The ninth season of Vanderpump Rules got under way this week, and alas, it seems the show has prematurely entered the Jersey Shore Family Vacation portion of its tenure.
What we mean to say is that it looks as though producers are under the impression that viewers will continue to tune in out of affection for the remaining cast members, despite the fact that we clearly won’t be seeing any more of the bonkers drama that made the series a hit in the first place.
Jax Taylor has been fired; Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute were let go long ago …
Hell, even those newbies who were awkwardly crammed into the cast last season have been sh-tcanned.
And a lot of fans felt that the addition of Brett, Max, and Chad was a sign that the Vanderpump glory days had come to an end.
(That was a test to see if you remembered any of the SUR rookies. There was no Chad!)
Anyway, the few remaining SURvivors are doing their best to bring the drama, but it’s clear that we’ll never again enjoy a sight so majestic as Jax starting a fist fight while wearing a cardigan he designed himself, or Stassi planting a vicious backhand in the face of an unsuspecting Kristen.
That’s not to say there’s no drama at all, of course.
The feud between Lala Kent and Brock Davies, for example, has the potential to develop into something semi-interesting.
In case you’re unaware, Brock is Scheana Shay’s fiance, and while we haven’t seen enough of the guy to form any opinion on his personality, we imagine he can mount a flatscreen TV on the wall in 4 seconds flat.
Scheana and Brock welcomed a child in April — the first for her, the third for him.
Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with the fact that Brock has kids from a previous relationship, but according to Lala, Davies is a deadbeat dad who hasn’t seen his kids in four years.
“Brock has two kids,” Kent told Katie Maloney in the Vanderpump Rules Season 9 trailer, which premiered earlier this month.
“He hasn’t spoken to them in four years.”
The subject has not been broached on the show yet, but it seems Brock decided to get in front of this controversy by addressing Lala’s claims.
And shockingly, the guy confirmed this week that they’re true!
“Those are my kids and their life was private and they didn’t decide to date Scheana. I did,” Brock said.
“It’s been said and it’s out there and I knew it was coming, so I just got to embrace that one.”
You might have noticed that Brock didn’t deny the rumors, which means the Vanderpump fan base probably won’t be particularly nice to him this season.
“I told my troops through the season I had to step up to the plate, know I have a past, and if I could change it, I would,” Davies continued.
“But at the same time, we’re here and I got to make sure I do the right things going forward.”
One episode of a Bravo reality show and this guy is already talking about his “troops.” We can’t!
Brock added that he’s in a “different place” in his life these days, and he stated that going forward, he’s “done the right thing.”
“Obviously not my proudest moments, but it’s a part of my life,” Davies concluded.
So … Brock admits that he went several years without seeing his kids, but he also says that was a long time ago.
But he also lives in LA, and his kids live in Australia, and Covid has made travel between those two locations impossible.
So has Brock actually seen his kids lately, or is he just asking us to take us at his word that he’s totally planning to see them sometime soon?
This has the potential to be one of the messiest situations in the history of Vanderpump, which is really, really saying something!