Lisa Vanderpump will SURve up a dose of reality to one of her employees.
The Vanderpump Rules star shared insight into what viewers can expect from the show’s rebooted 12th season, with her revealing someone on her staff won’t last two episodes before getting fired from her restaurant. And for Lisa, it takes a lot for her to actually let someone go.
“I am a great believer in giving people—even friends—second chances,” she exclusively told E! News Will Marfuggi. “People f--k up. That's the nature of the beast.”
The 65-year-old noted that if a new employee “screwed up” on their first or second day, she would fire them if she saw no potential. But her views differ especially when it comes to longtime employees.
“When people have been here, like Marcus [Johnson] has been here for quite a few years,” she continued, “if he gets it wrong, I'm gonna give him a chance. I’m gonna give them all a chance.”
The restaurateur added that she can be very forgiving for those she believes in, “I see potential in people and they get it wrong, that's OK. You can get it wrong.”
Despite giving second chances, Lisa—who shares children Pandora, 39, and Max, 33, with husband of 43 years Ken Todd—knows that her job as an owner is to provide the best customer experience possible, pointing to her restaurant Wolf being recently voted as one of the top 25 restaurants in the U.S. And while she normally gets “great reviews,” the expectations are slightly different at SUR.
“Here it's an unusual situation,” she explained. “People [are] walking into, arguably—even though it's my reality—it's still a film set.”
However, that doesn’t mean that the cast isn’t doing an actual job at the restaurant.
“They're really working here,” The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum said. “And we'll document it all.”
And when it comes to season 12, the reality star was thrilled that they were taking Vanderpump Rules “back to grassroots” with a new cast. (Fear not, though, many VPR alums are still making waves on Bravo over at The Valley.)
“It’s these young people living in Hollywood, trying to get it right, but for some part, definitely getting it wrong,” Lisa shared. “There's a cohesion between this group of people because they've worked together for quite a few years.”
And she was particularly excited about that as she wasn’t just “putting a group of people together” in order to create a show.
“You see the existing relationships,” she added. “But as the song goes, they're living the best days of their life. It's them in their 20s or very early 30s—the carefree kind of attitude to it that we kind of lost in the show of Vanderpump Rules at the end.”
Vanderpump Rules returns Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
Before the new season starts, keep scrolling to meet the new SUR-vers who are ready to dish on the drama.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)
Lisa Vanderpump
This season on Vanderpump Rules, the deep-rooted, dynamic group of friends, frenemies and lovers that have been working for Lisa Vanderpump at SUR for years are shaking things up – from pump-tinis to chaos. Despite new uniforms and a few fresh faces in the mix, the drama remains as messy and complicated as their iconic predecessors.
Demy Selem
Demy Selem has been the manager at SUR for seven years and as the longest standing employee among the group, she knows all the inner workings of the SUR employees. Demy is all business when it comes to her role at the restaurant, but being the boss has an impact on her friendships, especially with Natalie. Can she sip the tea with the crew and also call the shots?
Shayne Davis
Shayne Davis winds up in the center of the drama at SUR, even though he’s the only one of their friends who doesn’t work there. He’s laser-focused on his sobriety, but that doesn't stop him from a night out on the town. Between acting, improv and screenwriting, Shayne’s social calendar is close to capacity, but he always makes time for dating. With one foot in and one foot out of the pool of ladies at SUR, Shayne might just make a splash he’s not ready to clean up.
Venus Binkley
Venus Binkley sees himself as the glue that holds the SUR staff together and the confidant everyone turns to for advice...and the latest gossip. Venus feels out of place in the West Hollywood dating scene, but his friends encourage him to step out of his comfort zone. When he finds himself roped into the drama between Marcus, Kim and Natalie, diplomacy goes out the window and he’s forced to pick sides.
Jason Cohen
Aspiring actor Jason Cohen is a happy-go-lucky server who has charmed everyone at SUR. His infectious personality and good looks have won over a few of the ladies and disarmed many of the men. He works at SUR alongside his cousin Chris and the pair have been attached at the hip since childhood. In between acting classes and shifts at SUR, Jason tries to date a new co-worker, but his attempts backfire.
Chris Hahn
Jason’s cousin Chris Hahn is a bartender at SUR and has been living in Los Angeles for three years. He moved to the city with a dream of becoming an actor, but pivoted to pursue music and views SUR as a steppingstone to larger opportunities. Single and mingling, Chris is looking for a partner and a long-term commitment. When Chris and Audrey start dating, discussions of a future trip cause complications.
Audrey Lingle
Audrey Lingle is all bubbly charm and girl-next-door charisma, making her loved by (almost) everyone on the staff. She’s recently single, chasing new flings and her dream of being on the big screen, but when someone at SUR catches her eye, a certain bad boy might just get the best of her.
Marcus Johnson
Marcus Johnson has been working at SUR for years, but after the loss of his parents, he has been struggling to focus at work and prioritize his relationship with his girlfriend, Kim. Closest to Venus and Shayne, he leans on his friends to help him move forward. Marcus is all about new beginnings and is shifting his energy to his DJ career and social life, but will need to learn if his fresh perspective and newfound career ambitions will strengthen his relationship or strain it.
Kim Suarez
Kim Suarez works at SUR while juggling her aspirations in the entertainment industry and a tumultuous relationship with her boyfriend, Marcus. When others in the group meddle, Kim wonders if her on-again, off-again romance will affect her performance at SUR.
Natalie Maguire
Natalie Maguire has been SUR’s lead bartender for two years and is ready to level up to bar manager, but Lisa may not be on the same page after her recent outburst. Closest in the group to Venus, the two started at SUR on the same day and have been inseparable ever since. Outside of SUR, Natalie is pursuing her pop music career with full force but still makes time for men, making her love life a major source of friction within the group.
Angelica Jensen
Angelica Jensen is the newest addition to SUR’s staff, but immediately makes waves within the group. She set her sights on modeling, acting and…friends Jason and Shayne, but a game of broken telephone threatens their possible connections.