Scheana Shay Claims ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Producer Warned Show Would Be Canceled

TV

By Sarah Whitman

While the future of “Vanderpump Rules” remains uncertain, Scheana Shay claimed that executive producer Alex Baskin warned the cast that the show would be canceled.

“I know Alex Baskin said that halfway through the season the show wasn’t in a good place,” the reality star, 39, said on Friday’s episode of his podcast. Scheananigans.”

“It was, you know, ‘X, Y and Z have to happen. Or we’re going to have a short season and the show is going to be canceled and that’s it. Go live your life.’

Shay noted that the bleak outlook put “a lot of pressure” on her and Lala Kent to deliver quality content.

“Well, we don’t want the show to be canceled,” she explained. “Not just for us and our families, but there’s a crew of 80 to 100 people working on this show.”

“And I said that in the meeting – which you didn’t see – but I was like, ‘I feel like we’re doing our job for all these people as well. We want this to continue.

The former SURver slammed Ariana Madix for leaving a group event during the season finale because she didn’t want to film with her ex, Tom Sandoval.

“And so when someone leaves, they don’t care if the show ends, it’s not just about us,” Shay commented. “There are so many more people relying on that, and that’s where it got really difficult because I’m like, I understand and respect your boundaries, but that made it really difficult.”

Shay and Kent, 38, were heavily criticized by fans for pressuring Madix, 39, to film with Sandoval, 41, months after breaking her heart by cheating on her with their former co -star, Raquel Leviss.

During the season 11 reunion, which aired earlier this month, the new host of “Love Island USA” defended herself from moving away. “Wasn’t that a better end to your season than giving you another season for another paycheck?” “” she argued with Kent.

She doubled down on the Vanderpump Rules Season 11 aftershow when a producer asked her: What would you say to those who might criticize you for walking away at that time?

“I would encourage that person to read my contract and find out at any point where I am required to do something that I don’t consider real or that I don’t want to do,” she responded.

During her “Scheananigans” podcast, Shay said she could sympathize with both sides.

“I always see both sides. I totally understand Lala (pressuring Madix to film with Sandoval),” she noted.

“Then I also understand that Ariana is like, ‘But this isn’t real and we’re supposed to film our real lives.'”

“So there are two things that can be true at the same time,” she continued. “And seeing her hold on, I’m like, ‘OK, respect. You didn’t give in and you maintained your boundaries.

Overall, Shay said the most frustrating part of the season was feeling like everyone “had to walk on eggshells” between Madix’s heartbreak and giving the producers enough juicy images to piece together a successful season.

An insider told Page Six in April that “VPR” was being put on hiatus before moving on to a potential season 12 so everyone could “decompress after two very difficult and intense seasons.”

They added: “The cast is looking forward to a break from filming the show.”

Bravo honcho Andy Cohen didn’t seem too concerned about the news that “Vanderpump Rules” was taking a break from talking about the show in May.

“We did this all the time with the ‘Housewives,’” he explained. “We’d say, ‘You know what, let’s put the cameras aside for four or five months and come back to it.’ » »

“And they will have lived their lives and things will be different.”