The Cast Of 'Vanderpump Rules,' Then & Now

This season of Vanderpump Rules has made a lot of changes to the cast, both in members and in dynamic. We see a couple of new faces joining in on the drama at SUR, former background cast members stepping into the spotlight, and characters that we have grown to love (to hate) are nowhere to be found. Stassi has been absent for most of Season 4 and honestly, I can't tell whether that has hurt or helped. Now we see Scheana, Katie, and even dark horse James slipping into more starring roles this season. Who saw any of it coming? No one, that's who, which is why comparing the Vanderpump Rules cast from Season 1 to now is pretty mindblowing.

When viewers first met the employees of SUR in Season 1, things were entirely different. Tom Sandoval and Kristen Doute were in a contentious (but seriously longterm) relationship, Jax was getting Stassi's name tattooed on his body, Katie made some truly questionable hair dye decisions, and no one even knew that James existed. My, how Lisa Vanderpump's crop of characters have grown. "Grown" may be a really generous word to use in this situation since one of the latest episodes showcased Tom Shwartz getting "Bubba" tattooed on his bum. Maybe the more apt term to use here is, "changed." Either way, take a look at the cast transformations from Season 1 until now.

Stassi Schroeder

Stassi definitely found her style since Season 1, and I love her affinity for statement necklaces. She didn't really change that much in the attitude department, though, always finding herself at the center of drama.

Jax Taylor

Jax has changed about 0.1 percent since the beginning of the show. He started off obsessed with Stassi and only recently has shown that he isn't still obsessed with Stassi. He began the series lying about everything under the sun and he is probably lying to someone about something as we speak. His track record with the ladies began with him tattooing Stassi's signature on his arm because he cheated on her, but hey, maybe he learned from that mistake and won't get inked so quickly next time.

Kristen Doute

Kristen has done some changing for sure. I feel like she has gone in so many directions that we can't even count them all. When the show began, she and Tom Sandoval were in love and seemed like they were really, actually best friends. There were times I even rooted for them! Then it seemed to slowly descend into madness. She and Tom started having these bizarre fights and then Kristen ended up admitting that she slept with Jax and things just went insane. She was trying to defend her honor by sabotaging people and relationships and she became the ultimate villain. Luckily this season it seems like she has actually mellowed and found her real personality. She dumped toxic James, isn't sabotaging her friends anymore, and created her own T-shirt line. Nice recovery!

Tom Sandoval

Tom began as Kristen's boyfriend who sang in a band and had a longer beauty routine than her. Now, he is Ariana's boyfriend who sings in a band and has a longer beauty routine than her and has grown his hair into a semi-mushroom cut that bothers me greatly. But he has always used a straightener and shaved every inch of his body, so some things have stayed where they belong in the world.

Tom Shwartz

Shwartz has changed completely and yet not at all. I know that doesn't seem to make sense, but hear me out. He looks exactly the same. He's a hair straightener kind of guy and wears pants too short for him. He still is terrified by commitment and still with Katie. That's all the same. The thing that has completely changed about him? He put a ring on it. He finally realized what an amazing lady he is with and adorably proposed to her this season. Shwartz for the win.

Katie Maloney

Katie has grown in leaps and bounds, in my opinion. Her style has improved immensely and she seems more like she has figured out who she is as a person. I love that about her. Her attitude has also received an insanely noticeable upgrade. She used to do whatever Stassi told her to and never really stood up for herself, but now she is strong and ended their friendship. She also made herself more assertive in her relationship with Shwartz and didn't let him keep resorting to the "I hate commitment" trope. She even has her own beauty blog, Pucker and Pout that is amazing.

Scheana Shay

Sheana has made her way into sort of a starring role this season. She started off as the object of Stassi's revulsion because she was the girl who dated a married man and has now married her soulmate and figured out how to stop forcing that pop star career to happen. She also has her own line of makeup with Starlooks, so she's found success personally and professionally.

Seeing how much the cast has changed, I can only hope that Vanderpump Rules will last for another four seasons (and even more) so that I can keep charting the SURvers' evolution — and hair styles.

Image: Bravo