Are these really the best days of their lives?
On Christmas Day, Bravo gave Vanderpump Rules fans quite the present as they dropped the first seven minutes of the highly-anticipated season eight premiere. As was previously teased back in November, the latest season of the Lisa Vanderpump-helmed docu-series (returning Tuesday, Jan. 7) will feature broken friendships, new faces and an abundance of drama.
Once more, current and former SURvers—including Ariana Madix, Brittany Cartwright, Jax Taylor, James Kennedy, Katie Maloney-Schwartz, Kristen Doute, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, Stassi Schroeder, Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz—will return to the popular Bravo show.
However, there is new blood in West Hollywood.
For starters, Schroeder’s beau Beau Clark has officially joined the cast alongside Brett Caprioni, Charli Burnett, Danica Dow, Dayna Kathan, Max Boyens and Raquel Leviss.
And, from what we’ve seen in the first look above, Vanderpump’s new crew already has plenty of drama to work through. Case in point: TomTom General Manager Max and hostess Dayna have complicated their working relationship by sleeping together.
“The reason TomTom runs so smoothly is because we’ve hired the best staff on the planet,” TomTom co-owner Schwartz boasts in a confessional. “We’ve got Dayna, who’s this great worker. So good, in fact, that Lisa is poaching her to work at SUR. And then, there’s Max. He is the glue that holds it all together.”
The one thing Schwartz doesn’t mention about Max? He, apparently, “has a new girl every week.”
Things seem equally awkward down the block at SUR as Schena is seen mentoring (and possibly flirting) with new SURver Brett. As the “Good As Gold” singer warns Brett, the girls at SUR are “very catty” and “like new tall, cute boys.”
“Scheana and I actually have hooked up,” Brett shares with the Vanderpump Rules camera. “A few nights ago, we were out at a bar in Santa Monica, I was with a buddy. She, of course, invited us back to her house to play Scattergories.”
Per the newcomer, he and Scheana kissed that night—and it “wasn’t what [he] thought it would be.”
While Scheana appears to be up to her old tricks, Jax reveals that “SUR has changed dramatically.” Specifically, Jax and Scheana are the only old-school servers left at SUR.
Nonetheless, there is one recognizable face at the West Hollywood hot spot. Although Raquel is new to the restaurant, she isn’t new to the show.
As fans surely know, Raquel is dating troublemaking DJ James, who has been hired and fired many times from SUR. Thus, it isn’t surprising to hear that he isn’t taking Raquel’s employment at the popular eatery well.
“It’s definitely a trigger for him,” Raquel informs Lisa. “He sees me put on my SUR uniform and he’s like, about to cry watching me leave the door.”
For all of this drama and more, be sure to watch the first look in the video above. Oh, and for a closer look at the newcomers, scroll through the images below!
Will it be about the pasta this season? Only time will tell…
Vanderpump Rules returns Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)