After the drama of #Scandoval, everyone is wondering if Raquel will return to Vanderpump Rules. Raquel (or Rachel as she’s now known but for the sake of consistency, we’ll call her Raquel) was embroiled with her fellow VPR castmate Tom Sandoval when it was revealed he’d been cheating on his girlfriend of 10 years, Ariana Madix, with Raquel, her best friend at the time. Ariana, who is also a cast member on Vanderpump Rules, confirmed the affair in an Instagram post at the time.
“hi. where to begin? i want to express my most sincere gratitude for the outpouring of love and support i have received from friends, family, and people i’ve never even met in the last two weeks. when i have felt like i couldn’t even stand, you all have given me the strength to continue and seen me through my darkest hours,” she wrote. “to say i have been devastated and broken is an understatement. however, i know that i am not in this alone. so many of my closest friends are also grieving this loss right now and reeling from this betrayal on so many levels. i am so fucking lucky to have the best support system in the world and i hope i can repay every single person for the love you have shown me. what doesn’t kill me better run. love, ariana.”
Tom also confirmed the affair in his own Instagram post in March 2023. “I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly,” he wrote. “I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us.” He continued. “I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.”
After a VERY public falling out, fans of the show will be wondering if Raquel will return to Vanderpump Rules and we finally have answers.
Is Raquel Returning to Vanderpump Rules?
Is Raquel Returning to Vanderpump Rules? It doesn’t sound like she is. According to the LA Times, she was meant to come back but after the fallout of Scandoval, things got tricky for Raquel. “We had conversations with both her reps and her directly. Our first concern was how she was doing, and whether or not it made sense…personally, emotionally. She was very conflicted about it,” Executive Producer Alex Baskin shared. “There was, frankly, a lot of conversations about money. Her team was very clear that they felt that she should be rewarded. At one point, they raised the idea of her getting a development deal.”
Based on what she told Bethenny Frankel on her Just B podcast; “I just heard what you were saying on TikTok and using my case as an example of exploitation and the way that the network is running to the bank—like laughing, running to the bank with this scandal and I haven’t seen a single penny,” Leviss said. “I feel like it’s not fair and I feel like a toddler saying, ‘It’s not fair,’ but it really isn’t.”
Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss, June 30, 2021. Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images
She continued, “And I feel like I’ve been portrayed as the ultimate villain. My mistakes, that I’ve made on camera, live on forever. And you mentioned the addiction of doing reality TV and the way they always dangle that carrot in front of you telling you, ‘You need to tell your side of the story, otherwise it’s going to be written for you.’ And that’s terrifying. So, I almost went back just because of that.”
She also explained how compensation in the reality TV world works and how the cast goes about negotiating for more money. She signed on for season 10 because she was newly single after a breakup with co-star James Kennedy.
“One of the things that producers also told me is that you get paid based off your performance from the season prior,” she said of signing on for Season 10, the season of Scandoval. “So, that already set me up to want to perform well going into Season 10.”
A source told ET in an article published on August 10, 2023, that, “Rachel [Leviss’ birth name] has been spending time with her family in Arizona since leaving the mental health facility,” they said. “Rachel has been receiving letters from people opening up about their own mental health journey and applauding her for taking time away from filming to focus on her mental health. Rachel is in a really good place and has been enjoying a slower pace of life. She’s been doing Pilates and often goes hiking.”
They added: “Rachel knows that if she films for Vanderpump Rules it won’t be good for her mental health. She feels she already said what she needed to say at the reunion and she’s putting that all behind her and is moving forward,” the source told ET. “Rachel hasn’t filmed for the new season of Vanderpump Rules, but it’s not fully off the table.”
TMZ also reported that Raquel wouldn’t be returning to the reality TV show, writing in an article published on August 6 that: “VPR cast members are now feeling more than confident Rachel will NOT return for Season 11. … Bottom line … it’s going to be hard to integrate Rachel into the storylines,” the tabloid reported. “What’s more, we’re told none of the cast, aside from Tom Sandoval, has been in touch with Rachel since they saw her at the emotional reunion show in late March, which was shot just before Rachel checked into a mental health facility, which she recently left after a lengthy stay.”
However, these reports conflict others. On July 11, 2023, Twitter user @thebravobabe_ said Raquel had signed her contract and that filming was to commence a week later. Reality Tea seemingly confirmed the news.
The previous month, Us Weekly reported that Raquel “hadn’t decided” whether to return to the show but it was being discussed. “Raquel is currently in talks about returning for the next season of Vanderpump Rules. However, she hasn’t decided whether or not she wants to come back to the show,” the insider said.
Raquel Leviss. Photo by: Nicole Weingart/Bravo
The reality star had previously checked herself into a mental health facility. ET reported “Raquel and her family decided before the relationship was discovered that she would enter a voluntary facility for mental health counseling,” according to her rep. They added that Leviss had planned to admit herself before the VPR reunion was taped on March 23. “She was scheduled to go in pre-reunion but decided she wanted to finish her filming commitment. Bravo and production were aware and in support of her journey towards better mental health.”
The insider added that Raquel, was “still getting treatment at the mental health facility and that continues to be her priority,” at the time. The source added that “nothing has been confirmed yet other than the fact that she’s in negotiations about returning [to the Bravo reality series].”
TMZ reported July that Raquel undergone “intensive” therapy for two months after news broke of her and Tom’s affair, racking up a bill of more than $2000,000 and a source told the tabloid that she’s “like a totally different person.”
Leviss issued a statement to People on March 8 that included an apology and a promise to focus on her well-being moving forward. “I need to take care of my health, work on self-growth and take time to be ok with being alone,” she said. “I care for Tom and I don’t want to label anything or predict what lies ahead. Right now, I need to heal.”
Initial reports of Tom and Raquel’s affair broke in early March 2023, with sources close to the couple confirming that Sandoval and Leviss had been seeing each other secretly for at least seven months—since August 2022.
Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix, in 2022. Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty ImagesGetty Images.
We later got confirmation of the timeline from Sandoval’s close friend and business partner Tom Schwartz during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. Schwartz admitted that he knew the two were involved in an “emotional affair” in August 2022. Though at the time, Schwartz claims that Sandoval assured him the encounter with Leviss was a one-time thing. According to Schwartz, it wasn’t until five months later in January 2023 that Sandoval admitted to Schwartz that he was “in love” with Leviss.
The season-10 reunion of Vanderpump Rules was filmed on March 23, 2023; and it was reported that Leviss and Shay would film separately due to the restraining order (which was dismissed just a few days later). Cohen said he started by filming one-on-one interviews with Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, and Raquel Leviss to hear their version of the events; before bringing the entire cast together to discuss the events of the season and the affair.
Later that evening, friends of Madix shared an Instagram story of the entire crowd booing a news clip of Sandoval and Leviss at a bar. In the video, Ariana is wearing a bright yellow sweatsuit with the words “1-800-BOYS-LIE” on it and is seen booing loudly while giving a thumbs down. Meanwhile, TMZ captured exclusive photos of Tom and Raquel going out for dinner together after the taping. The two were also seen having a heart-to-heart during a smoke break outside the studio during Thursday’s reunion taping.
News broke of Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss’ breakup on May 17, 2023. Page Six reported at the time that Leviss was one to the end the relationship. “Raquel dipped out. Sandoval is not the one for her,” a source told the site at the time.
A source, however, told The Messenger at the time that Sandoval was the one to break up with Leviss so he could focus on his music. “His relationships with everyone right now are on the back burner, and he’s focusing on his music,” the insider said. “He’s about to turn 40 and trying his best to move away from all of this, but he’s struggling at times. Like anyone trying to better themselves, it’s one day at a time.”
Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 pm ET. Here’s how to watch it for free.
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