Whether you’ve kept it in the group chat or rage tweeted it to the Bravo Twitter-verse, as fans of Vanderpump Rules we know the show isn’t the entertainingly debaucherous soap opera it once was. And here’s a hard truth: maybe it’s time that we accept that VPR worked best when the cast was young, broke, and desperate (not in their mid-30s, financially stable, and as Valley Village residents).

The cast's collective increase in net worth is arguably the common denominator in what’s caused the show’s overall appeal to drop. Economic stability has impacted their lifestyles and the types of problems and group dynamics they have, which in turn has resulted in an inability to deliver the same organic messiness they once did.

Simply put, the cast has financially outgrown the format that VPR thrives (well, thrived) on.

It’s worth looking back. Those early days of VPR satisfied any reality TV fan’s insatiable hunger for drama and insanity, and was built on the backs of cast members who fit a specific formula. They were scrappy, naive, restaurant staff who were uncertain about their future but motivated to do whatever it took to “make it” in show business. That notion truly made the show magnetic to viewers, because every storyline was an explosion of reckless birthday behavior, back-stabbing infidelity, sexy SUR photoshoots, and nights of iconic rage texting (mainly from Katie).