Many fans of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules were stunned in late November when the network announced a full cast reboot for the hit reality series. 

None of the original cast members will be returning – aside from Lisa Vanderpump of course, with production said to begin quite soon.

It seems that even if the show wasn’t rebooted, one of the OG Vanderpump Rules stars – Ariana Madix – was going to walk away from the show anyway.

The news isn’t terribly surprising, given how her longtime boyfriend Tom Sandoval cheated on her with another cast member, Raquel Levis.

Madix has moved on though, taking a role as Roxie Hart in the Broadway revival of Chicago last year and also hosting Love Island USA.

She opened up in a new wide-ranging interview with People about what really lead to Bravo completely recasting the series.

It seems that even if the show wasn’t rebooted, one of the OG Vanderpump Rules stars – Ariana Madix – was going to walk away from the show anyway.

She opened up in a new wide-ranging interview with People about what really lead to Bravo completely recasting the series.

The Season 11 reunion was quite the explosive one, which lead to a production break that in turn lead to months of speculation.

Sources said there were ‘so many fractions’ among the cast that they decided a reboot was inevitable.

An insider claimed, ‘ Everyone was still stuck in their feelings and refusing to bend. The network felt there was no path forward with the group in that capacity.’

Madix said, ‘I don’t think I was ever going to go back to Vanderpump Rules. That’s the first time I’ve ever said that publicly, but I was never going to.’    

‘It just didn’t feel right. Not in any sort of rude way, not in a professional, “We don’t need this,” not in a, “I’m too good for this,” but it just didn’t feel right,’ Madix said.

‘If I did go back, I wouldn’t have been able to do the job that would make a good show. And so it just wasn’t going to make sense, the story didn’t make sense,’ she insisted.

She decided to prioritize her mental health during the production break, admitting she never thought she would have made a good ‘reality star.’

‘I was never really made for reality TV. I don’t think I’ve ever been what makes “a good reality star,”‘ she admitted.

‘I think in some ways that’s what has made me a good reality star. But that being said, I think that a lot of times I got in my head,’ Madix revealed.

She added there were always times where she thought she was too, ‘boring’ or ‘ugly’ to be on the Bravo series.

‘That type of dialogue, I was having it in my head constantly filming nearly every scene, unless maybe I had a glᴀss of wine. That’s just not a good way to be,’ she said.

‘I’ve also learned that maybe that’s not the best setting for me, and it’s not a setting that really allows me to be myself. And when you’re not being yourself, you get yourself into situations where you’re saying or doing things that you don’t really back or believe in,’ she added.