Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules will premiere on Tuesday, January 30 on Bravo. The highly anticipated new season will follow the cast as they recover from Scandoval and adjust to their “new normal.” While we don’t know much about the upcoming season, we do have some idea of where the alliances will fall. Who will side with Ariana Madix? Who will side with Tom Sandoval? Let’s unpack it together. Here are the VPR stars who we think are most and least likely to forgive Sandoval.
Tom Schwartz (Most Likely)
After the Season 10 reunion, Tom Schwartz said he was taking a break from his longtime friend, Tom Sandoval. The VPR star appeared on Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s podcast “When Reality Hits,” where he was vocal about feeling “exploited” by Sandoval, telling the hosts he felt as though his friend took advantage of his kindness.
Schwartz may have needed some space from Sandoval after the scandal, but there’s no way these two won’t buddy up in Season 11. There are already signs that they have rekindled their friendship. For one, Schwartz appeared on Sandoval’s new podcast “Everybody Loves Tom.” Additionally, Sandoval revealed that he and Schwartz’s friendship was “getting better” at BravoCon.
“I feel like it’s definitely gotten better,” he said in an interview. “Obviously, we went through tough times because of me, and he dealt with a lot of residual negativity, and I really appreciate [him] sticking by.”
We think it’s safe to say Schwartz will be an ally for Sandoval in Season 11.
Scheana Shay (Likely)
Scheana Shay was “Team Ariana” in Season 10, but the singer’s recent comments have us wondering if she’ll be a double agent in Season 11. In a sneak peek, Scheana opened up about feeling conflicted about whether to give Sandoval grace.
“Do I just stay Team Ariana and say F Tom forever?” she said in the clip. “Do I try and work towards a path of forgiveness for me personally? Do I try to be his friend again? Is that me being disloyal to her?”
Scheana’s questions in the sneak peek left us with some questions of our own. She seems to have softened towards Sandoval since filming the reunion, which makes us think she may give him a pass in Season 11.
Lala Kent (Middle of the Road)
Lala Kent was the most vocal about her disdain for Sandoval at the Season 10 reunion, so you may be surprised to see her own this list. We didn’t have Lala siding with Sandoval on our Season 11 bingo card, but some of her recent statements have given us pause.
Lala is known for being a loyal friend, so we don’t expect to see her becoming besties with Sandoval in Season 11, but we think her heart has softened about the scandal. In a BravoCon interview with Access Hollywood, Lala urged fans to “pump the breaks” when it comes to piling on Sandoval.
“He’s been paying for quite some time,” she said. “At some point, we have to move on.”
In a separate BravoCon interview, Lala shared that fans may feel torn about Sandoval after watching Season 11.
“I can’t give you too much…I think it’s going to be interesting,” she revealed. “Y’all are going to be torn. Yes, I told you all to go insane on Tom Sandoval, and now I’m telling you to kind of disengage.”
If Lala can go from comparing Sandoval to her ex, Randall Emmett, to urging fans to show compassion for the fallen Bravo star, we’re guessing Season 11 is quite revealing.
Katie Maloney (Unlikely)
Katie Maloney has never been the biggest Sandoval fan. The two were feuding far before Rachel Leviss entered the picture. Though we are doubtful Katie forgives Sandoval based on that alone, there are also some other hints. During a December appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Ariana revealed that Katie has been the most loyal to her of the VPR crew. Katie always rides for her friends, so we’re not surprised she has remained #TeamAriana.
Ariana Madix (Least Likely)
I mean, duh! Ariana has made it clear she wants nothing to do with Sandoval. We don’t imagine a reconciliation between these two is possible at this point, even with Rachel out of the picture. It’s safe to say these exes will not be friends.
TELL US – WOULD YOU FORGIVE SANDOVAL IF YOU WERE IN THE FRIEND GROUP?
