Sometimes, reality stars change their names, including members of the Vanderpump Rules cast. Some of the name changes came with drama.
Vanderpump Rules has had many cast members over the years, and some have gone as far as to change their birth names. Bravo viewers have loved watching the employees of Lisa Vanderpump's SUR serve up drama for the past ten seasons. As the cast has developed, so have their nicknames.
There are a lot of famous names in Los Angeles who thought that changing their names would help their careers, such as Natalie Portman and Jamie Foxx. However, members of Vanderpump Rules have also decided to jump on the bandwagon and change their names, perhaps dreaming of getting golden stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, like the aforementioned A-list celebs. As Bravo viewers know, Raquel Leviss was recently mocked for her decision to change her name. While these reality TV stars may not be as famous as other blockbuster stars, their dreams haven't changed. Some may be changing their names to get more attention, or hide from their pasts.
6 Scheana Shay (Scheana Marie Jancan)
Vanderpump Rules fans first met the "Good as Gold" singer back during season 1, when she was Scheana Marie. At the time, the young "SURver" was battling the stigma of being a mistress, as her affair was discussed on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Brandi Glanville confronted her during a party, because Scheana slept with her then-husband, Eddie Cibrian. Scheana eventually embraced her first married name, Shay, but has yet to change it to her new surname, Davies.
During a recent episode of her podcast, Scheananigans with Scheana Shay, the mother of one revealed that she and her husband Brock Davies both want to change their names to match their daughter Summer Moon Davies's surname. The Australian native shared that he would like to add 'Honey' to his own last name, leaving Scheana to reveal that she's waiting until she can legally change it again, to Scheana Marie Honey Davies.
5 James Kennedy (James Georgiou)
James was actually born James Georgiou, to the son of musician and DJ, Andros Georgiou. Vanderpump Rules viewers have only known the UK native by his DJ name since he joined the Bravo show during season 3 in 2015. Back then, he dated Kristen Doute. However, James didn't double-check his new name before using it. For this reason, he was involved in a case of mistaken identity. A UK singer who's also named James Kennedy once pleaded with fans of the show to stop sending him the DJ's hate mail, as it wasn't him they were mad at.
4 Stassi Schroeder (Nastassia Bianca Schroeder)
The Queen Bee of Vanderpump Rules has changed everything she's ever disliked about herself. Whether it was her weak chin that required an implant, or erasing some wrinkles, Stassi (born Nastassia Bianca) has always embraced the chameleon inside her. The moniker 'Stassi' was meant to come across as cool and classy, while her given name sounds like it should belong to a Russian princess. Her given name is attractive, but it's a longer name. Stassi married Beau Clark, and now goes by Stassi Schroeder Clark.
3 Lala Kent (Lauryn Burningham)
Lala doesn't take much guff from anyone, so when she introduced herself as Lala, her castmates tried not to balk at the nickname. As the mother of one noted on the third installment of the Vanderpump Rules reunion, she enjoys going by her nickname, and has never legally changed it. The outspoken Bravo star was born Lauren Elyse Burningham, but changed it to Lauryn Burningham. Then, she changed it to Lauryn Kent.
She settled on Lala because it was a better stage name for her fans to remember. Lala eventually chose the last name Kent because it was her father's first name. As viewers know, her father passed away in 2018. Lala's also changed her Twitter name back to Lauryn Kent, but it would be hard to change her entire business line. All the shifts left followers a bit confused.
2 Raquel Leviss (Rachel Leviss)
Raquel made sure that Vanderpump Rules season 10 followers wouldn't be able to forget her name, thanks to her extreme betrayal after it was revealed that she had been having an affair with Tom Sandoval. Many, including Ariana, feel that Raquel has faked her way to the top. That opinion may be spot on, after it was revealed that the former pageant contestant's birth name was Rachel. The fancy moniker fit the picture of a crowned queen for years, and could have helped her when she competed in Miss California and Miss Malibu USA pageants.
Fans saw a new nickname when James' proposed to Raquel at "Rachella," which was a nickname given by the DJ. Now James' ex-fiancee, she changed her name when she was younger, because there were three Rachels in her classroom. During the reunion, multiple cast members called Raquel out about her chosen name, which upset the brunette. However, Lala argued that if she really wanted to be accepted as Raquel, she should have changed her name legally, which she hasn't done yet.
1 Jax Taylor (Jason Cauchi)
The villain of Vanderpump Rules has always been driven by what's currently cool. This trait includes changing his name from Jason to Jax, in the hopes of hitting it big as a model. Even though Jax never went by Jason, he always claimed his name change was nothing more than a stage name. During VPR season 2, Tom Sandoval did call out Jax, as he hinted he changed his name for a more dubious reason, when he first left Florida for West Hollywood.
At the time of Tom's accusation, the cast had traveled to Miami to celebrate Scheana and Mike Shay's upcoming nuptials. Jax's old roommate John popped in to dinner, and the former model admitted to having a relationship with his former roommate. Tom couldn't help but wonder if Jax had really chosen to change his name, because he was running from a past he was trying to forget.
Sources: Scheananigans with Scheana Shay, Lala Kent/Twitter
