It wouldn’t be a Stassi Schroeder reality TV return without a cameo from the dark passenger.
During the Wednesday, March 26, episode of her “Stassi” podcast, Schroeder, 36, addressed moments in the trailer for season 2 of Vanderpump Villa in which she and husband Beau Clark are fighting.
“I haven’t [had] the dark passenger in a really long time. So l’m like, ‘Why there? Why on TV? Why can’t I control myself?’” she asked while referring to scenes from Vanderpump Rules where a more emotional side of her personality would emerge on screen . “I think it’s a mixture of a few things. First of all, yes the fact that cameras are around — it’s like everything’s heightened. The stress level is just higher.”
Schroeder called the experience “overwhelming” for her, adding, “It causes your brain to spiral a little bit and just not function properly. But I also think there’s something to the fact of [my] birthdays. There’s so much added pressure for it to be fun, for everyone to be having a great time and for it to not be a snooze fest.”
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She continued: “So you add the pressure of cameras and the pressure of ‘Oh, it’s your birthday and everyone needs to be having fun.’ You’re just bound to spiral. So I’m going to defend the dark birthday passenger. It’s not like I broke any phones.”
Schroeder joked she was “giving like a 36-year-old coastal grand dark passenger” with her behavior in season 2. Hulu announced in August 2024 that Schroeder would be joining the season 2 cast of Vanderpump Villa as part of a larger deal including her own show, Stassi Says. The half-hour docu-comedy is currently in development.
Schroeder made her reality TV debut as a contestant on season 8 of The Amazing Race. She also starred on the short-lived show Queen Bees, which aired two years before Schroeder took a job as a waitress at Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant. The job paved the way for Schroeder to lead Vanderpump Rules for eight seasons before she was fired alongside Kristin Doute following controversy with their former costar Faith Stowers.
For those unfamiliar with Vanderpump Villa, the reality series started streaming in 2024. Set in Vanderpump’s luxury French villa, Château Rosabelle, the show highlights the staff as they live and work together while catering to their high-profile guests.
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Season 2 is set in Italy with even more drama, appearances with the stars of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and more. Schroeder, however, wasn’t allowed to tease any of it when the show was still in production.
“They said, ‘But you’re not allowed to say that you’re here — even though you’re going to film a video with Lisa in the Italian castle and post it.’ So if I’m not allowed to say what I’m doing, how am I supposed to do my job?” she recalled asking. “In terms of posting, they were like, ‘You can’t post any photos to where people can place where you’re at.’ So I’m literally just going to pose in front of brick walls.”
Schroeder continued: “I wasn’t allowed to say that I filmed it. So I got back home and then went on tour, met thousands of people and everyone kept asking me about it. And I’m like, ‘I don’t know what to say. I’m apparently not allowed to even say anything.’”
Vanderpump Villa returns to Hulu on Thursday, April 24.
