“Vanderpump Villa Review”: the Vanderpump Rules spin-off heads to France

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“Vanderpump Villa”: Lisa Vanderpump's final touch transports ordinary people to France

In her latest reality show, the star of "Vanderpump Rules" takes her extravagant taste abroad for a "test run" that can confidently be added to her list of design achievements.

For many years, I have considered myself a judge of what is real and what is not in reality shows. But honestly, to watch any modern reality show, you have to put on your big, cartoonish hat for a while. The level of producer intervention that happens right off-camera during the filming of series like "The Real Housewives" and "Vanderpump Rules" creates tension, of course, but it is also artificial. Producers know how to create memorable moments and encourage participants to give their all on filming day. There is money, ratings, and lives at stake here, which means the drama has to be served on a silver platter.

In "Vanderpump Villa," a unique spin-off of "Vanderpump Rules" set to premiere on April 1 on Hulu, this silver tray takes on platinum notes. Lisa Vanderpump is doing a "soft launch" of a new venture in luxury hospitality, this time at a distant French estate called Château Rosabelle, where guests can expect the most exquisite personalized experiences during their stay. It's clear that this "soft launch" Lisa is talking about is more related to Vanderpump Villa than to the hospitality venture itself—the mentioned castle is rented out and can be booked by anyone for events. While watching this show, it's almost impossible not to notice the threads of privilege, but that's the whole charm of it.

In the construction of "Vanderpump Villa," there is a certain carelessness and falseness that no one tries to disguise as authenticity. It's nice to see an experienced reality show veteran like Vanderpump drop the mask while still keeping the show interesting. Sometimes it feels like a television experiment: where is the line of realism in reality shows, and how far can it be pushed before viewers lose interest? It turns out you can push it quite far! "Vanderpump Villa" is not a guaranteed organic hit that came from "Vanderpump Rules." But the show has potential and a great friendly staff. Book additional filming dates at Chateau Saint-Joseph - hey, Chateau Rosabel!, because a new worthy continuation of the Vanderpump Television Universe is on the horizon.

If you, like me, were completely taken aback after watching "Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club" on MTV in 2018, then you’ll be familiar with the format of "Vanderpump Rules"; Lohan ultimately, in a way, mimicked the concept of her short-lived disaster from "Vanderpump Rules." But the Villa resembles the Club more than it does Vanderpump Rules. Groups of self-absorbed beauties fly in to work as staff; guests cycle through the estate, enjoying lavish events and the personal conflicts of the employees; and an inexplicable woman with an accent hovers nearby, waiting for a new, universally accepted set of contradictory rules to govern the establishment.

Naturally, this creates confusion, which is interesting but not necessarily captivating. However, Vanderpump has been in this business for a long time, and she knows how to push and guide her staff in front of the cameras. Of course, it helps to hire a group of people who currently have between 1,000 and 5,000 followers on Instagram each and work in the hospitality industry. These are exactly the types of characters who can instantly sense the opportunity for D-list fame, like a dog trained to detect death, and that's why they are perfect for appearing on camera.

At Chateau Rosabel, there are 12 staff members (not counting Vanderpump), but not all of them make a strong impression. You should know the following: event coordinator Steven, a gay man who sometimes for some reason wears scary contact lenses like in the "Thriller" music video; Telly - a mixologist who sees this as his ticket to a permanent free bar; Eric - a handsome estate manager who is unfamiliar with fashion; Priscilla - service staff, and another mixologist - Marciano, along with his ex-girlfriend waitress Hannah, who brought their breakup to the estate, having just recently split up.

This group behaves particularly well, creating dramatic tension and maintaining its authenticity. Even when their arguments seem artificial, they work because the entire cast is so dedicated to their conflicts. When reality shows hire people who don't yet have a large following but are eager to change their careers and seize a rare opportunity, I genuinely believe they will do whatever they are told.

Even if the producers don't offer them storylines, this cast knows how to add fuel to the fire. Reality shows focused on hospitality need crew members who seem indifferent to the fact that their professional lives may forever be tied to their television misdeeds, even if they might play caricatures of bad employees through heightened theatricality. This fearlessness cannot be manufactured, but it can be found in the nightclubs of Las Vegas and Florida, dressed in tight jeans, ready to be sent on an all-expenses-paid filming trip to France.

When you come to Villa Vanderpump for the luxurious, bespoke pleasures created by Vanderpump, you'll have the chance to immerse yourself in a Pinterest world, but nothing more. Guests at Chateau Rosabel take a backseat to the staff drama, and that's in their best interest. However, there are a few significant moments among the guests, such as when a visitor named Harlan arrives to celebrate the new feminine look of his face with friends. Harlan shows up at his fairy ball, meticulously set to Vanderpump's details, to the tune of "Je T'Adore" by Kim Petras, which is so obvious that I couldn't help but chuckle. A transgender singer? Check. French lyrics? Check. There's not a hint of subtlety here. If you look a little closer, you can see that "Villa Vanderpump" is a show built on crutches, glue, and hope. That's what I love about it.

"Vanderpump Rules" had a similarly rough start but eventually became an unstoppable hit. In "Villa," it might be more challenging, considering that the SUR restaurant, at the center of "Vanderpump Rules," was a legitimate establishment where viewers could be regular patrons. Chateau Rosabel, also known as Chateau Saint-Joseph, still accepts bookings on Tripadvisor. But this is why Vanderpump and the team made sure their staff had good conflicts from the very beginning, to make their time at the estate unforgettable.

Yes, "Vanderpump Villa" is one big illusion. It's a rented estate, an amateur cast, and a show that constantly reminds you that its existence depends on how much the audience enjoys what they see. But, like a hallucination of an oasis in the desert, we do entertain ourselves with the illusion of reality for a while, right? That's quite enough, at least until I achieve something more substantial.

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