Following the season 10 finale of Vanderpump Rules, Ariana Madix is making her intentions to cut ties with Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss clear.
“No. I have nothing to say to either of them,” the 37-year-old reality star told The New York Times in a profile published on Thursday, May 18, when asked whether she was “open to filming with” Sandoval, 40, and Raquel, 28, for season 11 after their affair. “Our show is very real and follows a real group of friends, and neither of them are in the group of friends, so, good luck.”
During the Wednesday, May 17, episode of the reality show, Bravo viewers watched Ariana confront her partner of nine years about his months-long affair with Raquel.
“When he sat down on that couch [during filming] and tried to give the sad sack act, I knew he was going to try to sell a bit,” Ariana told NYT about their heated confrontation. “I knew he was trying to be that person so that I would be the angry person; I could see what was happening in front of my face, and it was really frustrating. Honestly, when he started yelling at me, I felt a little bit satisfied that he was finally going to be the real him.”
Us Weekly confirmed on March 3 that Ariana found a video of Sandoval and Raquel on his phone on March 1. The revelation led to their split — and the network resuming filming.
“A lot of times I feel as though with our friend group and with our show, I’m in a position where someone said something or there was an argument, and I wasn’t there to see it, so I struggle to know how I feel about that kind of situation. In this situation, I felt so strongly. I knew exactly how I felt,” she told the outlet of resuming filming. “I think at that point my blood was 80 percent rosé and nicotine because I was burning the wick at both ends. [Kristen Doute] was asked [by producers] if [she would film] and she said, ‘This is up to you.’ I love her dearly. Their relationship was much different than my relationship with him, but at the same time, I think there is a common denominator when it comes to certain problems. What’s crazy is their relationship ended 10 years ago, and yet, somehow, he’s managed to not grow in those areas at all.”
The controversy sparked outrage from fans and the cast of the show alike. Sandoval and Raquel, who are on a “break” from their romance, came under fire for various interviews about the scandal in the weeks that followed. Ariana told the newspaper that their post-affair actions sealed the deal for her.
“I think any chance that either of them separately had for that ended when they started giving trash interviews victimizing themselves, her TMZ [interview] and his Howie Mandel [interview],” she said. “I think had they not done or said all of those horrible things, maybe one day, but I think the answer ultimately is no. In our friend group, the answer is no.”
Bravo has already picked up Vanderpump Rules for season 11, but hasn’t confirmed the cast or dates of filming as the three-part reunion is set to kick off on Wednesday, May 23.
“The reunion is not just a recap of what you know, and it’s not just an intense version of the emotions. There is new information,” producer Alex Baskin told Variety. “I will put it this way: There are revelations, and they are revelations that not all of them know now. So we need a little space. “I had thought that we needed cameras on them right away. And I now think we need a minute.”
While Raquel seeks treatment for her mental health, Baskin noted that they have contacted her team about her return. “We have had those conversations with her reps,” he said. “She and people around her have to feel OK about [returning]. And so that’s why I also think that waiting a little bit helps.”
