It might sound silly to some but watching reality television is perhaps one of the best pastimes to undertake during a global pandemic. The petty squabbles and cheating dramas honestly make for a great distraction during a serious time. Which is why inquiring minds want to know when exactly Vanderpump Rules is going to start filming again. And according to the show's executive producer and namesake, Lisa Vanderpump, there is news on that front.
Vanderpump Rules follows the personal and professional lives of the wait staff at several of Lisa Vanderpump's restaurants, including PUMP, Tom Tom and Sur. But with the pandemic and quarantine rules, production of the reality show has been consistently delayed despite other shows on the network moving forward. Vanderpump has indicated that filming will only resume on one major condition. She told E!:
I think a lot of people want that show back because in the restaurant business there's always a smorgasbord of stories and relationships and there's a lot of the original cast. We want the restaurant to be back to at least 50 percent capacity before.
Lisa Vanderpump's restaurants, like many others, have taken a significant hit from being shut down. This trouble is compounded by the several lawsuits she's has had to contend with in recent months. It was reported only last week that PUMP was shut down by the California Franchise Tax Board, presumably for unpaid taxes or fines. Vanderpump's restaurants were also sued for alleged unpaid produce, and Vanderpump herself is facing a class action lawsuit from former restaurant employees for things like unpaid overtime and altering timesheets.
Despite the legal drama, though, the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has plans to restore her restaurants to their former glory. She told E! that both PUMP and Sur are opening again and that plans are underway to fully reopen TomTom, if the capacity can increase there as well. She said:
I think we're moving quickly in the right direction and everybody will be vaccinated in the next few weeks. I think it's in the beginning of May or something so it's only like six weeks away. But we're opening Pump and that's got probably the biggest garden in L.A. …It's been hard trying to sustain these restaurants. A lot of our friends in the restaurant business have called it a day, we're still in there.
With this progress, fingers are crossed that Vanderpump Rules will begin filming for Season 9 soon. Mama needs her soaps, so to speak. With all the main girls still remaining on the show being pregnant or recently having given birth, it would be the mommy brigade season, and we can’t miss that.
In the meantime, fans will have to settle for Lisa Vanderpump getting hilariously drunk and trolled every on her new show, Overserved with Lisa Vanderpump. You can check out the fun series Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on E!.
