Now officially known as the “Scandoval,” the secret affair between Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss has rocked the worlds of the cast members of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules. The news was especially devastating for Ariana Madix, Sandoval’s longtime partner (now his ex).
While the season’s reunion episode hasn’t aired yet, it was filmed in March, and apparently, things got very spicy. Recently, Sandoval opened up about the affair on Howie Mandel’s podcast Howie Mandel Does Stuff — and he definitely did not hold back. So is the controversial couple still together?
‘Vanderpump Rules’ Scandoval explained
Apparently, the affair between Sandoval and Leviss began last summer, although there has been speculation that it started even sooner, at least emotionally. Sandoval and Madix had been in a relationship for nine years when she learned of his infidelity in early March.
It happened one night when Madix was out at a venue supporting Sandoval’s band. At one point, Sandoval and Leviss were seen kissing, presumably before Madix got ahold of his phone and found a racy video of Leviss and inappropriate texts between the two that spanned months.
Madix was both blindsided and devastated, and she ended her relationship with Sandoval immediately. Through all of this, a season of Vanderpump Rules was filming, so fans will see a lot of it as it unfolds.
Tom Sandoval clears the air with Howie Mandel
Sandoval appeared on Howie Mandel Does Stuff in mid-April, allowing Mandel and his daughter (who is a huge fan of the show) to ask him questions about his affair and the fallout.
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Sandoval claimed that, while he still loves Madix, they’d been “living their own lives” for quite some time and seemed to be growing apart. He said the relationship was more like a friendship and lacked intimacy, which Madix clearly disagreed with, considering how blindsided she was.
Sandoval also said he initially encouraged Leviss to date his best friend, Tom Schwartz, and was surprised when Schwartz wasn’t interested in pursuing her. Sandoval and Leviss started talking more and more, and late one night, when he was locked out of his house, they shared their first kiss, which Sandoval called “magnetic.” He felt things emotionally, he said, he hadn’t felt in quite a while.
At one point, Mandel asked point blank if he and Leviss are currently together.
“We’re not putting a label on it,” Sandoval said, saying they were “on a break,” which included a break from being sexually intimate. Leviss has also claimed she and Sandoval are currently “on a break.”
Lisa Vanderpump and other cast members have weighed in
When Andy Cohen asked Lisa Vanderpump if she thought Sandoval and Leviss were in love, she said she didn’t know and hoped to learn more at the reunion. She, like most, was shocked by the news of the affair. While many cast members don’t think the relationship will last, one insider claims the two have fallen hard for each other and are “the real deal.”
“It’s no excuse for what they did and the people they hurt,” the anonymous source added. “But they see a long-term future together. Only time will tell if their bond can survive the backlash.”
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