The current season of Vanderpump Rules is something, to say the least. If I had to pick some adjectives, I’d probably teeter between “uninspired” and “snoozefest.” The drama between Randall Emmett and Lala Kent off-screen has me more invested. And there was a time that Pump Rules was must-watch TV for me. But since the group stopped working at Sur and started worrying about their on-screen image, it just fell flat. I hate to say this, but I honestly forget every week when it’s on — it’s a total afterthought.
One of the main storylines being peddled on VPR these days is Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz’s next adventure in the bar biz. Honestly, who knows why they’re deciding to go their own route without the guidance (and cash backing) of Lisa Vanderpump, but whatever. The process has been anything but smooth. The pair could barely even decide on a name for the place let alone a mission statement. And the whole thing is even more complicated because Katie Maloney-Schwartz wants in on the project, something Sandoval doesn’t take too kindly.
And in a recent appearance on the #NoFilter with Zach Peter podcast, Sandoval totally threw Katie under the bus about the whole issue. During the most recent episode of Pump Rules, Katie walked away from the bar after getting into yet another argument with Sandoval, while Schwartz stood aside and did not defend his wife (sounds like a pattern). But Sandoval alleges that the whole idea of Katie being involved in the bar was just a way to get more camera time on the show, Daily Mail reports.
Sandoval claims that Katie called him before cameras started rolling on Season 9 to ask if she could tell producers that she’s involved with the bar. Considering, as Sandoval put it, Katie spent the majority of last year building Legos, it sounded like she needed a story. Tom alleges that Katie said, “I just wanted to see if it’s cool if I tell them that I might help out in the office or take some phone calls or maybe help train some staff.” That’s quite a different tune than Katie, who has portrayed as if she’s the third partner in the project.
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Sandoval says he was taken aback by the request, considering the bar was still in its infancy but agreed. “I understand what she was asking,” Sandoval said. “Like, ‘I know you guys are going to be filming and talking about this, and I want to be able to film.” According to Sandy, Pump Rules stars like to be involved in multiple different projects to get more camera time, insinuating that was Katie’s motive.
But once the cameras started rolling, Katie began weighing in on major decisions about the restaurant, catching Sandoval off guard. “I’m like, ‘You just asked me if I could somehow get you to film with me and now you’re like wanting to name the place!’ That’s kind of ballsy,” he said. Now that Stassi Schroeder is gone for good, Katie clearly needed something else to keep her relevant on the show.
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Schwartz hasn’t ever been good at defending his wife, as he’s a bit of a pushover. Like, I love Schwartzy, he’s funny and authentic. But he needs to be better at supporting Katie, even if she’s just trying to get more camera time. Sandoval added that his BFF warned him that Katie “had it out for him” this season. Who knows if it’s because of Sandoval’s issues with Stassi, or something else. But all I know is that all of this mess isn’t doing anything to make me more excited to tune into Pump Rules each week.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SANDOVAL THROWING KATIE UNDER THE BUS? DO YOU BELIEVE KATIE WANTED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE BAR TO GET MORE CAMERA TIME?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]