Vanderpump Rules Season-Finale Recap: Pride Before the Fall

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Lisa Vanderpump always has a plan. She shared a story about realizing her nephew was gay at a very young age – around three or four – and instinctively buying him a My Little Pony, joking that’s what every young gay boy wants. It reminded her of a childhood Christmas tradition with her lesbian cousin: they’d each ask for toys traditionally associated with the opposite gender – My Little Pony for her cousin, Transformers for her – and then trade. It always worked! Lisa explained that while she can’t provide every gay boy with a symbol of their future identity, she can throw a fantastic Pride party. Her restaurant, SUR, is in the perfect location, right off Santa Monica Boulevard, which transforms into a huge gay festival every June. Plus, she mentioned it was traditionally the kickoff event for the first season of Vanderpump Rules.

The Pride celebration is hitting a snag – it’s attracting too many straight people. Venus is organizing the event, and Natalie is creating the drinks. She’s made a bright blue cocktail and wants to name it “Aquamarine,” which feels like something a stereotypical, overly-spiritual straight woman would suggest. This isn’t a mainstream music festival; it’s Pride. Marcus jokingly claims to be “10 percent gay,” which raises a ridiculous question about what that even means. He suggests naming the drink “Blue Balls,” arguing his limited gayness somehow qualifies him, but even that name is a bad idea – nobody wants to be reminded of that at Pride! If someone wanted that imagery, they could easily find it elsewhere online. Venus then proposes “Butt Slut” as the drink’s name, and everyone agrees it’s perfect. That’s what Pride is all about: silly drinks, over-the-top sexuality, hookups, and finding glitter in unexpected places for months to come.

The Pride party had a bit of an issue: there were a lot of straight people there. Chris showed up in a tiny pink Speedo, but then completely missed the mark with a cowboy hat, boots, and a handlebar mustache – he looked like a bizarre mix of Hulk Hogan and a character from City Slickers: The Musical! Seriously, why couldn’t he have just stuck to the pool party theme? He finished the look with sunglasses, a whistle, and sunscreen, going full lifeguard. Someone had to do everything, apparently. Venus shared his life story and coming-out experience on the bar, which was nice, but it was cutting into everyone’s time for drinks and mingling. Natalie performed her song, “Pure as Platinum,” but it didn’t really land with the crowd, which was pretty thin to begin with. It seemed like the only people actually enjoying themselves were the staff, cast, and their friends. Most of the attendees were just women from the Midwest hoping for free drinks and a photo with Lisa Vanderpump.

With this being the last party of the season, the show needed to wrap up a few key storylines, and a lot of it revolved around Audrey, who quickly became the most popular character. (Good news: the show’s been renewed for another season, whether you’re excited or not!) The other storyline focuses on Angelica and Shayne. While shopping for DJ equipment with Marcus, Shayne surprisingly admits he really cares about Angelica! He tells Marcus he’d be willing to date her, but only if she’d slow things down. He even thinks her seeing someone else was her way of telling him to make a move quickly. Honestly, that says it all! That’s just not Angelica’s style – she’s not one for taking things slow. You two clearly want different things, Shayne. Time to go!

At the Pride celebration, he pulls her aside into the back alley of SUR, a place rumored to become a historical landmark, and asks her out. She excitedly jumps into his lap and kisses him. After briefly returning to work, he admits he’s unable to move. The implication is that he’s experiencing an erection, which is surprising given his known inability to achieve one – did he use medication? For the rest of the night, they’re openly making out on the dance floor. Honestly, a public display of affection like that at Pride feels a bit much, especially these days. I would personally avoid getting involved!

Audrey had a surprisingly awkward conversation with Chris at the party. He’d made her lunch the day before in his nearly empty apartment, telling her he was interested in pursuing a relationship, but also wanted to keep his options open while traveling. He actually asked what would happen if he met someone else he liked, wanting to avoid any drama. It’s like he expects her to be okay with him potentially liking other people! Later, he gave a toast celebrating their connection, and Audrey, with perfect comedic timing, jokingly added, “Unless we meet other people.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

At the party, she ended things with him, explaining she needs someone who’s ready to commit. Chris admitted he couldn’t give her that, saying he was just being honest. Honestly, that’s the whole issue! Telling the truth doesn’t earn you points if it’s not what she wants to hear. She’s not mad that he wasn’t fully invested; she’s upset that he’s offering a relationship she doesn’t want. When he said he wasn’t ready for commitment, she simply said she was moving on to someone who was. Good riddance, Chris! She felt they were both wasting time, but Chris seemed to be treating the whole thing like a dating show, while Audrey was looking for a real relationship. That’s why I think she’ll have a much more successful career in reality TV than he will.

After a brief cry backstage, Angelica brings Audrey outside to address their final issue of the night: some harsh jokes Audrey made during her stand-up routine. The whole conversation was incredibly frustrating because Angelica is being unreasonable. She starts by offering a disingenuous compliment, instead of just honestly saying she was hurt. Audrey, however, is completely emotionally drained and doesn’t respond much. She explains that it was just comedy and that she didn’t single Angelica out – she didn’t warn anyone about her material. Audrey refuses to engage with Angelica’s complaints, and it’s clearly making Angelica furious.

Angelica was the only person bothered by the playful teasing. It’s clear she doesn’t have a sense of humor. While she claims to be upset, it seems like she’s actively searching for a reason to be angry, similar to her previous conflict with Jason. She eventually criticizes Audrey’s jokes, even though people were clearly laughing, proving her wrong. Then, she accuses Audrey of lying, bringing up irrelevant personal details like her credit score and living situation. It’s baffling – why does any of this matter to her? It’s obvious she doesn’t understand how jokes work, and in fact, hasn’t shown any sign of amusement since a long-ago incident involving a neighbor’s cat.

Angelica is claiming Audrey tries too hard to impress men, but I think Angelica is just projecting her own feelings. It’s like she’s saying whatever she accuses Audrey of actually applies to herself. Frankly, almost everyone else disagrees with Angelica’s assessment. Just because she said it doesn’t make it true. Then, Angelica resorts to insults, calling Audrey ugly and comparing her to Sid the Sloth. While Audrey’s jokes weren’t great, they were at least attempts at humor. Straight-up insults aren’t funny, and the Sid the Sloth comparison falls flat because it doesn’t fit. Importantly, Audrey criticized Angelica’s behavior, not her appearance, which, while potentially more hurtful, is a more direct approach than what Angelica is doing.

The producers then have the rest of the group start arguing. Angelica dramatically accuses Audrey of choosing a boy over their friendship, prompting both the cast and the audience to wonder which boy she’s talking about – and if they were even friends to begin with. This highlights a pattern with Angelica: she makes accusations against Audrey that don’t really make sense. She claims the boy is Chris and predicts their relationship won’t last the summer, but Audrey already broke up with him, so it’s not much of an insult. Even if Audrey had chosen Chris over Angelica, it’s unclear how that’s relevant. It seems Angelica is simply looking for a reason to be upset and wants attention from men – seeking comfort, compliments, and affection, all while already imagining a future with someone.

Lisa Vanderpump directs everyone back to work, which is essentially her role on the show. The cast, dressed in their usual outfits, heads inside to drink and dance. Lisa stands near the entrance, holding the door for her staff. She spots Katie Maloney Schwartz walking by with a large jar of mayonnaise. They make eye contact, and a tense moment unfolds. They stand frozen, lost in thought about their shared history and uncertain future. A palpable energy passes between them, a complex exchange of power and emotion. The moment breaks, and both women turn away – Lisa goes inside, and Katie continues on her way. As they do, they both silently mouth the same expletive: “Bitch.”

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2026-02-25 07:56