In preparation for a
trip to Real Housewife Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood SUR (Sexy Unique
Restaurant) last weekend, I watched the three-part season 5 reunion special of Vanderpump Rules, the reality show that
follows the inevitably drama-ridden lives of the restaurant’s employees. Prior
to last week, I knew next to nothing about the show, so I thought the reunion
special would catch me up on the various alliances, grudges, and quotable
moments with Cliffsnotes-style concision. On a set made to look like a swanky
bar, bathed in the same pink-purple light that pervades SUR, the cast flanks
Andy Cohen, roughly divided into two vague cliques, as though the groups might
throw down without Andy there to keep the peace. In the 135-minute special, a
few “surprise” guests make appearances – Lala, the departed (now returned)
actress/singer/entrepreneur, Scheana’s ex-husband Mike, and Stassi’s 12
year-old brother Nikolai, who offers sage advice to the cast members. In the
special’s worst (best?) moment, Andy asks the SUR chefs in clumsy Spanish what
they think of each cast member. The reunion did its job – I felt prepared to
head to SUR with a base-level knowledge of the cast, none of whom were present
during our dinner. I drank the overpriced drinks and ate the infamous pasta,
and enjoyed myself as much as a novice #PumpRules fan possibly could.
This is a wonderful description of the reunion (which I still have to watch). This show strikes me as many other reality TV shows focused on the workplace dramas of beautiful people; we're supposed to believe they work hard at their regular jobs, while at the same time we believe their lives are also made up of fancy brunches and group botox outings. While my taste for reality TV tends to be towards those about the lives of the ultra-rich (Kardashians, Real Housewives...you know the type) I found myself being entranced by the train wreck of Vanderpump Rules.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you and I have been introduced through this show, and thus the experience of SUR. As we discussed over THAT pasta, I found it weird that the restaurant had not leaned into the show more, as I was expecting to see T-shirts and mugs sold at the front, a la Hard Rock Cafe. It seems the show likes to keep making us believe that it is actually following the lives of these people as a fly on the wall, rather than a true intervention on their lives.