Most 'Vanderpump Rules' Seasons Have 18–20 Episodes — What About Season 11?

Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules has been focused on Scandoval and its aftermath. The cast is still wrestling with the emotions left to deal with as lines within their group continue to be drawn and crossed. Ariana Madix's unadulterated hatred of Tom Sandoval has been directed at anyone who sympathizes even the tiniest bit with him. Tom, on the other hand, is desperate to play the victim. With so much going on within the cast, how long is Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules?

Scandoval isn't the only conflict in Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules. Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz are officially single and ready to mingle. There's even a brief love triangle between them and the woman they were both interested in — Tori Keeth. Schwartz has since moved on, opting to date Jo Wenberg while still keeping other options open. Ariana and Lala Kent's friendship has also taken a major hit thanks to Scandoval issues, and Scheana Shay's motives have been all over the place.

Ahead of the finale date, some outlets shared that there would be 20 episodes, but Bravo hadn't confirmed that. Episode 15 marks the Season 11 finale and after that, Season 11 has a three-part reunion, which means Season 11 has 18 episodes.

While this seems to be a normal amount for the series, the episode count has decreased a bit since Season 2. Seasons 3–8 had more than 20 episodes, but the numbers shifted, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While no specific reasons have been given regarding the fluctuating numbers of episodes in the past few seasons, one of the major contributors is likely the COVID-19 pandemic. Season 8 was filmed in 2019, meaning the first episode aired in January 2020, three months before the world shut down. Season 9, which was filmed in 2020, was cut short to seven episodes, which would make sense given the restrictions regarding mask-wearing and social distancing.

With 18 episodes for the full season, the first part of the Vanderpump Rules Season 11 reunion airs on May 14. The following parts will air on each of the Tuesdays following that date. The hype around the reunion already started to build thanks to the news of a major fight between Lala and Ariana. Sources said that Ariana "eviscerated" Lala, while Lala spoke to the contrary. Regardless, their friendship is over.

The reunion seating chart has become a major statement over the past decade. The people seated closest to Andy have the most coveted seats because they had important roles plot-wise. Enemies are seated across from each other, for the most part, and the seating then goes down the line from biggest impact to least impact on the season. The VPR Season 11 seating chart puts Andy Cohen and Lisa Vanderpump at the center, with Tom and Ariana naturally facing off.

Watch Vanderpump Rules on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.