'Vanderpump Rules,' Post-Scandal: Showrunners Talk Shooting for Season 11

Lisa Vanderpump Pu and Tom Sandoval. Nicole Weingart/Bravo

season11 reunite for the highest-rated Bravo TV show in nearly a decade, produced from start. Executive producer and showrunner Alex Baskin is used to the drudgery. In March, when news broke that original cast member Tom Sandoval had cheated on longtime co-star Ariana Madix with fellow cast member Raquel Leviss , the cameras filmed another season in a few hours. As interest in Scandoval remains high, showrunners and THR about returning casts, contracts, and the benefits of the long drought between episodes.

Is the plan always to resume filming so quickly?

We are sticking to our normal, rather aggressive schedule, rather than rushing return. The challenge is that there is always a lot of business that needs to be done before going into production. Contract negotiation. The lives of the group we focus on remain precarious. When I go into a season, I’ve never felt so uneasy about where I am at the end of a few months.

I guess these negotiations involve who wants to shoot with whom some discussions. Did anyone ask for a guarantee before signing?

We always deal with resistance if: due to Relations are tense and the parties are reluctant to shoot at each other. Obviously, this is a more extreme case. But I want to hasten to point out that Ariana and Tom Sandoval are still living together. The idea that they won’t be filming together is a little hard to digest. They are in the same home.

Any updates on Raquel? I hear she is currently unsigned for this season .

those ongoing conversations. I think there will be an update soon. However, we are still in dialogue with her at the moment.

Paparazzi now, on a level you’ve never dealt with before Come follow this cast. Is this a problem?

We face a lot of outside influence and coverage is being done. Actors need to focus and let all of this pass because we don’t want to get to where we’re covering the show. We’re hoping it’ll calm down, but there’s still a sense of hysteria surrounding it.

Tom Sandoval filmed a TV season while secretly cheating on Ariana Ariana Madix (right) and Raquel Lewis (left). Nicole Weingart/Bravo

There are reports that the former cast member will either return for the main series or the spinoff drama. Where are you?

Look, the actors from the past are still part of the group. They haven’t disappeared. So we’re really excited to figure out what that means. In addition to the Vanderpump rule , also Additional opportunities to see expanded friend groups .

Due to your filming schedule, the show may have to wait until 2021 will rebroadcast. Do you suffer if you don’t strike while the iron is hot?

I have mixed feelings. I’d love to take advantage of that, but it’s really stressful making these shows. It takes a little time for those involved both in front of the camera and behind the camera. You can’t make and broadcast shows all the time. In six months, we’ll be dropping a new season. Just make the audience miss you a little bit.

How are you doing? It’s been a busy year.

I’m still standing. (laugh .) Lots of fun. too crazy. It’s an adventure that unfolds. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s why I got into this industry in the first place – to be able to make programming that people are passionate about. It was a challenge and a thrill to be in the center of it all and trying to bring it all together.

I realize you’ve locked most of When this came to light— —But, in retrospect, are you shocked by how much foreshadowing there was in the final cut?

Well, first of all, I feel like a complete idiot. It was so obvious in hindsight. I can’t believe the audacity of some situations. It happened right in front of us. Our job is to be skeptical, to document, to ask questions and to inquire. Then we have to let it play out in front of us without judgment on our part. This is exactly what happened. We really don’t know until Ariana does. But in retrospect, everything is indeed obvious.

Do you think you’ve revealed the extent of the deceit?

I’m sure we don’t know everything – apparently, that’s why re Poly ends with a twist – but I think we have to move on. The show is never set in stone, and we’d disappoint viewers if we just started investigating. Everyone is trying to get on with their lives. If this happens again, then it will.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

This story first appeared in July Issue 1 of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.