tom sandoval raquel leviss affair

An Explainer On The ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Cheating Scandal Taking Over The Internet

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#TeamAriana. Schwartz & Sandy’s. Lightning bolt necklaces. Don’t trust a white man named Tom. Bambi-eyed bitch. If you’ve been on the internet and heard any of these terms over the weekend, it’s because a duplicitous cheating scandal has rocked Bravo show Vanderpump Rules and fans are shaken to their core.

In case you don’t already know, Vanderpump Rules is a Real Housewives spin-off show based on the lives of the staff working in Lisa Vanderpump’s (of RHOBH fame) restaurant SUR. The show is currently airing its 10th season and has recently been rocked by possibly its biggest cheating scandal to date, involving what seemed like the show’s most unbreakable couple, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix, after it came out that Tom had been cheating on Ariana with co-star, Raquel Leviss.

Whether you’re a fan of the show already or not, the drama has been NEXT LEVEL. So strap in, we’re going to break down exactly what happened.

Everything you need to know about the Vanderpump Rules cheating saga surrounding Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, and Raquel Leviss.

 

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A post shared by Thomas Sandoval (@tomsandoval1)

With special mention to Tom Schwartz, Lala Kent, James Kennedy, Kristen Doute, Scheana Shay, and Katie Maloney.

The Breakdown: Who’s Who In The Zoo

The Vanderpump Rules cast can be quite incestuous, there’s no denying that. You’ll figure that out as we go. But at the epicentre of the drama are three main parties: Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, and Raquel Leviss with Tom Schwartz filling in as best supporting actor (we’ll refer to him as Schwartz from here on out).

Tom & Ariana:

Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix have been dating for over nine years. Their love story scandal played out in the early seasons of Vanderpump Rules after the two said they were just friends when he was still dating Kristen Doute, a former cast member. They stuck by the story of only just being friends, and later cemented their status as one of the strongest couples on the series.

Raquel (& James):

Enter Raquel Leviss: she popped up on the show in Season 5 and became a recurring cast member from Season 6 onwards. She was dating James Kennedy, eventually got a job at SUR, became engaged to James, and they broke it off at the end of last season.

Throughout Season 10 so far, her storyline has been focused on having a crush on Schwartz and wanting to make out with him, which now looks to be a decoy strategy (more on that in a sec).

It’s also worth mentioning that out of the entire VPR cast, Raquel has formed a super close friendship with… Ariana.

Schwartz:

Schwartz is Tom Sandoval’s best friend and business partner, with the two owning bars TomTom and Schwartz & Sandy’s together. Throughout all of Vanderpump Rules, he was dating-then-married to Katie Maloney, with the two filing for divorce before Season 10 premiered.

The others: Katie, Scheana, Lala, Kristen

The Vanderpump Rules cast is all intertwined and fraught with drama and on-off friendships and relationships. Lala, used to date James Kennedy, and hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with Raquel, though the two had formed a friendship of sorts before this latest cheating scandal broke.

Scheana has been a cast member since Season 1, she’s best friends with Ariana, but also very close with Raquel. Kristen has been off the show for some time, she used to date both Tom Sandoval and James Kennedy, and is now friends with Ariana. Katie used to be married to Schwartz, she is close friends with Ariana and Lala, and is going into business with Ariana to open a sandwich shop.

The Actual Cheating Saga

The actual cheating saga broke a few days ago after months of rumours about a fling between Schwartz and Raquel. The two share a kiss at some stage of Season 10 of Vanderpump Rules, with Schwartz’s ex, Katie, being very unhappy about it. Now it looks like the whole Schwartz and Raquel storyline was all a ruse for what was really going on: her alleged months-long affair with Tom Sandoval.

US Weekly confirmed the split on 3 March with sources telling Page Six that Tom and Raquel had a “full-on affair” for months and now want to be together. It’s alleged Madix found out about the affair, ended things with Tom and deactivated her social media accounts.

An insider also told Page Six that Tom and Raquel’s affair included sleepovers at Tom and Ariana’s house, when Ariana was out of town, and their affair pre-dated Raquel hooking up with Schwartz. Tom and Raquel apparently also wore matching lightning bolt necklaces as a symbol of their love for each other, something fans are now spotting in the first few episodes of Season 10 of VPR.

Tom even dressed as Raquel for Halloween.

Raquel had previously been facing heat about her hookup with Schwartz prior to news of this affair breaking, citing that she was never “close” with Katie Maloney, despite the two filming scenes where Katie expressed her discomfort about if someone from their friendship circle were to hook up with Schwartz.

Tom Sandoval’s apology

On March 5th, Tom Sandoval uploaded a… kind of apology, telling people not to take their anger out on his business Schwartz & Sandy’s.

There was no mention of Ariana in his apology.

 

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A post shared by Thomas Sandoval (@tomsandoval1)

The Cast Reactions

Minus Schwartz, the majority of the VPR cast have unfollowed both Leviss and Sandoval on social media and openly expressed being on #TeamAriana. Katie Maloney slammed Tom Sandoval’s apology, while uploading photos with her and Ariana, captioning the photoset  “You are going to thrive like you were always meant to,” with former co-star Stassi Schroeder commenting underneath in agreement.

 

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A post shared by Katie Maloney (@musickillskate)


Lala Kent has been particularly vocal, saying Ariana has given her full consent to “torch these motherfuckers”.

@givethemlala???♬ original sound – Lala Kent

Kristen Doute, Sandoval’s ex-girlfriend, uploaded a video with Ariana “in real time”, expressing her love for the heartbroken star.

 

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A post shared by kristendoute ??? (@kristendoute)

James Kennedy, Raquel’s ex, uploaded the news as it broke, saying “this explains everything”.

Scheana Shay, who is besties with Ariana but was also very close with Raquel and defended her during the Schwartz debacle has made her stance known, choosing Ariana.

Scheana v Raquel

There are now rumours that upon finding out the news of Raquel and Tom’s affair, Scheana backhanded Raquel giving her a “black eye”.

What’s Next?

According to multiple news outlets, filming has re-commenced with it looking like this storyline will be added onto Season 10 which just premiered a few weeks ago.

“Everything about this is 100 percent real,” a source told OK! Magazine. “Nothing has been manufactured. It just so happens the cast is filming pick-ups for final episodes of season 10 when all this unfolded. It’s a made-for-TV scandal but one that is very raw and real.”

We have no doubt the reunion for Season 10 is going to be extra spicy. The reality TV Gods have truly blessed us.

#TeamAriana

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You can watch Vanderpump Rules on Hayu.