In the February 27 episode of Vanderpump Rules, the cast flew to Lake Tahoe for their first trip together since Scandoval broke a year ago. Only Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney stayed home, still trying to open their sandwich shop, Something About Her.
When everyone met at the airport for their flight, Tom Sandoval wandered through the terminal looking for the group. Scheana Shay called to him from where they were sitting, “Tom, we’re over here!”
After so many months of being a hated outcast, that moment of casual inclusion touched Tom in an unexpected way and brought him to tears. Now that moment is a running joke among the cast.
Scheana wonders why Sandoval was crying
Tom Schwartz recalled meeting up with his co-stars on the Vanderpump Rules After Show. “I felt delicate but optimistic [before the trip],” Schwartz said. “When we were in the airport waiting to board our flight, I think that was the first time anyone in that group had actually acknowledged [Sandoval] as a human being since the affair [with Rachel Leviss] … I think he was super touched by it. I think he cried.”
When Sandy continued to be emotional on the After Show, one of the producers asked him why he was crying again. Tom explained how much it meant to him to feel accepted again.
“That moment was so powerful for me,” he shared. “It was so needed. Just the casualness with the way Scheana was like, ‘Hey, we’re over here.’ It was something that I never thought I would hear again.”
“I wasn’t prepared for that,” he added. “It was something I didn’t see coming. It’s something I will never forget.”
“We just said hi”
Scheana and Lala Kent had a different perspective on the greeting. In a confessional alongside cast member James Kennedy, Scheana said it was only a hello, and she “just said hi” to Sandoval. “Instead of ignoring his presence when he’s in front of us,” she shared, “I was like, ‘We’re going to be staying in the same house in a few hours.’ We just say hi.”
Lala agreed that they just “acknowledged that he existed.” It wasn’t a big deal.
As we all know, Sandoval has been a total pariah since the infidelity came out. Schwartz hopes attitudes will soften a bit after their trip to Tahoe together.
Meanwhile, Scheana continued to poke fun at Sandy’s over-the-top reaction to a simple hello. “That was enough for him to cry,” she laughed.
Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK IT’S TIME TO FORGIVE SANDOVAL AND ACCEPT HIM BACK INTO THE GROUP? WHAT DO YOU THINK ARIANA WILL THINK OF THIS?
