Who would’ve thought Lisa Vanderpump‘s drama-loving pack of employees would make for such good TV?
Following the 59-year-old’s individual success on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Bravo took a chance and started documenting the day-to-day lives of the wait staff who worked at her restaurant, SUR — which stands for Sexy Unique Restaurant. And thus, in 2013, Vanderpump Rules was born!
Related: ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Stars Stassi & Brittany Clap Back At Body-Shaming Trolls!
As you’ll find at most trendy eateries in Los Angeles, the bartenders and servers are as attractive as they are ambitious, and Lisa’s crew was no different! Ever since the show really took off in recent years, its cast went from struggling models, actors, and musicians to bonafide stars in their own right. Say what you want about reality TV, but the publicity it brings doesn’t always hurt.
With season 8 already bringing the drama, featuring more juicy storylines and new faces than ever before, we thought now would be a good time as any to revisit the OG cast’s humble beginnings and see where they are now!
Ch-ch-check out our list, (below):
Stassi Schroeder
Stassi Schroeder was one of the main cast members and a self-proclaimed Queen Bee from the very beginning!
When the show first started, Stassi managed her position at the restaurant while also working as a style critic for Pandora Todd‘s fashion blog. Dreams of making it big as model and actress in Hollywood motivated her hustle — and thanks to two previous reality TV stints on CBS‘ The Amazing Race in 2005 and USA Networks‘ Queen Bees in 2008, she got a pretty good head start on that venture well before appearing on VPR.
The 31-year-old, born Natassia Bianca Schroeder, was in a serious relationship with co-star Jax Taylor at the beginning of the series, but briefly quit her position at SUR (and filming altogether) when the pair broke up for good at the end of season 2. By S4, she was regularly back on our screens and once again immersed in the interpersonal drama of her friends and co-workers.
Now, the sassy TV personality is a New York Times best-selling author, podcast host, partial owner of a wine label, and star of her own digital spinoff series, Basically Stassi. She also created her very own holiday celebrated on June 30 called #NationalOOTD. After dating Patrick Meagher for the better half of season 6, Schroeder is now happily engaged to her fiancé and recurring guest star, Beau Clark, pictured (above).
On June 9, 2020, Stassi was fired from the series along with Kristen Doute after former recurring star Faith Stowers came forward with accusations against both ladies that they had falsely reported her to the police for a theft crime she did not commit. Following Stowers’ story coming to light, the fallout was intense for Schroeder, who had multiple brands, as well as her agency and PR representatives sever ties with her.
Scheana Marie
Scheana Marie spent time as an actress/singer by day and a server by night at Villa Blanca before she moved over to SUR and joined the official Vanderpump crew. The starlet also made small appearances on TV shows including Greek, Jonas, Victorious, and 90210.
The 34-year-old was no stranger to courting controversy as proven by her public, messy affair with married actor Eddie Cibrian in 2006. By the time she joined the show, her contentious past and ongoing conflict with RHOBH star Brandi Glanville (Eddie’s ex) served as her introduction in season 1.
Scheana’s early plot-lines largely focused on the sticky drama she’d occasionally start among the group of pals and her revolving door of romantic suitors. She married her former flame Michael Shay in July 2014, but the union was short-lived as the pair separated in 2016 and finalized their divorce a year later. In season 7, viewers saw Scheana explore a friends-with-benefits situation with house bartender, Adam Scott.
In 2018, she starred in a stage show called Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man in Las Vegas for several months. Currently, Scheana hosts a weekly podcast called Scheananigans With Scheana Shay and is dating Brock Davies, a professional rugby player and gym owner originally from Australia.
Jax Taylor
Jax Taylor probably should’ve been cast on Jersey Shore with the kind of dramatic energy he brings to VPR.
Long before he joined the reality TV world, the 40-year-old was an aspiring model, originally from Michigan who went by the name Jason Cauchi. Early in his career, he dropped out of Michigan State University to join the Navy but only served for six months. When modeling began to take off, Jax moved to New York City and later, Los Angeles, where he financed his hustle by working at SUR on the side. The feisty bartender was two years deep in a relationship with Stassi when we first met him on episode 1.
Jax ended up ruined things with Schroeder by cheating. What followed that tumultuous breakup was a series of casual flings before Jax met Brittany Cartwright and seemed to finally settle down. Despite the fact that he was unfaithful to her, too, the pair recently exchanged vows in June 2019. They also enjoyed a brief reality TV spinoff called Vanderpump Rules: Jax and Brittany Take Kentucky.
Taylor is known to start his fair share of controversy among coworkers and even recently picked a bone with Perez, too! He is currently a part investor in a cocktail mixer line called Just Add X.
Brittany Cartwright
Brittany Cartwright was a sweet Southern belle who moved all the way from Kentucky to LA to be with her boyfriend Jax she was introduced in season 4. After the tenured bartender’s feeble attempt to get his girl a job at SUR failed, she worked at Hooters to support herself in the meantime.
As viewers know, Lisa went on to hire Brittany and she eventually settled into her role with the cast. She’s often referred to as the show’s moral compass and is seemingly everyone’s best friend. When Brit and Jax tied the knot in 2019, almost the entire cast served in their wedding party.
The 30-year-old has yet to parlay her relatively short TV career into a podcast, book deal, or something greater like many of her co-stars. But in season 7, the starlet crafted a homemade beer cheese dip recipe inspired by her grandmother and plans to sell it for mass consumption in the near future.
James Kennedy
Oh, James Kennedy. The self-proclaimed “white Kanye West” joined the show during its third season as Kristen’s rebound following a bad breakup — and VPR has never been the same since!
Kennedy was an ambitious sweet talker who seemed to show a lot of promise by quickly moving up from a busser to the eatery’s resident DJ. James’ weekly party set called “See You Next Tuesday” regularly drew large crowds and consistent revenue for Vanderpump’s brand. But unfortunately, his unsavory reputation for abusing alcohol and starting countless fights with his peers forced Lisa to finally let him go. The decision was ultimately decided after the 26-year-old got drunk and fat-shamed Katie Maloney-Schwartz at Gay Pride last summer.
Despite the firing, James still appears on Pump Rules and even spins at his old stomping grounds from time to time. Recent social media posts suggest he is still booked and busy DJing at other night clubs around the country. He currently lives with his longtime girlfriend, Raquel Leviss, who recently became a server at SUR.
Raquel Leviss
Raquel Leviss was a student at Sonoma State University and frequently competed in beauty pageants back when she started a long-distance relationship with James in season 5. Much like Brittany, she desperately wanted a full-time gig working with Lisa’s crew.
The 25-year-old didn’t exactly receive the warmest welcome from her female co-stars, who often directed their day-to-day frustrations with Kennedy to her. Much to the ladies’ chagrin, the mild-mannered brunette would loyally defend her man through every problematic situation without hesitation. It was announced during the latest Bravo reunion special that Raquel would return for season 8 as an official member of the wait staff.
Lala Kent
Lala Kent made a name for herself as the no-nonsense, outspoken, and passionate personality from the very start! The starlet struggled to fit in and often bumped heads with her castmates in the early days. Most of her storyline revolved a mystery man she privately dated and their inner circle speculated that Lala’s boo was actually married — hence the desire to keep his identity unknown.
That unnamed suitor turned out to be film producer Randall Emmett and the pair went public with their romance in 2017. By September 2018, they were engaged and have been in full-on wedding planning mode ever since. Their relationship will reportedly be highlighted a bit more during season 8.
The hostess has stepped outside of the restaurant and pursued many jobs within the entertainment industry, starring in feature films like Vault, 10 Minutes Gone, and The Row, and a few music videos, too. Kent is also an aspiring singer! Aside from her two solo tracks released in 2017, she has collaborated with her one-time flame James Kennedy and lent her vocals to their track, Feeling You. Lala also owns her own makeup line called Give Them Lala, and co-hosts a new podcast with her fiancé called Give Them Lala… with Randall Emmett.
Tom Sandoval
Tom Sandoval was an aspiring model from St. Louis prior to landing a gig on Pump Rules in 2013. By the time it aired, he had already been dating server Kristen Doute for four years. However, they split during the second season and Tom then got together with fellow bartender Ariana Madix.
The seasoned mixologist is now business partners with Lisa Vanderpump and husband Ken Todd, and helps run West Hollywood hot spot, Tom Tom. Despite split rumors and the pair’s differing opinions on marriage and kids, Tom and Ariana are still going strong.
Ariana Madix
Ariana Madix was unfortunately introduced as “the other woman” between former flames Kristen Doute and Tom Sandoval at the end of season 2. But before she captured Sandoval’s heart, she worked as an actor and was featured in many CollegeHumor videos from 2009 to 2015. She was also Scheana’s best friend at the time and later, served as one of her bridesmaids at the starlet’s 2014 wedding to Mike Shay.
In 2019, the starlet and her husband released a cocktail recipe book called Fancy AF Cocktails: Drink Recipes from a Couple of Professional Drinkers. Ariana also launched a trendy, sustainable skincare line called Facelixer!
Tom Schwartz
Tom Schwartz went from Katie Maloney‘s boyfriend who would only make brief guest appearances, to one of SUR’s seasoned bartenders and familiar faces by season 3. Tom pursued modeling and acting gigs before joining Lisa’s wait staff and his IMDB page boasts two uncredited stints on True Blood in 2011 and Two And A Half Men in 2013.
Schwartz is now part-owner of the latest Vanderpump business venture and West Hollywood staple, TomTom, along with his BFF Sandoval, Lisa, and her husband Ken Todd. In July 2016, Tom and Katie tied the knot in a fairytale wedding ceremony officiated by their boss, and the two remain as one of VPR‘s strongest couples!
Kristen Doute
Kristen Doute has had quite the journey during her time on Vanderpump Rules!
Kristen was an aspiring actress when she joined the restaurant’s crew and at the time, she seemingly had it all; a tight girl group with Stassi and Katie Maloney-Schwartz as well as a four-year-long relationship with Sandoval. Her social status hit a major speed bump when she and Tom broke up, but she’d go on date to co-star James Kennedy and later, a photographer named Brian Carter for a while. Since their reported split in September 2019, Kristen has been publicly coy about where she and Carter stand today.
Kristen currently runs the t-shirt company James Mae (named after her niece and nephew) and helped launch the Witches of WeHo wine label with Stassi and Katie. Her first book, an autobiographical guide to relationships called He’s Making You Crazy, is slated for release in June 2020.
On June 9, 2020, Kristen was fired from the series along with Stassi after former recurring star Faith Stowers came forward with accusations against both ladies that they had falsely reported her to the police for a theft crime she did not commit. Doute’s book agency, Fuse Literary, cut ties with her in light of the allegation.
Katie Maloney-Schwartz
Katie Maloney-Schwartz is the definition of a Vanderpump Rules OG, having been featured as a main cast member since day one. The Utah native’s rocky friendship with Stassi and Katie as well as her relationship with Tom were well documented through the first few seasons. Before appearing on the show, Katie earned three acting credits for TV appearances on BlackBoxTV in 2010, 2009: A True Story (2008), and Harper’s Globe in 2009.
Fans of the show know Katie and Tom tied the knot in 2016 in a beautiful ceremony officiated by their boss, Lisa. The 33-year-old has since co-founded a beauty, lifestyle, and wellness website called Pucker and Pout. She also helped create and develop the concept for Witches of Weho wine with her gal pals Stassi and Kristen.
Billie Lee
Billie Lee received minimal screen time when she first appeared on Vanderpump Rules in season 6.
However, it wasn’t long before she found her footing! Lee became fast friends with fellow hostess Lala and grew close to gal pals Katie and Scheana. She also climbed up among the ranks and started hosting her own themed party called “Brunch With Billie” on weekends.
But just one year later, the proud transgender SURver seemed to be at odds with a majority of her coworkers! Tensions reached a fever pitch when Billie was allegedly excluded from a scheduled girls’ night at the restaurant because of her gender identity.
The 35-year-old also claimed she was bullied behind closed doors by an unidentified male cast member in a lengthy blog post titled “Two Weeks Notice” published to her website in July. The essay served as Billie’s official exit announcement and the starlet will not be returning for the 8th season. She reportedly has plans to focus on activism and starting a family someday through adoption.
Lisa Vanderpump
Last, but certainly not least, the woman who started it all! Lisa Vanderpump is the proud owner and head of operations at Villa Blanca and SUR, and mastermind behind the whole show. The British restauranteur juggled multiple business ventures along with a full-time gig on RHOBH when VPR was greenlit back in 2013.
OG fans will recall her staunch, business-first approach in earlier seasons and the way she’d swiftly discipline her messy staff to make sure the restaurant was running smoothly. The badass boss is known to incite both fear and respect, and never shies away from speaking her mind!
Over time, Lisa developed deep, personal relationships with many of her employees. She officiated Tom and Katie’s wedding back in 2016 and most recently launched a successful new restaurant concept with Sandoval and Schwartz. In 2019, Vanderpump quit her Real Housewives gig after nine seasons.
Related: Lisa Vanderpump’s Restaurant Wrecked After Car Crashes Through The Front Patio!
Did this list make you feel nostalgic? And are YOU keeping up with all of the recent drama already circulating on season 8? Let us know in the comments (below)!
[Image via DJDM/FayesVision/WENN]
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