When it comes to many reality TV shows, there's usually a specified "villain" in a given season. Sometimes it’s far-fetched and overproduced, like how the last season of RHOBH attempted to turn fans against Heather DeBrow but only made people like her more). Then, at other times, there are events to back up the moniker, like Tom Sandoval’s spiral into villain-hood last season on Vanderpump Rules when he cheated on his girlfriend Ariana Madix with her best friend. While it seemed like Sandoval would retain his reign as the villain on the hit Bravo series for Season 11, fans are starting to think that Lala Kent might be taking over that post.
While only two new episodes have aired so far, fans have already started speculating online about Lala Kent's supposed villainous turn. It wouldn’t be the first time the TV personality found herself on the wrong side of the equation, having previously been the antagonist when she originally joined the series. Since then, she’s put in major work to become friends with a majority of her cast members, but all of that may be for not if she continues on the path she’s traveling down.
Vanderpump Rules fans might have mixed feelings about Season 11, but one point they seem to be in agreement on is that the media personality is definitely in the running to take over Scandoval’s reign. Let's talk about why that is.
Lala Kent Reached Out To Ousted Cast Member Raquel Leviss
Lala Kent has always made it clear that she’s never been a fan of Raquel Leviss. The two were constantly at odds when the former was dating James Kennedy, and the situation didn’t get much better when they broke off their engagement. When the “Scandoval” news broke, Kent was a fierce advocate for Ariana Madix and laid into Leviss during the tumultuous reunion.
However, three months after filming wrapped on Season 10, the Give Them Lala podcast host, seems to be singing a different tune. The first episode of Season 11 featured the single mom speaking with Lisa Vanderpump about her remorse for how harshly she and the others treated the former cast member. She went as far as saying that she sympathized with her because she knows what it’s like to be labeled a mistress. After the conversation, Kent took things a step farther and left her ex-co-star a voicemail apologizing and encouraging her to reach out if she wanted to talk.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Lala Kent even defended Raquel Leviss' actions to Ariana Madix and their other friends, by trying to equate her own relationship missteps to Leviss'. Of course, the ladies weren’t having it and neither were the fans who were left confused as they watched Kent have a total change of heart regarding Leviss.
She Critizied Ariana’s Inability To Move On
In addition to supporting the woman who slept with her best friend’s life partner of nearly a decade, the media personality also had fans questioning her loyalties to Ariana Madix in the second episode of the season. During a one-on-one lunch date, she began to question why Madix is making things more difficult for herself by not moving out of the house she owns with her ex.
On top of that, she also disagrees with Ariana Madix's belief that she has the power to control what Tom Sandoval does at their house and who gets to interact with him in their friend group. Admittedly, that's interesting coming from the woman who was ready to commit crimes against anyone who even looked in the direction of her ex-husband, Randall Emmett, who she broke up with after he cheated on her.
There’s An Unsavory Quote In The Trailer That Has Fans On Edge
Even before all of this was revealed, fans were worried about where Lala Kent was going to fall in the Ariana/Tom split. At the end of the Season 11 trailer (which is on YouTube), she has a conversation with Scheana Shay and says:
I have never experienced someone who gets cheated on and suddenly, she becomes God.
While it’s not a mean statement at face value, Lala Kent’s delivery and the fact that she has already begun to move away from Ariana Madix has many fearing that this could signal that she’s about to switch sides. Loyal fans of Vanderpump Rules probably won’t be too surprised by the sudden shift though since Kent has always towed the line on whether or not she’s a “girls-girl.”
With only two seasons currently on air, there’s still time for her to redeem herself and be the ally most fans are rooting for her to become. Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure, you won’t want to miss a second of the drama. Catch brand new episodes of the hit series on Bravo every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Those installments are also available the next day with an active Peacock subscription.
