Photo:Amanda Edwards/Getty; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; River Callaway/Variety via Getty
Amanda Edwards/Getty; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; River Callaway/Variety via Getty
Rachel “Raquel” Levissis questioning if her relationship withTom Sandovalwas all for show.
TheBravo alum, 29, pondered whether Sandoval, 41, was using their shockingmonths-long affair— which ended hisnine-year relationshipwithAriana Madix— to stay relevant onVanderpump Rules.
“I definitely didn’t mastermind this [affair]. I think I fell into this situation and just didn’t know how to handle it,” she said on the latest episode of herRachel Goes Roguepodcast. “The thought has crossed my mind, like:Did Tom mastermind this?He is known to self-produce, and all he has is this show.”
Rachel Leviss and Tom Sandoval.Santiago Felipe/Getty, River Callaway/Variety via Getty
Santiago Felipe/Getty, River Callaway/Variety via Getty
Leviss further noted that “the success of the show equals longevity in his career,” adding, “He’s over 40 now, and this is his life, this is his main income.”
The former pageant queen admitted the pair had discussed how their relationship would be portrayed on screen.
She ultimately came to the realization of “Oh my God, my inner child chose Tom — this 40-year-old? Like, no! I’m like, ‘No, honey!’”
After the affair became public knowledge, Leviss said she saw a different side to Sandoval and even compared him to her ex-fiancé (who’s also aVPRstar)James Kennedy, from whom shesplitin 2021.
She notes that “a lot of his character came forward, and, ugh, the way that he would talk to my parents, it just seemed like a James 2.0 situation, and I won’t allow that in my relationships anymore.”
Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval attend White Fox After Hours At Delilah Los Angeles on October 18, 2022.Vivien Killilea/Getty
Vivien Killilea/Getty
On a previous episode ofRachel Goes Rogue, Levissquestioned Sandoval’s intentionsfor fostering a closer, more intimate relationship with her when she was still processing her broken engagement to Kennedy.
“He knew I was going through this heartbreak, and I’ve heard him say on his interviews ‘Oh, Raquel really was coming into her own.’ And that’s what attracted him to me,” she said. But now, “I’m like, ‘You a–hole. You could have just let me be. Like, let me live. Why can’t you cheer me on as a friend?'”
Leviss also shared the “biggest way” Sandoval betrayed her was“filming me without my consent.”The comment come nearly one year after Sandoval’s now-ex Madix, 38,found an intimate videoon his phone — one that Leviss has since said was screen-recorded without her knowledge. The discovery prompted Madix to immediatelyend their relationship.VPRcameras resumed filming, despite having concluded production for season 10 months before, and the rest isEmmy-nominatedhistory.
Now Leviss sums up, “I can see the impact the show had on my decisions, the impact that my trauma and my connection with Tom had on those decisions, and my trust in him and betraying myself in that process. I’ve been able to see a lot clearer now. That’s what I needed. I needed that space to gain that clarity.”
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Vanderpump Rulesseason 11 premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
source: people.com
