What a difference a few weeks makes.
When The Valley premiered on Bravo in March, it seemed poised to be an extension of the Vanderpump Rules franchise that we’d rather forget.
Through five episodes, it’s blossomed into one of Bravo’s messiest series, thanks to fresh storylines and a cast willing to go to great lengths to deliver good TV.
Who would have thought bringing Kristen Doute back as the resident pot stirrer would deliver good TV? Not us, but here we are, eating our words after speaking badly about the show following its premiere.
When the show first premiered, it seemed we were in for another season of Jax Taylor terrorizing his cast members, as he did during his eight seasons as a regular on Vanderpump Rules.
Despite his flaws, he’s not been as ghastly as expected because this show has many new cast members to keep things fresh and exciting.
The Valley cast is messy
We’ve already had Doute on the outs with her co-stars for repeating allegations about Michelle Lally.
Michelle’s husband, Jesse Lally, is also shaping up to be one of the year’s most annoying reality TV personalities. However, his willingness to fly off the handle gives the show moments of authenticity.
With Jesse, it doesn’t seem like he’s aware the cameras are following his every move, similar to how the original stars of Vanderpump Rules came across before they started curating themselves.
For that reason alone, the show shouldn’t bring in any more cast members from Vanderpump Rules because everything on The Valley is more authentic — for now.
If their recent house purchases are to be believed, Lala Kent and Scheana Shay are seemingly lobbying for roles on the show. They’re also seemingly going toe-to-toe with all of their female co-stars during the current season of the Bravo hit.
All of the above suggests that they’re preparing to move to the spinoff if the opportunity presents itself.
The Valley cast is willing to go low to deliver good TV
The thing going for The Valley is that most of the cast are unknowns, and people like Janet Caperna are seemingly waiting to pop off when the opportunity presents itself.
Adding more seasoned reality TV veterans to the mix would rock a dynamic that already works. If the rumors are true and Vanderpump Rules is ending, let that cast disappear into oblivion.
Vanderpump Rules almost got canceled pre-Scandoval because the show could not refresh its cast and remove those no longer working at SUR.
If The Valley starts bringing in more Vanderpump Rules castoffs, then there’s a high probability it will fall apart before our very eyes.
The Valley airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo. Stream Season 1 on Peacock.