After months of speculation, Rachel “Raquel” Leviss is reportedly returning for Vanderpump Rules Season 11. She’s coming straight from a two-month stay in a mental health facility, going by her birth name, and claiming to be a completely different person…again. It’s safe to say VPR fans, regardless of their own feelings towards Rachel, are uneasy about this news. Here are some of the reasons why her return could backfire.
The State of Rachel’s Mental Health
It appears Rachel just got out of the mental health facility. Wouldn’t returning to the environment that made her seek treatment undo that work and reopen old wounds? Especially this soon? We find it hard to believe any psychologist would recommend filming again. Reentering day-to-day life after months of intensive treatment is an adjustment for anyone. Let alone under such extreme circumstances as Scandoval.
To put it in other terms, imagine someone injures themselves in a paragliding accident. No one would recommend they start paragliding again immediately after healing.
Rachel’s healing surely isn’t over just because she left the facility. There’s no instant cure for mental health. It’s something you have to work on every day.
If Rachel hasn’t truly changed, and isn’t willing to continue the work, the conversations about mental health won’t help anyone. If she chalks up all of her actions to this, it actually may do more harm to the stigmas surrounding mental illness. Especially if she is unwilling to acknowledge how much her actions hurt the mental health of others.
Rachel’s Identity Crisis
Claims that Rachel is now a completely different person actually indicate she’s the same. Rachel’s lack of secure identity was a reoccurring theme of Season 10. Her personality shifted alongside her affair with Tom Sandoval. As Ariana Madix said, Rachel looked for identity in men. Even when the man was her best friend’s life partner. If she hasn’t sorted out her identity issues, she could make the same mistakes.
Rachel’s Conflicting Stories Aren’t Promising
As multiple stories about Rachel’s return come out, fans are frustrated with the inconsistencies. Recent articles claim she has to return due to her contract. If true, it’s incredibly odd this information would only come out now. Does that mean previous stories about her negotiating and being hesitant to sign on were phony?
VPR Season 11 was far from a guarantee pre-Scandoval, which is likely when this contract was set up. Even if she was already signed for multiple seasons, Bravo does not historically bind stars to their contracts no matter what. Cast members have suddenly quit shows many times before. The contract story feels more like a built-in excuse for when her motivations for returning get questioned.
Rachel got a lot of flack for her inconsistencies and changing stories. Remember when she continued to lie in her “coming clean” interview? So, this is another indication she may not have grown that much. And if the stories are all coming from her parents and her team, that shows she still hasn’t taken control of her life.
Reclaiming Rachel Could Backfire
The choice to go by Rachel was framed as a way to own her “detractors.” We’re not sure that’s a great mindset. It’s also a strange choice after appearing to insinuate calling her Rachel was akin to deadnaming. No matter what name she went by, she’d be ridiculed, but this could only lead to worse nicknames.
True Amends Take Time
Technically, Rachel apologized to Ariana for the affair. However, an apology is only a start. Taking full accountability is a process, and making amends can take ages. See Kristen Doute, who was ostracized for two years. Returning to the show is only going to hurt Rachel’s redemption chances. Like how Kristen’s Season 3 antics made things more difficult.
As far as we know, she has yet to apologize to Scheana Shay for the restraining order. Such blatant misuse of the court system already rubbed many viewers the wrong way, and if Rachel is still glib about it, she won’t win anyone over.
Then there’s her treatment of Katie Maloney. Even viewers who don’t like the former Senorita Bubba were horrified by Rachel gleefully disregarding boundaries, inserting herself into the Tom Schwartz divorce, and making Katie’s mother cry. She seemed to enjoy rubbing it in Katie’s face afterwards, wearing the TomTom sweatshirt to BravoCon and posting pictures with Schwartz. Some would argue she’s continued this pattern, rubbing the affair in Ariana’s face with those letters and postcards.
Rachel Detracts From Sandoval’s Comeuppance
Some argued Rachel received more hate for the affair than Sandoval. And that’s not untrue. This show, and it’s fans, have historically held the women to a higher standard.
While some argue every cast member is equally bad, Sandoval has shown many times that he’s definitely the worst. Reports from filming indicate that, with Rachel not on set, Sandoval is getting all the wrath. This has been a decade in the making, and even Lisa Vanderpump is calling him out! Considering how much LVP’s stood by him, that’s a huge deal. Rachel coming back means some heat would inevitably be taken away.
VPR Isn’t Going Anywhere
Some claim the show will tank without her, and that Rachel is solely responsible for it’s Scandoval renaissance. But Rachel and Sandoval didn’t expose the affair. Ariana did. She called production and got cameras rolling again. While Rachel dipped out after filming one scene, Ariana’s confrontation got everyone talking.
Many people (this author included) were looking forward to Rachel coming into her own after splitting from James Kennedy. But messy antics aside, she just wasn’t a compelling lead. Part of that was her lack of identity or personality. It didn’t help that she saw other women as competition like in a pageant.
Before Scandoval was exposed, it already appeared she wasn’t secure enough to handle the pressure of reality tv. Many viewers remarked that they found Part 3 of the reunion difficult to watch because of this.
Even if Season 11 doesn’t live up to Scandoval, we doubt Bravo will cancel such a talked about show anytime soon. Rachel could still come back later, when she’s truly ready. It would probably make for better television anyway.
TELL US – HOW DO YOU THINK RACHEL’S VPR RETURN WILL GO OVER? ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HER AGAIN?
