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She also dives into the 'Vanderpump Rules' drama and shares her prediction for how Tom Sandoval will fare will the group following the show's explosive mid-season trailer.
Lisa Vanderpump has assembled another all-star cast of hospitality staff ready to rival the crew on Vanderpump Rules.
TooFab spoke with Vanderpump ahead of the premiere of her new Hulu series, Vanderpump Villa, where she dished on the show and revealed which group really brings the drama.
"It was totally different. It was totally different living with my staff. It was totally different taking people to the other side of the world that I didn't know," Vanderpump explained. "I mean, I knew some of them 'cause of them worked for me, but they all had to be very qualified, so I was looking for the best person for the job, because as I said, we were gonna start opening up the Chateau to the guests."
Vanderpump Villa sees a whole new group of men and women from across the hospitality industry travel to the South of France to work for Vanderpump at her new inn, Chateau Rosabelle. There, they are tasked with not only providing first class service to the guests at the Chateau, but first-rate experiences too, making sure guests are treated to the time of their lives while staying at Vanderpump's latest property.
"It was the poignant stories of the guests that were beautiful and what we had to achieve to give them the celebration of their dreams," she continued. "There was a lot of many, many complicated scenarios, and then you put 12 people living together. I've never lived with my staff before..."
Vanderpump added, "Thank God I didn't have to live with all of them on Vanderpump Rules for 12 years. Otherwise, I would've definitely lost my mind. Living with people is very different, you don't know them till you live with them."
After living with this group, it begs the question, who is messier? While the Pump Rules cast has had 12 years to pack on the drama, with Scandoval topping the list of cast infidelities, Jax Taylor stealing sunglasses during a trip to Hawaii, and the firing of a few cast members, Vanderpump said she's sure this group will catch up in no time at all.
Bravo
"Over 12 years, I mean, we've seen everything -- we've seen infidelity, we've seen Jax stealing sunglasses from a shop, being arrested -- I mean, Vanderpump Rules maybe takes the biscuit, but these guys were only there a couple of months, so give them time," the restauranteur and reality TV star quipped.
She continued, "A couple of them were pretty eccentric in this one. I'd be like, 'You've worked for me before?' They were showing me a side of their character I didn't know. And also, in Vanderpump Rules, they could go home, whereas there, it was like, 24/7."
While they were definitely "naughty," Vanderpump said it's a little too soon to compare the two, adding that VPR is more about one group of friends that happened to work for her, whereas Vanderpump Villa focuses solely on a cast handpicked by Lisa to run the Chateau.
Hulu
"It's funny because people are asking me what's the comparison -- Vanderpump Rules was never just about my staff, 'cause I had 300 people working for me at the time. It was about a group of friends who were in existence and how fascinating their dynamic was, and then slowly, a couple of them were added in, Lala [Kent] and then James [Kennedy]," Vandeprump explained. "But it was never really just about the staff, otherwise it would've been a much broader show."
Of Vanderpump Villa she added, "This is about the staff and the guests. It's totally different... this is more visual as well, and also, you have the guests involved, and there's many different scenarios you see in the show that's nothing like Vanderpump Rules.
Where Vanderpump Rules is concerned, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum reiterated her sentiment that she was trying facilitate cohesion amongst the group of fractured friends after Tom Sandoval's affair with Rachel Leviss created a major divide between him, his ex, Ariana Madix, and the rest of the cast.
"When somebody... they're so depressed they're having suicidal ideations, I can't in good conscience not try to make this better," Vanderpump stressed. "I can't. I lost my brother to suicide. I talk about this very openly, and I said to Bravo, 'You have to show what he's told me, what he's said and how depressed he was.'"
She continued, "And quite honestly, I don't think the punishment of the whole world turning on him, denigrating him, castigating him, the White House, the Adele show, CNN, Good Morning America -- it was everywhere. That's too much for one person to take, in my mind. And I don't know I could've been strong enough to take that, endure that."
"I had to cool that down. I had to," Vanderpump added.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.
See a whole new group get up to shenanigans of their own when Vanderpump Villa premieres April 1 on Hulu.
