The Only ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Opinion We Really Need

This is a preview of our pop culture newsletter The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, written by editor Kevin Fallon. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox each week, sign up for it here.

This week:

• Why are the writers striking?
• The most relatable take on the #Scandoval VPR drama.
• So much Yellowstone drama!
• The most random group of celebs ever.
• My very important Met Gala take.

Whoopi Speaks for All of Us (at Least for Me)

There are two stories that are dominating all entertainment industry talk right now, in equally explosive ways: the writers’ strike, that a charged and rare labor act that could change Hollywood as we know it; and those damn people on Vanderpump Rules.

You’d think one wouldn’t have to do with the other. Reality TV shows aren’t largely affected by the strike, other than, a boom in reality TV was one result of the 2007-8 work stoppage on scripted shows.

One VPR cast member, Lala Kent, has canceled her appearance at the very in-flux MTV Movie & TV Awards in solidarity with the writers, becoming something of a social-media folk hero for it; she’s the Norma Rae of Bravo TV. But the rest of the cast has been on a speeding hamster wheel, bowling through every TV studio in Hollywood giving interviews to capitalize on the show’s mainstream moment, thanks to the juicy (though quite sad!) #Scandoval.

In any case, leave it to Whoopi Goldberg to find a way to connect these two major stories.

Goldberg was forced to discuss the VPR cheating drama on The View, because we all are. It goes down like an exhausting, hilarious spin on “Who’s on First,” with Goldberg unable to keep track of the names, who is sleeping with who, who owns what house, etc. There’s a feeling of resignation to it all: Try as a person might, one cannot escape this VPR drama—so might as well try to understand it.

(You can watch their initial Hot Topics discussion here.)

It’s clear that this episode The View is the limit of time and energy Goldberg will ever be willing to give to this controversy, and I support that. Especially because the episode led to what I think are the two single best VPR-related media moments yet.

The first is when Goldberg, at one point in the episode, references the writers’ strike, saying, “We don’t have any writers, which is why I’m forced to talk about Vanderpump Rules.” I tell you: I screamed from the depths of my soul. The second is when she, clearly still buzzing from and slightly perturbed by having to talk about it, tries to rope Jennifer Lopez into it all, later in the episode. It’s the most A-list version of “misery loves company” that I’ve ever seen.

“Do you watch the show Vanderpump Rules?” Goldberg asks J. Lo. Mrs. Affleck, who is mid-sip from her mug, nearly does a spit take in confusion and looks at Goldberg with concerned bewilderment, like she was watching her friend have a stroke. “Do I what?!”

It’s almost better TV than VPR, in my opinion.

The World’s Most Expensive Horses

We hear a lot about how wildly expensive some TV series are. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the most expensive show of all time (different outlets report different numbers, but $715 million pops up a lot). While that’s so much money, it makes sense to us; it’s Lord of the Rings. Other series in the “most expensive” conversation, like House of the Dragon or The Crown, also track; one’s a Game of Thrones spinoff, and the other is rebuilding freaking Buckingham Palace.

But the news about how much the series in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe cost made my eyes pop out their sockets and travel all the way to his Montana ranch, to see where the world’s priciest horses must live. Yellowstone, 1923, and the other spinoffs: These are not the shows that you’d expect to cost so much. Excuse me while I quit my job and start a TV-studio-ranch business.

Can We Leave Some of Them Up There?

This week in Hollywood Mad Libs, Fox announced a new reality competition series titled Stars on Mars, in which the most random-ass list of celebrities you’ve ever seen will train and live as if going to Mars.

Contestants include Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz, disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, former Modern Family star Ariel Winter, Bravolebrity Porsha Williams, singer Tinashe, Olympian Adam Rippon, and McLovin himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

The winner will be dubbed “the brightest star in the galaxy.” The host of the show will be William Shatner.

I’d say “what in this world?” about the show. But, hey, the whole idea is that it’s not in it!

My Queen of the Met Gala

I know nothing about fashion, and the Met Gala perplexes me. But, hey, look at how great Glenn Close looked!

What to watch this week

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: It’s the best Marvel film in years! Low bar, but yay! (Now in theaters)

Bupkis: I did not have “crying while watching Pete Davidson’s new show” on my Bingo card. (Now on Peacock)

The Other Two: I laugh more in a single episode of this show each week than I do watching several other shows combined. (Now on HBO Max)

What to skip this week:

Love Again: It goes against everything I believe in to say something Céline Dion is involved with is bad. But alas… (Now in theaters)