In Season 7 of the Bravo series Vanderpump Rules, the kids are finally growing up. Well, they are and they aren’t! Despite getting older, they maintain the emotional development of hyena cubs. With arguably only one exception (the angel-cum-martyr Brittany), they are a cast of villains who only occasionally reveal their ability to understand and display empathy. Every week, we’ll discuss each episode’s most villainous moments (and one moment of redemption), which will help determine who exactly is The Worst come season’s end. And now, Week 3!
Queen Raquel Chooses the Wrong Side in the War
This week it’s about the ladies, and we begin with a surprise contender: Raquel! She’s a tough one: You simultaneously want to hug her and shake some sense into her. After being told—yet again—that her boyfriend James Kennedy, DJ, cheated on her, Raquel rushes to his defense. Sometimes I wonder whether James has some sort of incredibly damaging dirt on Raquel, or if she’s an MK-Ultra agent, because I cannot understand her complete and total devotion to him. But devoted she is: After being invited to a girls’-night-cum-intervention, Raquel is told that James hurled disgusting insults at Katie. And somehow, after hearing that he called another woman fat (for the thousandth time), Raquel believes this to be an adequate response:
Her reasoning, it seems, is that he can treat everyone around them terribly as long as he treats her “like a queen.” At best, her response is ignorant; at worst, it’s heartless. Eventually, if you defend a villain enough, you’re no better than him. Pigs and mud, et cetera, et cetera.
Everyone De-friends Scheana Marie
Throughout the past six seasons of Vanderpump Rules, Stassi has made her disdain for Scheana incredibly obvious. And, in Stassi’s defense, much of it is justified: Scheana is a try-hard who will ally herself with anyone if she believes it will benefit her, and as a result has zero loyalty. Also, she is boring and cannot pry herself away from her phone. Still, Scheana isn’t malicious, and if the worst thing about her is that she desperately wants to be liked by everyone, then she remains one of the least egregious cast members—even if she once bragged about how quickly her ex could mount a television (seven minutes!). Still, Stassi cannot help but physically recoil when Scheana, determined to be included, brings her a piece of cake.
Moments later, Scheana’s alleged best friend on the show, Ariana, defends herself for not including Scheana in group activities.
It takes a lot for me to say this but: poor Scheana.
Kristen Stares Down Raquel
Kristen’s back! I was expecting the next stage of her attack on James to appear in this episode, but instead she continues to treat Raquel poorly. The idea to invite Raquel to girls’ night was to befriend her and give her a safe space to consider her boyfriend’s depravity. And so, as one would expect, the group were all welcome smiles and compliments when Raquel cautiously arrived.
Except Kristen, who made this face:
Raquel is not entirely blameless here, but it is unnecessary to stare at a person like this for an entire evening.
James Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Fat-Shaming
While the ladies may have been well represented this week, they could not take the crown from James Kennedy, DJ. In his most recent apology tour, James finds himself apologizing for a slew of his actions, included but not limited to: getting too drunk, yelling, hurling insults at a variety of people, and, of course, calling Katie fat. Katie’s husband Tom valiantly defends her (just kidding, he describes himself as “reluctant” to talk to James), forcing James to call Katie beautiful.
James looks like he’s barely able to utter the words, but ever the social climber, he succumbs in order to remain in the good graces of the Toms (don’t forget the other one). But then! His confessional betrays him yet again.
I truly hope this entire season isn’t predicated on James’s fat-shaming, it’s just getting gross.
This Week’s Villain: James Kennedy, DJ
Plus: This Week’s Moment of Redemption: Bros Will Be Bros
This isn’t so much a moment of redemption as it is one of regression. While the girls go glam and drink martinis in a classy, low-lit bar, the men ride cooler scooters and open beers with their teeth.
Hell yeah!
It’s nice to know that some things stay the same.