Brittany Reveals the Real Reason She Wore *That* Tiny Romper to a Job Interview: “Backfired”
Sometimes it’s hard to remember there was a time when Brittany Cartwright wasn’t part of the Vanderpump Rules universe. Brittany’s been a player in some of the most memorable moments in the show — but one of her most iconic moments actually happened when she was first introduced in Season 4 as Jax Taylor’s girlfriend and a possible new SUR employee.
We’re referencing, of course, when Brittany shocked Lisa Vanderpump by showing up for a job interview in a tiny blue romper with white lace trim. While the laid-back look was undoubtedly cute, LVP, uh, didn’t think it was the right fit for the moment, even if the job in question was bartending at SUR (where the uniforms are, admittedly, almost as small).
“I don’t know what she’s interviewing for, a job at SUR or a job as Jax’s girlfriend. I don’t quite understand what she’s wearing. It doesn’t seem entirely appropriate for a job interview. I mean, it is SUR, but put on a pair of trousers at least!” Lisa infamously declared on Season 4, Episode 2 (which originally aired November 9, 2015).
But, as Brittany recalls to Bravo Insider, there was more to the story than fans initially saw.
Brittany Cartwright explains her romper for a SUR job interview
Jax introduces Brittany to Katie and Scheana in Vanderpump Rules Season 4, Episode 2.
Photo: Bravo
“Oh, it’s so funny looking back. I mean, I weighed like 90 pounds. I had no boobs whatsoever!” Brittany laughed while discussing her awkward introduction.
However, she insisted she had a legitimate excuse for the outfit: She had no idea it was a job interview. That’s also why she didn’t show up with a resume, a move which equally appalled Lisa. (“I was not prepared for this,” Brittany admitted in the episode.)
Plus, Brittany said, it wasn’t just that she thought it was an informal meeting. Someone else told her to wear the little romper to see Lisa.
“Jax picked out that outfit! He said that Lisa would like it because the girls wear Saint Tropez dresses with no bras every Saturday. He was like, ‘They wear less clothes than you did as a Hooters girl! She’ll love this, blah, blah, blah,'” she revealed.
And even with Jax endorsing her outfit, she was still so nervous — which also contributed to the awkwardness of the interview.
“I walked in terrified. I mean, meeting Lisa Vanderpump as a girl from Kentucky for the very first time, with everybody being like, ‘This girl’s crazy moving across the world for Jax Taylor!’ There was already a lot of ‘What’s going on here?'” So having to meet Lisa like that was so intimidating,” Brittany reflected. “That’s definitely one of the most intimidating things I’ve ever done in my life. My whole life changed in an instant. I moved to California and just kind of got thrown into it. I’m so grateful for it, but I never would have thought.”
Looking back would she do anything different?
“I would’ve brought a resume!” Brittany laughed. “And I would have worn something different. But that was all Jax! He just knew that it was what Lisa would love. Backfired on me!”
Still, there are no hard feelings on Brittany’s part when she looks back on Lisa’s commentary about her outfit — instead, she finds it hilarious today. In fact, she believes she still has the romper, and would now like to give it the place of honor it so rightfully deserves.
“I wish I would have brought it to Andy [Cohen] like Kristen [Doute] did [with her green dress],” she said. “Maybe I’ll bring it to BravoCon, put it in their museum,”
Brittany Cartwright tells Jax Taylor to “rot in hell”
Of course, that wasn’t the only time Brittany was associated with an iconic fashion moment on the show. Vanderpump Rules fans still quote Brittany’s scathing one-liner to Jax after finding out he cheated on her in Season 6, Episode 2: “Rot in hell.”
While the quip was perfectly concise and to the point, what made the moment even better was Jax’s outfit for their serious talk: a gray sweatshirt with the Taco Bell logo on the back.
“Oh my gosh, it’s just funny because we all loved Taco Bell so much and it’s funny that it was part of that moment,” she recalled.
Of course, Brittany uttered her famous words again that season when even more information about Jax was revealed, this time in the form of a recording of him speaking badly about his then-girlfriend.
“I can only laugh about stuff like that now — because that was a really hard moment for me, obviously. But that rot in hell meme has just went everywhere. It’s funny. People ask me to say it all the time.”
Her favorite rot in hell meme? “It’s something like, when you have to say ‘representative’ [on the phone] and you’re yelling ‘Representative!’ and instead it’s like, me yelling, ‘Rot in hell!'”
While it’s become something of a catchphrase for VPR fans, Brittany never thought it would become so iconic. She was simply trying to get her point across to Jax.
“Coming from a religious family, telling somebody to rot in hell is like one of the worst things that you could say to somebody. So I feel like that was just my biggest comeback in that moment: ‘Rot in hell!’ Because that’s the worst something can do is rot in hell!” Brittany laughed. “That’s what it was.”
