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With the passage of the years, Lisa Vanderpump has returned to London, bringing with her some drama. The reality TV big name and restaurateur recently released a teaser announcing the start of the third season of Vanderpump Villa, to soon premiere on Hulu. While the clip itself is good for a few chuckles, Vandey invites one and all to the wonderful teaser English countryside, promising much more of the series’ exclusive mix of luxury-meets-madness, “We’ll see you in England!” the post was captioned, and immediately sent fans into a frenzy while teasing that maybe one familiar face was going to be at the center of that excitement: Stassi Schroeder.
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In view of the presence of Schroeder’s comeback being confirmed lavishly in promos and social media hints, thus laying to rest any lingering doubt: she is indeed back, and indeed, maybe her presence is even crucial to the momentum of the show. Suddenly, Vanderpump is flooded with comments, one plainly declaring, “Stassi being back keeps me watching.” This whole dialogue was carried on vigorously with another responding, agreeing that “without Schroeder, I lose interest.” Yet one other admitted, “I speedy-forwarded through every scene she wasn’t in,” tying back to the magnetic pull Stassi has for all things Vanderpump.
And the viewers were seeing the Aussie girlfriend vacationing in England lately, doing some hardcore calculus. “Stassi being in England for the past few weeks was a dead giveaway!!” says one comment, while other comments are laughing at how bad a secret it is to keep a reality-TV secret in the social media era. Another commenter joked, “They’re going to have to stop her posting about her vacations if they want to keep it a secret lol.” Quite obviously, in the Vanderpump Villa universe, Stassi isn’t just a cast member—she’s the bait.
There are some who have expressed dissatisfaction about how Stassi’s screen time has been presented. One viewer expressed disappointment, “But stassi never appears in the show, always looking forward to seeing her but she is never there.” This sparked a small debate in the replies, with some backing her participation in Season 2 and others agreeing that her appearances felt too sparse. A fine line; fans want more Stassi, but when you have an ensemble cast, it’s always going to be a negotiation.
It was also speculated that Stassi could be the successor to Lisa, with one fan asking, “Is Stassi Lisa’s predecessor? I would live for that plot. She’s classy, yet spicy-just like Lisa.” Others agreed, admitting that Schroeder (along with Katie Maloney) seemed like a natural fit to carry on the Vanderpump legacy. Whether or not that is really on her radar, the fact is that viewers have come to see Stassi as something more than mere characters; she has grown to symbolize that blend of grace and chaos that is the Vanderpump brand.
Meanwhile, you have the kind of vestigial old-school Vanderpump Rules drama that just doesn’t seem to grow old. Someone threw shade; “Stassi has always been the favorite Scheana wanted to be,” launching a small comment thread full of playful arguments over grammar and “mean shorty” labels. It was fun to be spectators as fans debated reality TV tropes while engaging in them themselves. Classic.
Meanwhile, in the midst of all this Stassi talk, many viewers excitedly expressed their thoughts about the show and Lisa herself: “Can’t wait-no one brings more class and elegance than Queen Vanderpump herself.” Another gave a nice account: “Met Lisa and Ken at a restaurant while they were over filming. So lovely and had a brief chat with me.”
Not everybody entertained nice comments, though. A viewer wondered about its longevity: “How does this keep getting renewed?! I can’t even make it past the first 10 mins of epi 1 season 1.” Fair enough-Vanderpump Villa is not everyone’s cup of tea, and its over-the-best storylines and contrived dramas tend to put casual viewers off. But for its hardcore fans, the blend of luxury and conflict with familiar faces like Stassi’s is exactly what they want.
That some of these comments suggest the show’s future isn’t set in just pretty locations and glamorous parties: it is really about the characters. Stassi Schroeder, whether you love her or hate her, is a character people care about. One fan put it very simply: “Aww look at Stassi saving the show.” Perhaps that is a little bit of stretch, but you will never be able to deny the fact that Stassi brought in more hype than even Lisa’s glitz might have ever dreamed of.
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Clearly, with the imminent return of Vanderpump Villa, it’s pretty much all eyes on Stassi herself-will there be much of her? What is it she ultimately does? And whether she runs all of the fan engagement that she has become in terms of her own person. Judging by the comments, looks like Hulu and Vanderpump know very well what they are doing by bringing her back. In reality, one has to give it to her-everybody wants her right today.
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