Well, we have good news and bad news for Vanderpump Rules fans.
The good news is, the show will be returning to Bravo for a ninth season.
The bad news is, it will look very, very different from what you’re accustomed to.
Don’t get us wrong, we’re sure there will still be plenty of tipsiness at TomTom and slurring at SUR, but this year’s cast of hard-partiers will not be the same group that made the show a surprise hit back in 2011.
As you’ll likely recall, Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute were fired from Vanderpump Rules last year after it was revealed that they engaged in what appeared to be racially-motivated harassment of a Black co-star, Faith Stowers.
When fans — and Faith herself — pointed out that he had engaged in similarly abhorrent behavior, Jax Taylor was also fired, as was his wife, Brittany Cartwright.
Newcomers Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were also let go from the show amid race scandals of their own, but since they barely lasted a single season, those dismissals didn’t make much news.
So that’s six cast members who were given the boot in response to highly problematic behavior.
Add to that the fact that Covid-19 shut down every restaurant in Los Angeles, making it impossible to film the service industry-oriented series, and it’s not hard to see why so many fans assumed Vanderpump was never coming back.
So who will be returning for Vanderpump Rules Season 9?
Well, thankfully, the show has accrued a massive cast over the years, so even though the most dramatic SUR-vers were forced to clock out early, there will still be plenty of young(-ish) talent to make bad decisions on the streets of West Hollywood this season.
Obviously, Lisa Vanderpump will be returning to her namesake series, along with her husband, Silent Ken, and whatever tiny dog she’s toting around these days.
The Toms — Sandoval and Schwartz — will be coming back, as will their significant others, Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney, respectively.
Lala Kent will be back in the mix, as will the irreplaceable DJ James Kennedy.
No word yet on whether Lala’s fiancee, Randall Emmett, will be making any more appearances, but considering he just recently embarked on a film directing career, we wouldn’t be surprised if he chooses to distance himself from this problematic franchise.
Newcomer Dayna Kathan recently announced that she will be leaving Vanderpump, presumably in order to focus on her career in standup comedy.
"It was a tough decision for me but ultimately the right one," Kathan recently told E!.
"I’m grateful for the experience and wish everyone on the show all the best!"
Most importantly, Scheana Shay — the woman whose affair with Eddie Cibrian sparked the idea for Vanderpump — will be returning to the show that made her famous.
Currently, Scheana is pregnant with her first child, and she’s expected to give birth any day now.
So the Vanderpump shooting schedule will likely be delayed a few weeks, in order to grant Scheana some time to recover.
But the upshot of all this is that Bravo’s most controversial series will be returning to the network for at least one last season.
Yes, things will be very different without Jax Taylor and company.
But maybe that’s not such a bad thing.