Having an inflated ego and a very loose grasp on reality are standard for reality tv stars, including the cast of Vanderpump Rules. When the show began, they were young servers dreaming of fame and fortune. But age and life experience haven’t brought them back down to earth. While every cast member is probably a bit deluded, here are the Pump Rules stars with the flimsiest grasp on reality.
Tom Sandoval
Let’s start with the man who might be the most deluded Pump Rules star of all, which is no easy feat. Tom Sandoval believes he is a fashion icon, a world-class bartender, a talented trumpet player, and an expert restauranteur.
He also believes his cover band makes him a rock star. Judging by his outfits, painted nails, and onstage antics, Sandoval thinks he’s Harry Styles. Nevermind the reality that he can’t sing, pays actual musicians to carry out his fantasy, struggles to sell tickets, and released a single that flopped even with the attention provided by Scandoval.
James Kennedy
We hate to agree with Jax Taylor, but he was right to remind James Kennedy, “You’re not the white Kanye West.” That didn’t snap James out of the delusion he’s a world-famous DJ, but we doubt anything will.
At least the show’s editors try to keep him humble. In one of the funniest VPR moments, a clip of James boasting about his success was intercut with his gig at Vanderpump Dogs, where he also had to remind people to pick up their dogs’ poop.
Jax Taylor
Jax is a pathological liar, who also believes many of his lies. His delusional ego was on full display in one of the rare moments VPR broke the fourth wall. In Season 8’s finale, Jax referred to it as “my show” in front of Lisa Vanderpump…you know, the woman the show is named after. She quickly reminded him whose show it was. Proving it wasn’t his show after all, Jax got fired after the season wrapped for racial misconduct. But that still didn’t bring him down to earth.
Instead, he denied at every turn that he and Brittany Cartwright were fired. Then Jax took Scandoval as an opportunity to proclaim himself the only one wise enough to see Sandoval’s true colors. But apparently, there is an audience for Jax’s deluded antics, since he’s coming back for a VPR spin-off and the new show House of Villains. He and Brittany currently host a podcast called When Reality Hits. We’re sure the irony of that name is lost on the delusional pair.
Scheana Shay
We saw Scheana Shay‘s delusional side right from the start. Early in Season 1, she claimed that, as a teenager, everyone told her she looked like Britney Spears. To the point where they asked her for autographs…which she signed. We’ve seen pictures of Scheana in high school, and while there’s a slight resemblance, we’re side-eyeing this story.
Scheana’s delusions about fame are particularly geared at her dreams of pop stardom. We’ll never forget when she claimed Good As Gold was “huge in the gay community”.
Whether it’s pure delusion or intense denial, she’s brought similar energy to relationships. While married to Mike Shay, she claimed they went to one therapy session and realized they didn’t need it.
And there was her rekindled relationship with Rob Valletta post-divorce. Scheana told anyone who would listen- really, anyone at all- that they were the perfect couple. In gushing confessionals, she claimed they already picked out names for future children. The contrast between Scheana’s belief they had some great love story, and Rob’s obvious disinterest in her, was almost painful to watch.
Lala Kent
The catchphrase “give them Lala” sort of says it all, right? In Lala Kent‘s mind, she is super famous and never, ever wrong. That attitude is perfect for reality tv and leads to her many unforgettable moments.
When then-partner Randall Emmett‘s film Gotti was trashed by critics, Lala came up with a truly delusional defense. She told Lisa Vanderpump that, clearly, critics were harsh on mafia movies because they glorified crime. Cut to a confessional of Lisa listing The Godfather series and Goodfellas, some of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time.
Recently, Lala’s lack of touch with reality became apparent on her podcasts about the aftermath of Scandoval. She clearly does not understand the difference between her situation and Ariana Madix‘s. Instead, she’s declared the reason she didn’t get Ariana’s treatment is just because of double standards, or that she’s tougher.
Also, Lala once said she was the reincarnation of Tupac Shakur. That might take the cake for the most deluded thing a cast member’s ever said.
Rachel “Raquel” Leviss
A major part of Rachel “Raquel” Leviss’ Season 10 storyline was her disappointment at aging out of pageants. She even cried over it on an awkward date with Peter Madrigal. But Charli Burnett said it best. If Rachel seriously thought she could win Miss USA at 28 years old, after never winning a single pageant in her whole career, she was living in a dream world.
Hopefully, spending months out of the spotlight and stepping away from Pump Rules, will help Rachel put her feet firmly on the ground. However, her interview with Bethenny Frankel wasn’t entirely promising.
TELL US – WHICH VPR CAST MEMBER IS THE MOST DELUDED? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FUNNIEST DELUSIONAL MOMENTS FROM THE SHOW?
