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Leva Bonaparte Weighs in on Southern Hospitality and Vanderpump Rules Comparisons

Southern Charm star Leva Bonaparte teased all about her drama-filled spinoff Southern Hospitality and addressed comparisons to other Bravo series like Vanderpump Rules.

By Brett Malec Nov 28, 2022 10:29 PMTags
Watch: Southern Charm Stars Play 'Would You Rather?' Game at BravoCon

Southern Charm star Leva Bonaparte may be the queen of Charleston nightlife, but Bravo fans shouldn't be too quick to compare her new spinoff Southern Hospitality to fellow Bravolebrity Lisa Vanderpump's bar-centric series Vanderpump Rules.

"I definitely think our business is far more Below Deck than it is Vanderpump in terms of the adrenaline," Leva exclusively told E! News. "I've never been to any of the restaurants that that Vanderpump is running, but this nightclub business—not lounge—but nightclub business is a very different beast."

Southern Hospitality follows the employees of Leva's Charleston hotspot Republic Garden & Lounge, who work hard and play even harder. Leva says the business' high-octane atmosphere only adds to the show's drama.

"You've people who are triggered in every sort of way, you have 150 people that want to get in, you have people that are pissed off, you have people throwing money at you," she explained, "you have egos, you have people trying to impress people. It is chaotic."

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Southern Hospitality First-Look Photos

Continuing to compare the spinoff to other Bravo fan favorites, Leva continued, "I think it's sort of like a baby of all these shows because it's a family run business like Kandi & the Gang and, yes, it's in the hospitality business in terms of Vanderpump and some of the restaurant because we do have food, but this is straight-up adrenaline rush craziness. Like make it or break it type stuff, so it's a little different."

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She also shared how Hospitality differs from Charm in terms of how it showcases the South Carolina city.. "You don't see this side of Charleston on Southern Charm," Leva said. "You see the traditional, old school ways of the South and those sort of social circles, but there's such a young, new South here. This is such a hospitality city and these kids are making 100 grand, 150 grand bartending and they have no responsibilities."

Of course, some of Leva's VIP hosts and employees can be high-maintenance. "There was one point that I really was almost like, 'I'm firing all of you. I'm not doing this show,'' she shared with a laugh. "Things get dicey."

Southern Hospitality premieres tonight, Nov. 28, at 9 p.m. on Bravo.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)

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