Lost in translation? Recent claims Scheana Shay made seem to indicate a misunderstanding between herself and co-star Katie Maloney. And what started as a private conversation morphed into what is shaping up to be the biggest new feud on Vanderpump Rules.
While appearing on Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea podcast, Scheana revealed that Katie had given ex-husband Tom Schwartz her “blessing” to date costar Raquel Leviss.
According to Page Six, Katie shared her opinion about Tom and Raquel’s compatibility in a conversation with Scheana. The Scheananigans host then interpreted that exchange as a green light to set them up. Her destination wedding to Brock Davies served as the perfect backdrop for the now infamous hook up.
“There was a conversation that happened between Katie and I … and Katie said, ‘I think they would make a good couple,’ or, ‘They might be a good match,’ or something along those lines,” Scheana explained during the podcast.
“So I took that and ran with it and I told Raquel, ‘Katie kind of gives you her blessing if you want to pursue that.’ And then you’ll see the rest play out,” Scheana added. Well, Raquel certainly took that advice to heart.
Tom got a chance to respond when he appeared on an episode of Scheana’s podcast. The footage is seen in an upcoming episode of Pump Rules. She teased the Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner about rumors that he and Raquel hooked up at Coachella.
Scheana asked, “A few months ago, Raquel and I talked about how there was this rumor you guys were making out at Coachella. Would you make the rumors true?”
Contrast this light-hearted banter with Katie’s rage when she discovered Scheana’s involvement behind the scenes. Katie makes a FaceTime call to co-star, and Scheana’s friend, Lala Kent. “Scheana, you’re a s—tty person,” Katie said. “Karma’s going to come for you and I’ll watch your world burn and I’ll smile.”
In another scene, Katie and Tom are engaged in an emotional conversation during which she calls Scheana a “bitch” that is “tearing” them apart. Tom responds with a dramatic sigh.
Indeed, the exes wanted to maintain an amicable separation and were still on good terms during the Season 10 premiere. But the season trailer indicates trouble between the former couple over Tom’s dalliance with Raquel.
Scheana reacted with surprise. “Was Katie joking? Was Katie serious?” she said. “I did push that because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do.”
Would Tom and Raquel have hooked up regardless of Scheana’s encouragement? Apparently, the two were distant acquaintances at best. In July 2022, Tom explained, “I was so caught up in my own little world and I was married — I never took time to get to know Raquel.”
“She was always cool. I just never really took [the] time to invest in her. That’s a horrible way to phrase it. I never really gave her a chance,” he said while on Scheana’s podcast. “She has so much depth and character. I think I wrote her off.”
A month later, Tom and Raquel locked lips at Scheana’s wedding. To make matters worse, the incident was caught on camera. A further humiliation for Katie. It certainly explains why she asked her ex not to date within their friend group.
“I guess that was her just wanting to still have some control over Schwartz, you know?” Scheana opined about Katie’s ultimatum for Tom. “Like, just another ultimatum, another control thing. I think that’s what it was,” she added.
Raquel accepted Tom’s decision not to explore their relationship further. But she questions if that’s what he really wanted. “As far as a romantic thing, it was more his decision to not pursue that,” Raquel said. “I think Katie had a big reasoning as to why.”
Tom and Katie lived their romance out in front of VPR cameras. They started dating in September 2010 and were wed by Lisa Vanderpump in August 2016. After a decade together, Katie filed for divorce in March 2022.
Katie and Scheana “don’t speak” anymore. Scheana understands Katie’s feelings regarding Tom. She said, “I think it’s always going to be upsetting either way when you hear your ex is moving on, hooking up with someone else. It’s just an extra sting when it’s someone as beautiful as Raquel, who is also on the show, and then you have that thrown in your face.”
Scheana continued, “That’s just an extra sting, so I get it. And when she said that, you know, maybe she wasn’t being serious. But I took it and ran with it and you will see all of that.”
Meanwhile, Katie has moved on with a much younger man.
TELL US- WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SCHEANA’S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE RAQUEL/TOM HOOKUP? DO YOU THINK SHE MISUNDERSTOOD KATIE? SHOULD KATIE BE SURPRISED ABOUT SCHEANA’S INVOLVEMENT? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF KATIE’S DATING RULE FOR TOM?
[Photo by: Tommy Garcia/Bravo]
