Why Shayne Davis ‘Almost Didn’t Do’ the Show (Exclusive)

It takes a certain type of person to agree to put their life out on reality television.

Vanderpump Rules season 12 introduced an all-new cast composed almost entirely of employees at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant, SUR, with Shayne Davis being the only main cast member who doesn’t work at the West Hollywood hotspot. He recently spoke with PEOPLE about his reservations before ultimately deciding to move forward with the show.

“I almost didn’t do it, to be honest with you,” Davis admits. “I know what my life looks like, and it ain’t always great. And I was like, ‘Damn, is that something I really want out?’ Because this is different. This is, they’re following your life, and they’re going to see it all, and so that really made me nervous.”

“But I was like — I don’t know — I’m trying to get more comfortable with myself, so screw it,” he adds.

He adds that he had never seen an episode of the earlier seasons of VPR until his friend and costar, Marcus Johnson, who has been working at SUR since 2021, came to him with Vanderpump, 65, to ask him to join. 

“I’ve been friends with this dude for almost a decade now, and I’m always in the area, always kicking it with him. He’s lived with me before,” Davis, who is three years sober, says of Johnson. “I eat here a lot. I’m also at AA meetings on this street. There’s plenty. So Lisa saw me and was like, ‘This guy’s got to do it.’ And he asked me to, and I was like, ‘Well, I can’t let my boy go to war alone.’ So here we are.”

“At the end of the day, I’ve always had problems in my family and in my friend groups,” he continues. “The only difference is now there’s a camera that picks it all up.”

Teasing that it’s “sometimes really bad” when he forgets that he’s being filmed, Davis says he doesn’t exactly know what to expect as the season airs. 

“I’m curious to see if I’m a s—– dude or not,” he laughs. “Because I don’t know. Sometimes, am I a  s—– guy? And I get to watch it on camera, and I get to watch my life unfold on camera, and that part of it makes me nervous. But I know that if I’m a s—– dude, I’m going to try to work on it, so it might even be therapeutic, some might say. Like, this is a way for you to look back and grow.”

Along with Davis and Johnson, the new cast includes Venus Binkley, Jason Cohen, Chris Hahn, Angelica Jensen, Audrey Lingle, Natalie Maguire, Demy Selem and Kim Suarez.

News of the shakeup came in November 2024 — just 24 hours after original cast members Tom Sandoval,  Ariana Madix, Scheana Shay, Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz, James Kennedy and Lala Kent were told — and season 12 premiered on Dec. 5, 2025.

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Vanderpump Rules season 12 airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, with episodes available the following day on Peacock.