What Happened and Why (Exclusive)

• Bravo made the announcement on Tuesday, November 26th Vanderpump Rules would return for season 12 with an entirely new cast
• A source familiar with the situation tells PEOPLE that Bravo felt it needed to move forward with a new group because “nothing has really changed with the lineup since the reunion.”
• Another insider tells PEOPLE that money played no role in Bravo’s decision: “It was completely driven by creativity.”

For some it came as a surprise Vanderpump Rules viewers that Bravo would be rebooting the show for Season 12.

The network announced this on Tuesday, November 26th Vanderpump Rules would return for a 12th season with a brand new cast, aside from SUR and TomTom owner Lisa Vanderpump. While Bravo didn’t reveal the names of the new stars, a press release described them as a “sister-verse SUR-verse” who are as intricately connected as their legendary predecessors.

A source familiar with the situation tells PEOPLE that the Legacy cast — which includes James Kennedy, Lala Kent, Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay, Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval — found out about it VPR Restart a day before the news is published.

“They’re understandably upset about it all coming to an end, but no one was necessarily surprised,” the insider says. “It’s a greater relief that they finally have an answer.”

Because there were “so many factions” among the cast following the Season 11 reunion, the source reveals that Bravo felt they needed to move forward with a new group.

“There was a long break in production and nothing really changed in the cast since the reunion,” says the source. “Everyone was still stuck in their feelings and refused to give in. The network felt there was no way forward with the group in this capacity.”

It also didn’t help that “the group ties to SUR and Lisa were virtually non-existent,” notes the source familiar with the situation, since most of the cast no longer worked at the restaurant in LA.

“It just didn’t make sense to continue,” the source continues. “This is an attempt to recalibrate the show and bring it back to what made it such a success in the first place. It’s a new beginning and the players they have are interested and motivated to get involved. Fans will be happy with what they see. It will feel like a return to form.”

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Kent, 34, Schwartz, 42, Shay, 39, and her husband Brock Davies will all appear in the upcoming season of VPR Spin off The valleywhile Sandoval, 42, will compete in the third season of The traitors and Madix, 39, continues to host Love Island USA. Bravo will also be doing a Season 11 retrospective special with the previous cast.

“The network is not ruling out working with anyone in the future,” says the source. “They will always be looking for ways to bring these stars back to their screens.”

A second source insists that money played no role in Bravo’s decision to start over, pointing out that the network decided to reboot before salary negotiations with the former cast members even began.

“It was completely creative,” says the insider. “There were no negotiations between the cast and the network that even discussed money.”

Kent responded to the news on Instagram on Tuesday, November 25, calling SUR “a place that became his home.”

“I have such mixed feelings right now,” she wrote. “It’s no secret that I don’t like change. This is the exception. I want to thank you for rocking with us for so many years. This show changed my entire life. I am incredibly grateful for every moment. I am incredibly grateful to Bravo, NBCU, our crew, the entire cast, and most of all, all of you. We rocked this bitch ’til the wheels fell off 💃”

Madix couldn’t find the words to sum up her time on the show.

“There is no post or caption that could ever sum it all up.” Madix, who started out as a guest in the first season before becoming a regular in the second season, wrote on Instagram on November 26, “I am forever “grateful to have been a part of it.” an incredible cultural phenomenon. Thank you @bravo, @lisavanderpump, @evolutionmedia for every experience over the last 10+ years. Thank you to every single crew member, producer and our showrunners. Seeing you every summer was like coming home to see family! I’ll miss this a lot, but you have my number so… just text me 😂.

Maloney, 37, agreed on her Instagram Stories on November 26 that she “wouldn’t change a thing” about her time on the show.

“Thank you for the memories and love over the last 11 years,” she added.

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Vanderpump Rules Seasons 1-11 stream on Peacock.