Vanderpump Rules: Jax Taylor Demotes Tom Sandoval from Best Man to Groomsman

Tuesday’s Vanderpump Rules season 8 premiere marks the end of an era: of the original cast, only bartender Jax Taylor and waitress Scheana Shay are still working at Lisa Vanderpump‘s West Hollywood hotspot, SUR.

The episode does introduce us to newbies on staff at SUR and TomTom. General manager Max Boyens, assistant manager Danica Dow and servers Brett Caprioni, Charli Burnett and Dayna Kathan prove that their work and love lives are as complicated as their predecessors. Meanwhile, Scheana is still single and fooling around with co-workers; Raquel Leviss has traded her beauty pageant sash for a waitressing uniform (note: she helped serve this editor when I stopped by SUR last spring, and it was iconic); James Kennedy, absent from the premiere, remains fired; Lala Kent is seven months sober; Stassi Schroeder is mourning her grandmother and at wit’s end with Kristen Doute and Brian Carter’s confusing breakup (they still live and sleep together); and Jax and Brittany Cartwright, Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney-Schwartz, and Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix have moved into nearly identical houses in the Valley.

As Jax and Brittany head toward wedded bliss, his friendship with Sandoval flounders. Jax claims that Sandoval has been ghosting him for weeks and neglecting his duties, so he texted him saying he’s “going to change up my wedding party a little bit,” with Schwartz as the sole best man. But according Sandoval’s version of events, Jax is just being spiteful because he missed a “pre-bachelor” trip to Miami to visit his family.

RELATED: See Vanderpump Rules Stars Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s Beautiful Wedding Photos

“Because I didn’t cancel my flight back to see my mom for Mother’s Day and go to his pre-bachelor party  — which isn’t a thing, by the way — he demoted me to a groomsman from best man,” Sandoval tells the camera. “F– off, dude.”

Sandoval also prickled when Jax tried to “one-up” his new home with Ariana … before moving into the exact same neighborhood.

Katie and Schwartz’s “comfy-chic” house “chilling” party in Valley Village becomes the setting for a blow-up between Kristen and LaLa/Katie over her alleged lies about where things stand with Carter, who attends the bash and tells her he loves her. But it’s also the place where Jax and Tom make up (for now).

“To me and Ariana, that’s like our wedding day, in a sense,” Sandoval explains of purchasing a home. “And then when I’m getting ready to move into my house, you’re like, ‘How much is it? What’s the square footage?’ I’m telling you about something that I’m so excited about, and you told me about how you’re going to do better. ‘Me and Brittany, we need to be in a good school … ”

“Yeah, because we want family,” Jax replies. “In my head I’m like, he’s gonna get a shoebox. He’s gonna get a shoebox. You are two people. I plan on having a couple kids. I need a big house. You have the fortune where it’s just you two. I have a lot more people, so yeah, I’m gonna have to spend a lot more money, ’cause, you know, Brittany’s gonna want two or three kids.”

“Jax, I’ve known you for a really long time. It felt like just a one-upping every step of the way,” Sandoval insists.

Jax admits that any “hostility” is due to his feeling neglected by his friend since getting engaged. “I saw you like once. This is a serious time for me. I’m getting married,” he says.

Tom insists he told Jax he wouldn’t be able to make the pre-bachelor party. Jax says all he wanted was a check-in text. “I did text you that!” Tom points out. Jax denies this, so Tom pulls out the receipts: a text that reads, “After this week let’s get together. Let me know what I can help out with.”

“I didn’t remember seeing it,” Jax says, before realizing he did in fact respond to that message.

RELATED VIDEO: Vanderpump Rules‘ Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix Joke About the Cast’s ‘Great Valley Migration’

In a confessional, Sandoval paints his pal as a groom-zilla.  “With Jax’s wedding this summer, he’s kind of enjoying this like power that he has,” he says. “I feel like he’s definitely taking advantage of it.”

But for the moment, the guys hug it out, and Sandoval gets bumped back up to best man with Schwartz.

“Obviously I want you to be my best man. That wasn’t my intention. My intention was to get your attention, and I think I did,” Jax says.

Jax and Brittany got married last June in Kentucky. Both Toms served as best men, but if the season trailer is any indication, the road to their wedding is paved with more drama — and every friendship will be put to the test.

Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.