Long before any of us ever heard of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules, or The Valley, young Kristen Doute got an offer.
“When I worked at SUR way before Vanderpump Rules,” she shared, “someone from The Bachelor came in. [They] gave me a card and asked me to be a contestant.” Because she had just started dating Tom Sandoval at the time and thought they “could be forever,” she turned it down.
“I could have been [part of] Bachelor Nation instead of Bravo,” she joked. She made the right choice. She might have gotten a few episodes on The Bachelor, but would surely be forgotten by now. As it is, Kristen’s still going strong with Bravo, two decades later.
She stuck with Sandoval
On June 13, Kristen and Luke Broderick hosted Bachelor Nation’s Joe Amabile on their Balancing Act podcast. After explaining why she turned down The Bachelor, Joe wondered if she would have accepted had she been single.
“I think so,” she admitted. “But I thought you get paid or get a weekly something.” Joe clarified that contestants on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette aren’t paid. Kristen asked, “So you have to leave your job and everything [in your life]?” Yup. That’s basically it. Contestants allegedly also pay for their own wardrobe, hair, and makeup.
Luckily, Kristen went on to become an original cast member of Pump Rules in 2013. Among other storylines, the first few seasons followed Kristen and Tom’s rollercoaster relationship. They were together from 2007 to 2013, breaking up for good once Kristen admitted onscreen that she slept with costar Jax Taylor. Kristen was fired from VPR in 2020, alongside Stassi Schroeder, for racially insensitive behavior toward another former cast member, Faith Stowers.
The former server was reinstated into Bravo’s good graces earlier this year and cast in the VPR spinoff The Valley. The new show features Kristen and Luke, along with Jax and his now-estranged wife Brittany Cartwright. The Vanderpump alums are shown navigating their grownup lives in the suburbs, raising children, and hanging out with other married couples. Despite the fact that two of the show’s four central couples have split since the show began – Jesse and Michelle Lally filed for divorce, in addition to Jax and Britt’s separation – The Valley has been renewed for Season 2.
All episodes of Vanderpump Rules and The Valley are streaming on Peacock.
