Jax Taylor was one of the breakout stars of Vanderpump Rules when it premiered on Bravo in 2013.
He recently returned to the series after years away to help get The Valley off the ground, and now that the spinoff has launched, he’s making some bold accusations about the show that initially charted him as a bartender at SUR.
TikToker Kate Riccio shared video footage of Taylor, 44, complaining about the hit reality series, claiming that the cast doesn’t “even hang out with each other” away from the show.
“Show me a scripted show, and I’ll show you Vanderpump Rules,” he can be heard telling the crowd at his bar.
“Scripted! Scripted,” he added before saying how many years he was on the show.
The former SURver added that he initially had a great time on the show, claiming that the first six seasons were “organic” and “real.”
Jax Taylor says the earlier seasons of Vanderpump Rules were authentic
He feels that initially, everyone understood that working at the bar was their job, and that brought an element of realism to the show.
However, he said the relationships were less authentic once everyone got bigger due to the show.
But Taylor believes fans will be able to go back to the start with The Valley because the cast is made up of newbies.
“Now you have a real show! Back to where it all started, it’s organic, it’s real,” he said.
“These are all brand new people!”
The Valley started slow but is becoming very good
While the first episode of The Valley wasn’t perfect, the following two episodes have delivered plenty of drama with Kristen Doute at the wheel.
What more could we ask for? In its prime, Doute delivered some of the best moments of Vanderpump Rules, and it seems that viewers are connecting with it.
The third episode soared to a series high of 713,000 viewers and a 0.23 rating in the adults 18-49 demo, so the show does have an audience.
For the record, those numbers are higher than many other Bravo series, including The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and Summer House.
In the past, Bravo has struggled to find shows to pair with its biggest hits, but The Valley boasts excellent retention out of Vanderpump Rules.
Even if Taylor claims Vanderpump Rules is now fake, it still commands a big audience, so there’s no way it will end anytime soon.
The Valley could get more Vanderpump Rules stars in the future
And if it does, stars like Scheana Shay and Lala Kent have seemingly already lined up their next show in The Valley, if their recent home purchases are to be believed.
Many of Taylor’s Vanderpump Rules costars will probably have some thoughts about him calling out their show, so we’ll have to pay attention to that as it comes out.
It’s unclear at this stage whether Taylor could return to Vanderpump Rules, but there’s a good chance producers will want more connective tissue between the two shows next season.
If viewers are sticking around for The Valley, traveling this route would benefit both shows.
What we do know is that The Valley is about to get even messier as Taylor’s marital woes with Brittany Cartwright come into focus.
Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays at 8/9c on Bravo. Seasons 1-11 are now streaming on Peacock. The Valley airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.