Well, Rachel Leviss has been dropping some bombshells on her podcast, Rachel Goes Rogue. She has likened her romance with Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval to “a frog in boiling water.” Yikes! Sandoval’s longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, reportedly discovered their affair when she saw an intimate video of Rachel on Sandoval’s phone.
The ensuing drama, nicknamed Scandoval, shook the Bravosphere. Ariana was blindsided, and the cast was enraged. The ratings went up, and the show even garnered an Emmy nomination.
But the recording that Ariana saw was allegedly filmed by Sandoval without Rachel’s “knowledge or consent.” Rachel’s legal team sent letters to her Pump Rules co-stars in March 2023, asking that they delete any video footage of Rachel.
Was Scandoval just a storyline?
Yesterday Rachel’s filed a lawsuit against Sandoval and Ariana for eavesdropping, revenge porn, and invasion of privacy. Rachel is suing for damages.
According to Radar Online, Rachel claimed in court documents that Ariana “knew about it [the affair] as early as Fall of 2022.” She allegedly “desperately” needed the storyline because she was reportedly “on the chopping block.”
Rachel began her affair with Sandoval “on or about August 10, 2022.” The legal documents stated, “Although, purportedly secret, the affair was, in fact, well-known to many cast members and suspected by others.” Apparently, Rachel and Sandoval “were not particularly discrete.” This is very confusing.
The lawsuit stated, “Leviss is informed and believes, and on such information and belief alleges, that Madix knew about it as early as the Fall of 2022.” Then, “In December of 2022, Madix scolded Leviss and Sandoval for being handsy in public, admonishing them to save the story for Season 11.”
Rachel also alleged that VPR was “facing an uncertain future.” So, “in the absence of a sticky new storyline, there is every reason to believe Vanderpump Rules would have been canceled.”
The lawsuit claimed that “Madix was aware of these pressures as Sandoval, and both were heavily invested financially and reputationally in the show remaining on the air.” The documents also stated, “If Sandoval was intent on brazenly carrying out an illicit affair with another cast member, they had every incentive to leverage these salacious threads into the storyline Vanderpump Rules so desperately needed.”
Radar Online reached out to Ariana and Sandoval’s reps for comment.
These claims are mind-blowing. Is Pump Rules home to a group of incredible actors? Was Scandoval just a storyline? I doubt it. But the drama still isn’t fading away.
Vanderpump Rules Season 11 continues Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU BELIEVE THAT ARIANA KNEW ABOUT SANDOVAL AND RACHEL’S AFFAIR? DO YOU THINK THE ENTIRE CAST KNEW?
