The SUR photoshoots have become almost as memorable as the Vanderpump Rules OGs themselves. Case in point: Who can forget Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval all but naked, seductively lounging in a pile of fruit and flowers? But when the torch was passed on to the Season 12 cast during Episode 3, Lisa Vanderpump was the first to admit its 14th iteration brings a new era.
“The SUR photoshoot was something we did yearly, and it was iconic,” Lisa told producers in the Dec. 16 episode. “Life has changed. Businesses have changed. It’s necessary to keep evolving. If it’s a photo shoot, different staff, I think that’s been the secret to our longevity.”
“This is so much more conservative than it used to be,” Lisa commented to her business partners, Nathalie Pouille-Zapata and Nathalie’s husband, Guillermo, during the Dec. 16 episode. “I mean, remember when we first did it years ago? Nobody had any clothes on.”
Later, Guillermo suggested a group of SUR-vers remove their shirts for a pic, and Lisa jumped in to point out, “I mean, only if they feel comfortable.” A moment later, she emphasized, “If you’re uncomfortable, put it all back on.”
A toned-down (but still toned!) SUR photoshoot isn’t the only change at the restaurant since Vanderpump Rules debuted back in 2013. Lisa pointed out that she and the managers take staffers sneaking drinks on shift much more seriously, after SUR-ver Marcus Johnson was caught red-handed in the Dec. 2 episode.
“I know that people will sneak a drink here and there. I mean, this ain’t my first rodeo, that’s for sure. But, this is 2025, this isn’t 2013,” Lisa told producers. “SUR has HR. We have to crack down on this kind of stuff.”
Lisa also revealed in Season 12 that SUR is “struggling” financially. “West Hollywood was the center of the nightlife in Los Angeles. But since COVID, it never seemed to recover. SUR has survived, but it hasn’t been thriving,” she shared.
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“Restaurant costs are up. Many restaurants close down. Four in the last week have closed down. Nobody is surviving this s—t. This is survival of the fittest,” she told her staff during the Season 12 premiere.
That sobering fact influenced Lisa’s decision to close her beloved restaurant Pump as well.
The Vanderpump Rules Season 12 cast shares their thoughts on SUR photoshoots
Still, the Dec. 16 episode proved that the new SUR-vers were as excited for their photo moment as anyone. “The SUR photoshoot is legendary,” hostess Kim Suarez said in her confessional as she and the staff got ready.
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Bartender Natalie Maguire said, “I just want people to be like, ‘I wish I worked somewhere where everyone is so chic and perfect.’”
Hostess Audrey Lingle was excited to bring her own spin to the photos. “You just walk into SUR, and there’s these big, glamorous photos, and it’s like, ‘Oh my god, am I gonna be on the wall? This is gonna be crazy,’” she told producers.
Don’t miss Tom Sandoval’s honest advice for the new Vanderpump Rules cast.
