowest of low people. You really are. Rachel Leviss: I know. Ariana Madix: You’re a f— psychopath. You are terrifying to me as a person. The fact that you’re capable of this shit? Un-f—-believable. You’re a dementor. I know you like Harry Potter. You’re a f— dementor.”

Vanderpump: I would have loved to be in video village, by the way. I would love to have been there. That hot seat that I was on, that wasn’t so comfortable.

Villarreal: Yeah?

Baskin: Yeah.

Vanderpump: Me out there, as a producer, I wanted to be back there hiding with you, watching through the cracks.

Baskin: But one, but one of the things that we did deliberately, speaking of that, is that we actually changed the alignment of the set, right? Because usually Lisa is sitting level with Andy, and we actually tilted her a little bit more toward the group that needed her, which was, you know, obviously on Tom’s side, we —

Vanderpump: I felt that, didn’t I? We talked about that. We talked about — I said, I just can’t be kind of like placed as an adversarial position, you know, I just felt it was so heavily weighted on the other side, as it should be. I mean, they all had their reasons, but it was very difficult. Over the years I think some of my real highs and lows have been on the journey with this show. It’s just, it’s extraordinary to me. And you know what, I cannot ... Yvonne, I cannot minimize the importance of the crew because we talk about the talent, but the crew, the overarching kind of familial feel as a family in this group is just extraordinary. And when you’ve got people that are opening their lives and their emotions to the camera to be so public, it’s so important to have those people right there by our side. I have utmost respect for everybody. So if we win this Emmy, which I would love to do more than anything after all these years, it’s for them. Just, you know, who have given so much of their lives. To really making this the show the show it has been.

Villarreal: Mm hmm.

Vanderpump: I can’t thank them enough really.

Villarreal: Alex, is there anything you would have done differently when it came to responding to the scandal production-wise? Do you wish you would have waited a little bit for the reunion so tempers could have sort of eased a bit? Or how are you feeling about how you you guys did capture things?

Baskin: I think that we handled it the best that we could in the moment, and so I really stand behind it, and I’m proud of it. I think the one thing that may have done differently, and we had a million conversations about this in the lead up to the reunion, would have been maybe not to have Tom Sandoval on the stage from the beginning, because I think that it might have helped to ... have some other conversations. And I think with him out there, I think then we were at, you know, a million right away. So, but that’s, that would, that would be it.

Villarreal: Mm

Vanderpump: Yep, the season was great prior to “Scandoval.” We really felt we’d had a slow season the season before 9 I felt the stagnation of COVID and the restaurants and everything about it, feel to put kind of pressure that I think we kind of created a different show in Season 9 and it didn’t feel that good to me. So Season 10 was back, full of gusto, and I felt we’d hit our stride again regardless of what was about to transpire. And all those other stories kind of got pushed aside a little bit. You know, it’s always the loudest voice in the room, but yeah, it was pretty amazing. The whole thing, the way it went down.

Villarreal: Yeah, because going into it, where are you thinking the Katie like Schwartz thing or the Randall Emmett scandal was gonna?

Vanderpump: Yeah, there was a lot. There was a lot of story, a lot of content. People’s relationships had all changed. There were stories to tell and I felt it was a great season. I was very happy as, you know, part of being part of the cast, but as a producer, Alex and I worked very closely together. We were like, this is a great season. I really felt we’re back. Poof! You know, to be sitting at the White House Correspondents Dinner and the president’s roasting speech, twice they talk about “Vanderpump Rules.” I was like, uh, how did this happen? And also because it’s an eponymous show, like if I ever booked a table with the name Vanderpump and it was just like, “Oh, I think I’ll stay home for a little bit.”

Villarreal: Well, Lisa, I mean, your personal life or even your dynamics with co-stars is not as central to the drama of “Vanderpump Rules,” but it was while you were on “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” What have you learned about the trappings of living your life on TV?

Vanderpump: Well, I think there’s, there’s the good, the bad, the ugly. I mean, there’s so much good that comes from it. You know, I hate it when people leave a show and then they go on to negate it and, you know, I’ve never done that about “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” I’ve said I didn’t have a good time with the group, but the whole premise of the show, what it did for me, um, what I learned from it, and then working with Alex — because it was after the second season that I was given my spinoff, of course, I think that provoked certain amount of feelings with the other women as well — but I’ve learned that authenticity is absolutely key. If you’re full of crap, I think the audience sniff it out like a dog with a truffle, you know. It’s like you’ve got to be honest and own your mistakes. And Alex always said to me, you’re one of the only cast members that’s never said to me, “Take this out, take this out.” And I always think, well, if I’ve screwed up or said something inappropriate, which is very possible, then I’m going to learn from it, or I said it for a reason. But, there’s been many advantages, and there’s been some parts that, of course, when you see these endless litany of things written about you that aren’t true, what do you do? You kind of end up cutting yourselves off from it. But, I would not change it. I’m never going to negate it. I’ve had a brilliant, brilliant amount of opportunities. I’ve had a great relationship with, as I say, with production over the years…

Villarreal: Would you —

Vanderpump: I’ve had my down moments, you know —

Villarreal: Would you go back? I mean, we’ve seen a few housewives that have departed returned to their franchises. I mean, Lisa Rinna is gone. Would you ever consider going back?

Vanderpump: Well, that was definitely a point in the right direction, her going. But, at the time I’m opening two new restaurants for — that’s my primary business, it always was as a restaurateur. I’ve got another project coming up and “Vanderpump Rules” took up a lot of time. So it was kind of a wife and a mother and a business woman, when it was fun. I enjoyed it, but when it kind of kept turning against me, I just thought, “No, this makes me unhappy.” And I left, and Alex knows this better than anybody, at a very, very vulnerable time in my life. You know, that a moment when I lost my brother that changed everything. And I just, I didn’t feel that I wanted any contention in my life. And it’s very different on “Vanderpump Rules” because I’m more of a matriarchal figure and a mentor and guidance. I always say, one’s a pigeon, one’s a statue, in “Housewives,” I was a statue, and in “Vanderpump Rules,” I was a pigeon.

Villarreal: I’m choosing to hear “never say never” from that response. That’s what I’m choosing to hear.

Vanderpump: I hear it a lot, but I think I can probably, Yvonne, say … never.

Villarreal: OK

Vanderpump: Well, the door’s always open, Andy said that. I’ll see what’s going on.

Villarreal: Well, production is well underway on Season 11 of “Vanderpump Rules.” Alex, how would you say the scandal has shifted the dynamics of the cast, and have we reached a saturation point with the scandal in your view?

Baskin: Well, I think that the scandal has shattered the relationships among the cast. And I think this season is about trying to put the pieces back together. So, I think, even among the group, I think there is an interest in moving on and moving forward. And we certainly —

Vanderpump: It took a while, Alex.

Villarreal: Hmm.

Baskin: Well, it did, but I will say that for the beginning of this season, we don’t sort of delve into all of the gory grubby details that we just kind of don’t care about anymore. But I think that it’s fascinating and compelling to see a group that has been through so much together. And for whom no one has clean hands or, within no one has clean hands, to then figure out how to come back together, and like Lisa said, it’s been very challenging for them and frankly, as of this conversation, it’s still very much in process.

Villarreal: Mmhm.

Vanderpump: And it changes, it changes! Something this kind of catastrophic, or cataclysmic, or emotionally, it has to change, it has to. So you’re going to see that, for sure, but you know, that’s what I think the magic of the show is, Alex. I think there’s a lot of young people that identify with a group and shenanigans and what transpires. And there’s a lot of older people that watch the show, you know, tell me, I meet so many people, especially in the restaurant business say, “Oh my God, I reminisce over, you know, being somebody of that age ...”

Villarreal: Yeah. Yeah.

Vanderpump: “... or when I was in college or when I was working in restaurants,” and unfortunately in life, s— happens. And I think a lot of people, that’s why they relate to the show.

Villarreal: Well, I’m curious. I mean, because Ariana has made it clear that she would not film with Sandoval or Raquel, but obviously photos leaked of them shooting at the same location, even though they kept their distance. Like, what have the negotiations been like when you have people not wanting to film with certain folks?

Vanderpump: Well, they actually live in the same house, Yvonne —

Villarreal: I know they do!

Vanderpump: Which is a very strange —

Villarreal: I know.

Vanderpump: … story to tell and we’ve shown a lot of that story, which to me, again … Just when you think you know what’s going on with this group, you don’t understand it at all. They have their reasons, they’ve done so many things over the years. If it was Ken and I, that was the last place on earth that I would want to live is in the same house. Go figure, we tell their story. So yeah, it’s definitely a very interesting part of that.

Baskin: Look, you cannot force anyone to film with each other practically, right? So it’s a series of conversations and you do not want any member of the group to dictate terms under which he or she participates within the group. But on the other side of things, you can’t as a practical matter and wouldn’t want to force any interactions that don’t make sense. But as Lisa said, I would hasten to point out, they live together, and we do capture that dynamic and document that …

Vanderpump: Which is the strangest thing, isn’t it? Isn’t it, Alex? I mean, I’m not going to explain it because I don’t want to ruin it, but how we’ve captured that, the individuality in, in the same, very strange, very strange, but you know nothing …

Baskin: There’s a — yeah. No, and there’s a system through which they communicate with each other, it’s really interesting.

Villarreal: I mean, I don’t think it’s a secret that production on the new season is underway at a critical moment in the scripted space, writers and actors on strike and Hollywood is basically in a gridlock. Lisa, you touched on this. Some of Bravo’s biggest stars have ignited some discussion about the place of reality stars in the ecosystem and maybe what contractual shifts should happen. Bethenny Frankel suggested reality stars deserve residuals. How do you feel about the conversation that’s been happening?

Vanderpump: I think that, you know, one of the great things about reality shows is that they’ve always been able to be produced for less money than scripted shows. And I don’t really understand how you can have a union for people that are normally plucked out of obscurity. You know, I’m very happy with what I’ve been paid over the years. I think the first season is always like an audition and then it’s what you make of it, you know? And then, I mean, look, I’ve been a producer now for 11 years. I’m thankful to the network. Thankful for the opportunities and chances that they’ve given me. So, I don’t know, advocating for a reality star union. I’m not sure about that. I’m really not. As I say, I think it would change the business. What do you think, Alex?

Villarreal: Alex, I mean, you’ve been in this for a long time. Is it, does it feel like a natural evolution for reality considering how it’s sort of become a real centerpiece of programming?

Baskin: I mean, I think that Lisa’s point is really valid, where I think it’s something that’s worth consideration and I do understand the premise that these shows are run many times over, and so I understand that, but at the same time, there’s the economic reality of, as Lisa indicated, that unscripted programming exists in large part because it’s a better price point. And so …

Vanderpump: Exactly.

Baskin: I do think that there’s an impact on the other side of it. So, I think it’s a worthwhile conversation to have. And I, and I think for producers and behind-the-scenes personnel as well. So I think it’s good that we’re having that dialogue, but I’m not sure that the immediate cessation of participation in the shows is gonna solve anything.

Villarreal: I’m sure it’s a conversation that is only just starting. So it’ll be interesting to see where it goes. Before I let you go, what can you tell us about the “Vanderpump Rules” spinoff that’s in development at Bravo that could include Jax, Brittany and Kristen? Like, tell me about this.

Baskin: So, what I can tell you is that this is an extended friend group, and just because people are no longer on “Vanderpump Rules” does not mean that they go away completely, and so it would make sense that we would revisit the extended friend group.

Villarreal: Mmhm. Lisa?

Vanderpump: You know, it’s a totally different stage of their life, you know. And I think that’s interesting too. The fact that suddenly you see dynamics have changed and you’ve seen this group struggle to grow up. So, yeah, I don’t think we would try to re-create another “Vanderpump Rules.” I think that would be impossible. We started with an authentic group and that’s the way we’ll end up. But definitely there’s some kind of progress, so to speak, in life, you know, a journey. And I think it’d be interesting to capture that too.

Baskin: Well, as we like to say about the Valley, they are over the hill, but not over the hill.

[All laugh]

Villarreal: Has production started on capturing what this could look like already?

Baskin: Production’s been occupied.

Villarreal: OK.

Vanderpump: It started. Just give her a bone.

Villarreal: Gimme a bone. Has Mawmaw’s beer cheese made an appearance yet? Like, have we gotten that far?

Baskin: I think that’s ...

Vanderpump: Not saying anything, but it’s definitely, I will tell you the truth, cut Baskin out. Yes, it’s definitely started.

Villarreal: Well —

Vanderpump: He’s going kill me afterwards.

Villarreal: Well, I hope it makes it to the screen ‘cause, you know, we could all use a little reminder of where it all started with some of those characters. But congratulations again on the Emmy nominations. I know, it’s sort of up in the air when this ceremony will happen, but I’m eager to see what comes of it.

Vanderpump: I don’t mind when it happens, you know, I know it’s delayed, but it just gives us a chance to be nominated just that bit longer, you know? So I’m still riding the wave. I know it sounds so cliché, and Alex is like, “I, I wanna win it, I wanna win it.” I’m like, “Of course, we all do.” But to be nominated, I mean, that’s still life-changing as well. So, utmost respect for, however we got there, thank you, really, really.

Villarreal: Did you hear from any of your former “Housewives” castmates? Any —

Vanderpump: Oh, I’m sure they were jumping for joy. No, I didn’t hear, not, not a squeak, it was crickets.

Baskin: They all congratulated, they all congratulated me, Lisa.

Vanderpump: Yeah, I’m sure.

Villarreal: Well, thank you again. I’m looking forward to seeing the new season.

Vanderpump: Thanks, Yvonne. Pleasure.

Baskin: We appreciate it.

Vanderpump: Thanks.