Raquel Quits, the Toms Fight, and More Details About Vanderpump Rules Season 11

Vanderpump Rules Season 10 was unlike any other season of the Bravo reality show so far. Episodes were already airing when the biggest scandal (or as it came to be know, “Scandoval”) the cast had ever seen broke. The affair between Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss led to emergency filming days to capture the aftermath of the news breaking, a clear divide among the cast members, and a record-breaking number of viewers tuning in to see Ariana Madix skillfully tear apart her ex, Sandoval, in the season finale.

It was a thrilling season of TV that kept more people glued to the show than ever, but now that everything's out in the open and has been properly addressed in an Andy Cohen-led three-part reunion it has us wondering, what’s next?

There have been rumors and speculation about which cast members are returning and which aren’t, and who will and will not film together. Social media sleuths started spotting the VPR cameras up in Los Angeles and Lake Tahoe in July 2023, and the stars of the show are dropping hints on their own Instagram pages and podcasts about what to expect from Season 11.

Because more and more people are keeping up with the real-time comings and goings of the cast, Ariana, Tom, and Raquel in particular, there may be few surprises when Season 11 airs. Not only is the cast’s every move seemingly being tracked and reported on via TikToks, Reddit threads, and entertainment sites, but it’s also unlikely that any bombshells with the same impact as Scandoval will be dropped any time soon. After such a high-stakes season filled with genuine surprises, it’s possible that Season 11 will be a major letdown. But already, there are some juicy details to keep us interested. Here’s what we know so far.

Are Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss returning to Vanderpump Rules Season 11?

On July 6, Tom Sandoval was spotted filming with Lisa Vanderpump and has been seen filming with other members of the cast since then. Despite his supposed persona non grata status among the group, he still seems to be popping up everywhere they are for major events, like Pump’s closing. Sandoval did take a break to compete in Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, alongside Tara Reid and Brian Austin Green, but on September 13, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he decided to return for Season 11 precisely because it would be "hard." He then went on about how much filming "sucked": 

Oh my god, it was not fun. It was very isolating and hard. It’s going to be a very unique season. It wasn’t easy for a lot of people because there’s a lot of pressure from the public, not just on me but on other people, so it’s like if anyone is seen talking to me they get backlash. So, it’s tough.

According to a July 18 interview with Vanderpump Rules showrunner Alex Baskin, Sandoval and Madix are still living together and filming together, which means we may get some repeats of the volatile scene the two shared in the Season 10 finale. How many more times can Madix tell Sandoval that’s he’s nothing in his own kitchen?

On an August 16 episode of Bethenny Frankel's podcast ReWives, Raquel Leviss said that she "almost went back" to the series for Season 11, implying that she is no longer part of the cast. This aligned with reports that she has yet to be filming with the rest of the cast, and on August 6 TMZ reported that cast members are speculating that she might not. It does, however, dispute an earlier TMZ report that Leviss will be returning to Season 11 whether she likes it or not — her Season 10 contract reportedly binds her to Season 11.  

Still, she has gotten herself wrapped up in another scandal, this one dubbed “puppygate,” revolving around Graham Cracker, the dog she once shared with her ex, James Kennedy. Kennedy is now once again in possession of Graham Cracker after Leviss’ mother sent the dog to the California Doodle Rescue. Graham allegedly bit Leviss’ mother and a trainer, and they saw it as the “best option.” Eventually Kennedy was given custody of the dog, and promised to take care of him “forever” in an Instagram post documenting the reunion.

Who is in the Vanderpump Rules Season 11 cast?

Almost everyone else from Season 10’s main cast is slated to return: Madix, Kennedy, Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz, Scheana Shay, Brock Davies, Lala Kent, Ally Lewber, and Lisa Vanderpump. The one notable exception is Charli Burnett, who told US Weekly in June 2023 that she anticipated filming to be “very, very weird and really stressful,” and she didn’t know if she wanted to put herself in that environment. It hasn’t been officially confirmed that she left the show, but so far, she hasn’t been seen filming with the cast.

It’s possible that there will be even less of Vanderpump on her namesake show this season. She already proved herself to be obsolete on Season 10, and now she has a new series and set of employees to focus on with Vanderpump Villa. The Hulu series is set in France, taking Vanderpump away from Los Angeles, though it hasn’t been confirmed when that series will be in production.

So far, there’s been no mention of new people joining the cast, though Baskin has hinted that there may be some more blasts from the past, à la Kristen Doute in the Season 10 finale. “Look, the past cast members are still a part of the group,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “It isn’t like they went away. So, we’re really excited to develop out what that will mean.”

What will Vanderpump Rules Season 11 be about?

So far there are a few major developments in the VPR world that we can assume will be covered in the series. Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant Pump closed on July 5, and it was reported that camera crews captured the last night that the restaurant was open.

While Sandoval is filming with most of the group again, the interactions have been less than friendly. Shay was seen fighting with Sandoval in the alley outside of SUR (where all of Vanderpump Rules’ best fights take place) during one of Kennedy’s DJ sets at the restaurant. In early July, Schwartz was spotted with Sandoval at their restaurant TomTom “hashing out their issues,” according to TMZ. Later that month, Schwartz was supposedly showcasing some “intense” and “agitated” body language while out shopping with Sandoval. Season 11 will likely revolve around Sandoval attempting to get back in the group’s good graces, especially when it comes to his best friend and business partner, Schwartz.

Already Madix has been seen filming at Something About Her, the sandwich shop she owns with Maloney. The shop is slated to open sometime this summer, and the lead up to that opening will be captured by the film crew. It’s just one detail in what will likely be a dominant storyline next season: Madix’s many successes post-breakup.

When will Vanderpump Rules Season 11 premiere?

Baskin confirmed in his interview with The Hollywood Reporter that because of the filming schedule, we won’t see Season 11 until sometime in 2024.

Vanderpump Rules Seasons 1 through 10 are streaming on Peacock. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Brianna Wellen is a TV Reporter at Primetimer who became obsessed with television when her parents let her stay up late to watch E.R.