The upcoming 12th season of Vanderpump Rules could be its last due to salary disputes and seemingly unresolvable conflicts among various cast members.
Sources tell DailyMail.com that producers have even started auditioning fresh faces to potentially replace the current cast if needed.
‘They’re still negotiating with a few stars who are holding out for more money and are unwilling to compromise,’ said one source.
Another source told DailyMail.com the 12th season may end up being a ‘farewell season’ if the cast can’t come back together and rebuild their friendships in an authentic way.
‘There’s so many issues between various cast members and it’s no longer an organic group of friends that want to hang out with each other,’ the insider explained.
‘In the past they’ve been able to come back from some of the worst fights imaginable so there’s still hope that they can all move forward and have a fresh start,’ they continued.
‘Nothing has been decided yet as far as the future of the show, but it can’t continue this way so things are definitely going to change,’ they continued.
Another source close to production confirmed that conversations around casting and the future of the series ‘are still ongoing’ but a decision will be made soon.
As a result, some of the new waiters at Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant SUR are ‘desperate’ to get cast on the hit series amid a potential shakeup.
When season 11 of Vanderpump Rules finished airing in May, Ariana Madix was still refusing to interact with ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval and wanted little to do with his best friend and business partner Tom Schwartz.
Ariana also fell out with former besties Scheana Shay and Lala Kent, instead becoming much closer to Katie Maloney.
To show her loyalty to Ariana – who she owns the Something About Her sandwich shop with – Katie then ended up feuding with Scheana and Lala.
With friendships on the rocks and the series still on hiatus, the cast have all started seeking out other work opportunities.
Lala and Scheana both joined the upcoming second season of The Valley, which already stars many of their former Vanderpump Rules co-stars like Jax Taylor and Kristen Doute.
There were originally no plans to bring the pair over to the popular spin-off, but they were both offered lucrative, last-minute contracts when it became clear that Vanderpump Rules wouldn’t film this year.
Tom Sandoval has also teased a potential move to The Valley, according to TMZ, after making amends with former best friend Jax.
Meanwhile, James Kennedy is focused on his DJ career and even landed a residency in Las Vegas over the summer.
Ariana has of course had the most successful year out of anybody on the cast, most notably bringing in record ratings for Peacock’s Love Island after replacing Sarah Hyland as host.
She also hosted Emmys coverage for E! and appeared on Broadway and on Dancing With The Stars.
Lisa Vanderpump has also shifted focus away from Bravo and over to rival network Hulu, where her new series Vanderpump Villa is gearing up for its second season.
The 64-year-old also just dropped $5 million on a new home in Las Vegas, so she can spend more time in Sin City to focus on opening more venues on the Strip.
And with the show on ice, even cheating villain Rachel Leviss announced on Thursday that she was ending her Vanderpump Rules recap podcast in order to focus on ventures outside of the Bravo series.
Back in May, Vanderpump Rules’ executive producer Alex Baskin confirmed that the series was going on hiatus to give the cast a chance to ‘regroup’ following the Scandoval affair.
‘We thought the break was the right way to go. It’s clear that everyone needs time to reset,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter.
‘I think we’re going to take a full look at what the group looks like in a period of time and figure out what we want to do next.
‘And that may mean that certain people have to make decisions as well. We don’t want anyone to do the show if it doesn’t make sense for where they are now.’
As VPR ‘typically’ films in early July, Baskin noted that they’d have to begin pre-production in June in order to make their usual schedule.
‘And I don’t think that would be great,’ he said. ‘I don’t think that would have been enough time.
‘So I think we as a show will gather ourselves and look at what we want to do, and that will be informed by what everyone individually wants to do. And then we’ll figure out what the path is going forward,’ he added.