There are a bunch of reasons why Vanderpump Rules provided some of the best – and delightfully shame spirally – sequences in reality TV show history, and Stassi Schroeder played a major role in its success.
Well, our gal Stassi is back in House of Stassi, a new show that premieres July 29th on Freeform and then will be available the following day on Hulu. Here’s the trailer:
While I was never much of a fan of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – or any of the housewives editions, frankly – I became obsessed with Vanderpump and its delightfully spicy mix of hot and maybe not super brainiac staffers/aspiring celebrities (of some sort) at Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant and other properties in West Hollywood.
Because Vanderpump became such a juggernaut for Bravo, it inevitably spawned a number of spinoff shows that only produced mixed results at best.
Jax and Brittany Take Kentucky attempts to take the Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright couple out of Los Angeles and plop them in Cartwright’s native Kentucky for some fish out of water reality TV antics. The Valley is a spinoff as Vanderpump sequel, following Jax, Taylor, and Kristen Doute along with other new cast members in LA’s San Fernando Valley.*
* I should note that Jax and Brittany separated in 2024 but are not divorced as of this writing.
In short: neither show works very well, lacking that magic and spark that the best Vanderpump years offered. Speaking of the titular figure and godmother of the franchise herself, Lisa Vanderpump fronts a “let’s take the concept to a new country” spinoff via Vanderpump Villa, and to be honest I couldn’t really get through the pilot episode of that one.
I do have some genuine hope that House of Stassi will hold up in a way that the other spinoffs have not. Stassi Schroeder herself is a big reason why – she’s a compelling mix of fiery, goofy, and vulnerable that made her an ideal original Vanderpump cast member.
And in a way that I’ve rarely felt about people from TV whether fictional or reality-based, I was genuinely happy when Stassi found and later married Beau Clark. Beau will also be featured on House of Stassi so if nothing else there’s a “let’s see what these two wacky kids are up to these days” factor.
Vanderpump alum Katie Maloney also joins the House of Stassi, along with others who will form a new circle of people under the focus of reality show cameras this season. Stassi and Katie have quite a history (read: turbulent at times) dating back to at least the early 2010s, so that will be another interesting dynamic to keep an eye on.
In the House of Stassi trailer, Schroeder tells us that she’s in a mode to “say yes to everything” and that she’s not going to let Vanderpump Rules be her legacy.
I’m reminded why House of Stassi has a chance to succeed where other reality show comers have failed when she tells the camera, “Reality TV is all I know and I love it… but I’m also traumatized by it, and I can’t stay away from it.”
This level of self-awareness and honesty mapped against raw ambition continues to make Stassi a compelling figure.
We also get a quick preview of the requisite amount of fighting, snarking, antics, and age-appropriate partying that this brand of reality television is contractually obliged to deliver.
In short, I will be tuning in.