The new cast of SUR-vers on Vanderpump Rules Season 12 may just now be clocking in for the official shift change, but that doesn’t mean they never crossed paths with the OGs who came before them.
In fact, some members of Lisa Vanderpump’s new crew have been working at SUR “for years,” according to the official Season 12 announcement. And, yes, you can expect this “deep-rooted, dynamic group of friends, frenemies, and lovers” to shake up everything from Pumptinis to chaos.
“Despite new uniforms and a few fresh faces in the mix, the drama remains as messy and complicated as their iconic predecessors,” the announcement further teased.
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Plus, familiar face Peter Madrigal is still a manager at SUR, effectively bridging the gap between the two groups, outside of LVP, of course.
Ahead of Season 12’s Dec. 2 premiere, several of the new VPR SUR-vers exclusively broke down their relationships to the original cast members for The Daily Dish.
How Marcus Johnson is connected to the OG Vanderpump Rules cast
As Marcus Johnson explained to The Daily Dish, he’s already been working at SUR “for a few years” — and you might’ve even spotted him in the background on previous seasons of Vanderpump Rules.
“I was here when the old show was filming,” he explained. “Some of them would come in and be cool and say what’s up.”
Since his Season 12 casting announcement in early November, Marcus said he’s even run into Tom Schwartz “a few times,” too.
“He’s been super cool and gave me some advice and, you know, we’ve taken a few shots together,” Marcus elaborated. “He’s kind of given me a little bit of, you know, tools to use to go forward with.”
As for working with “Gemini brother” Peter, he added, “He just lives in his own world and he marches to the beat of his own drum, but we love Peter. He’s my boy.”
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How Natalie Maguire is connected to the OG Vanderpump Rules cast
Natalie Maguire has been SUR’s lead bartender for two years, according to her official bio. In that time, she said she’s “become sort of friendly” with Scheana Shay.
“I was at her 40th birthday party,” Natalie revealed. “Her advice is the basic, ‘Just be yourself, be real.’ But it really is the best advice. You can’t do this and pretend to be someone you’re not.”
How Kim Suarez is connected to the OG Vanderpump Rules cast
Though Kim Suarez doesn’t have any official connections to the previous cast, she insisted that she “would welcome any conversation with any of them for sure.”
“I mean, I’ve kind of here and there talked to Tom Schwartz with the cast, like while we’re at Tom Tom, because we go there often,” she clarified. “He’s just been so kind and generous, but he probably wouldn’t know me.”
Kim’s first impression of Peter, meanwhile, was based on a major misunderstanding.
“I literally love Peter so much,” she said. “He’s kind of an introvert when you first meet him. I thought that he hated me for the longest time, but he’s just very quiet. Everyone comes here and honestly just wants to meet him. He’s just, like, an icon. He takes photos with everyone, and he is so sweet and he’s so kind.”
How Venus Binkley is connected to the OG Vanderpump Rules cast
Aside from Peter, Venus Binkley’s relationships with the OG Vanderpump Rules cast don’t run particularly deep either, though he mentioned having “a few” interactions with Schwartz, Tom Sandoval, and Ariana Madix, in the past.
“I just, like, met them in passing, but never, like, really held conversations with them,” Venus noted.
How Jason Cohen is connected to the OG Vanderpump Rules cast
Even though Jason Cohen is one of the few who have never even met any of his Vanderpump Rules predecessors, he highlighted his coincidental connection to Jax Taylor.
“I do know that Jax has the same birthday as me and his name is Jason, which I thought was interesting,” he pointed out.
Luckily, Jason said he’s gotten plenty of helpful tips from Peter: “After what he’s done with his life and the show, his experiences being on Vanderpump… for me, it’s just been nothing but good information from Peter, to be honest.”
How Angelica Jensen is connected to the OG Vanderpump Rules cast
Angelica Jensen is the newest addition to SUR’s staff, according to her Season 12 bio, but she already shares her co-workers’ fondness for working with Peter whom she described as “one of the sweetest, kindest people.” Similar to Kim, she had to take a beat to figure him out, however.
“I mean, he’s an introvert at first,” Angelica said while describing Peter. “I think the first several times I saw him, he was, like, an enigma. I’m like, ‘Is this person real?'”
After she broke the ice and introduced herself, though, Peter quickly opened up more, and they hit it off.
“He has the most, like, fun little golden retriever energy,” Angelica concluded. “Yeah, sweet, sweet person.”
As you await the Season 12 premiere, here’s everything to know about the new Vanderpump Rules cast.