A decade into its run, when most reality TV series have either died an ignoble death or are simply awaiting the axe of cancellation, Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules stumbled upon a late-career renaissance.

When TMZ broke the news that the show’s leading lad, Tom Sandoval, was carrying on an affair with the best friend of his live-in girlfriend, Ariana Madix, of nine years, her heart may have been broken, but a star was born. Blindsided by TMZ’s bombshell, which broke midway through the show’s 10th season, Bravo retroactively edited the second half of the episodes to foreshadow the “Scandoval,” culminating with more than 10 million viewers and rendering VPR the highest-rated broadcast in the network’s history. Madix, who became America’s sweetheart overnight, forayed the betrayal into brand sponsorships worth a reported $1 million, a record-setting gig starring in Chicago on Broadway, hosting Love Island, and publishing a New York Times-bestselling cocktail book.