Lala Kent opened up about how Vanderpump Rules season 11 introduced some unexpected firsts for her following Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss‘ cheating scandal.
“You will see a bit of a turn where there’s things that I have maybe needed in the past that I didn’t get because people were like, ‘Oh, she’s got her own back,’” Lala, 32, teased in the Wednesday, July 26, episode of her “Give Them Lala” podcast. “There is a little bit of a twist which I was very, very thankful for. It is just a very interesting environment to be a part of.”
She continued: “There will be a day where the dust settles. People move on. It is the strangest season that we have ever filmed. Usually when we film I am like, ‘I can’t wait until this airs.’ This round I am more, ‘I am going to go do and be and then I will retreat because I am very much in a healing process right now.’”
Lala attempted a new approach when it came to filming with her costars — to mixed results. “It is the first time that I have put my guard down and I immediately regretted it. I did not like it and I felt extremely exposed,” she added.
Earlier this month, the cast of the hit Bravo series started filming season 11 as they dealt with the aftermath of Scandoval. Lala, Sandoval, 41, Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay, James Kennedy and Tom Schwartz have all been spotted filming at various Los Angeles locations including SUR and TomTom.
Lala Kent Todd Williamson /Bravo
Ariana, 38, and Katie, 36, however, opted out of joining their fellow cast members on the Lake Tahoe trip. Raquel, 28, has also been missing from filming after she previously entered a mental health facility. Raquel’s dog, Graham Cracker, did make an appearance when he was reunited with James, 31. The pet’s name has since been changed to Hippie.
Lala isn’t the only cast member who has talked about her onscreen experience in the wake of the cheating scandal. Scheana, 37, for her part, addressed the challenges she has faced so far after sharing several scenes with Sandoval.
(L-R) Season 10 cast Raquel Leviss, Scheana Shay, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Schwartz, Lala Kent, James Kennedy, and Katie Maloney. Tommy Garcia/Bravo
“There was one day [that was] beyond the most emotionally draining day I have ever had in 11 seasons of Vanderpump Rules,” she shared during her Amazon Live on Monday, July 24. “No joke, my eyelashes hurt from how much I cried that day. My contacts were dry and I was congested. I felt weak in every way possible. 11 seasons and that day got me the most.”
Scheana, who is close friends with Ariana, recalled being paired off with Sandoval for a “spiritual meditation” exercise.
“It was very uncomfortable,” she noted, though she called the interaction “good TV” for viewers. “I don’t like what he did to Ariana obviously. Him and I have had a really long friendship so everyone always [says], ‘Oh Scheana the flip-flopper, Scheana needs to have loyalty.’ And losing a friendship of that long has obviously been a struggle.”
