The Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion is finally here — and it did not disappoint!
On Wednesday night, Bravo aired the first of three episodes breaking down all the scandals that slammed the VPR gang this season — most notably Scandoval! And just as you might expect, tensions were HIGH as Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval saw each other face-to-face to rehash their disastrous breakup alongside their other friends.
Related: VPR EP Addresses Raquel Leviss Pregnancy Rumor — And What She’s REALLY Doing!
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Going Solo
Interestingly, the show started with solo interviews with Tom, Ariana, and the mistress Raquel Leviss, giving them each a chance to speak honestly about the situation without others’ opinions getting in the way.
Host Andy Cohen began by telling the TomTom co-owner it “feels like you’re the most hated man on television right now.” Then he gave Ariana a chance to express why she never suspected her partner of nine years of cheating on her with her then-BFF. She explained:
“We all know men are trash, but I trust my girlfriends. So, for someone to be so ingratiated in my life, as my friend, how could someone be as close to me as she did?”
Where Was Raquel?
As you might remember, there was a ton of speculation about how they were going to be able to film the reunion with everyone involved because right before taping, Raquel got a restraining order against Scheana Shay after an alleged physical altercation in New York City.
Well, Andy found a decent workaround! While Scheana was onstage with the others, Raquel was 100 feet away in a trailer watching the drama go down. While she didn’t get much time to talk in the first part of the reunion, her eyes got a workout with how much she was rolling them while listening to the others! LOLz!
Ariana & Tom’s Relationship
OK. So into the meat of it all! The Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras singer — who was clearly very nervous to be there — claimed he and Ariana had a somewhat fake relationship for cameras. He dished:
“Ariana and I kept our relationship pretty private for many years. We had issues. I felt like I was her gay BFF. We put on a front when we were filming and I even talked to our showrunner. For us to be having these issues and keeping it from people, I just didn’t think it was fair to the rest of the cast.”
The show cut to a never-before-seen clip from September 2022 in which Tom could be heard telling a producer:
“I feel guilty, people put themselves out there, man. It’s not fair. I feel like it’s important for us to, like, talk about this s**t and not pretend like it’s all amazing.”
His Fancy AF Cocktails co-author clapped back, arguing:
“I feel like I always showed everything, from my point of view. He’s framing it now as something else. Because he has to, he’s desperate.”
Raquel’s Half-Assed Apology
During the private sit-down with the Watch What Happens Live host, Ariana revealed Raquel reached out to her to apologize for the affair — but it was far too little, far too late. She shared:
“She texted me. It took her 48 whole hours to text me.”
In a screenshot of the exchange, Ariana could be seen texting the 28-year-old:
“You are DEAD TO ME”
The SUR waitress replied hours later:
“Ariana, I don’t know what to say right now besides I really f**ked up and I am so so so sorry.”
Ariana hit back with:
“Shut the f**k up you f**king RAT”
OOF!
Tom’s Apology
Tom got a similar reaction when he tried to apologize to his ex-girlfriend, saying:
“I’m sorry for doing the one thing I said I wouldn’t do, and I did it in the worst way possible. I love you and I apologize.”
Let’s just say the 37-year-old did NOT accept that apology:
“He has victim-blamed me 100 percent of the way so I don’t believe anything that just came out of his mouth. I think he’s f**king full of s**t and he can f**k off.”
Ariana not taking Sandovals bullshit and calling him out on stage was so good #pumprules #vanderpumprules pic.twitter.com/T9Dct9NLER
— Mark (@MarkJCampbell) May 25, 2023
James Kennedy & The Giant Brawl
James Kennedy was definitely a scene-stealer! The DJ had a string of laugh-out-loud funny one-liners throughout the reunion, especially when Andy suggested he was the “No. 1 guy” in the group following Tom’s downfall. He quipped:
“It’s not hard to compete when I’m working with [Tom] Schwartz and a clown.”
He then referred to Sandoval and Schwartz as “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle little d**k.” After Tom delivered his teary apology to Ariana, James totally called him out on his BS, yelling:
“Pull yourself together, you’re not at the Academy Awards. […] F**king crocodile tears. P***y.”
Then he completely roasted the bar owner:
“You’re a clown. And you know what? Your band sucks d**k. You’re a nothing, you’re a nobody. You’re a loser and your bar is going down the drain, you backstabbing hoe.”
JEEZ!
They shut him down QUICK!???????? #PumpRules pic.twitter.com/Sjzh4Zjuov
— Vanderpump Rules (@PumpRulesBravo) May 25, 2023
All of this pent-up tension led to a near-physical confrontation which we’ve been hearing about for weeks! In what was probably the most heated moment of the episode, James mourned the loss of their friendship, saying sadly:
“You’ve been a big bro, dude. It just goes to show how much a friend you never were. You’ve always been an opportunist.”
Related: Shakira ‘Begging’ Tom Cruise To Stop Flirting With Her?!
Shockingly, Tom tried to deny they were ever friends! So shady!!! He then claimed James “f**ked Kristen [Doute] to get on the show” before the 31-year-old rushed toward him, forcing Andy to jump up and separate them to prevent a fight (dropping his cue cards in the process). Once back in his seat, James shouted:
“Get in my face again I will f**k you up, motherf**ker. […] I will f**k you up so quickly.”
When James was about to go after Tom a second time, Andy shouted, “stay in the f**king chair.” So, instead of getting physical he threw another verbal jab:
“P***y bitch. You’re a worm with a mustache!”
LMFAO!
So dramatic!! It goes to show that the cheating scandal affected far more people than just those involved in the relationship.
Hypocrites!
While most of the drama boils down to Tom and Raquel’s decision to cheat, Andy rightfully pointed out they’ve pretty much all been entangled in messy relationships before. Wondering why they have a right to be mad, he mused:
“This is a group of cheaters. James, you slept with Kristen while she and Sandoval were still together. Ariana, you cheated with Sandoval while Tom was with Kristen. Schwartz, you made out with literally everyone when you were married to Katie. James and Lala [Kent], you guys had sex with each other despite already being in relationships with other people. No one in this group has clean hands except for Katie [Maloney] and LVP [Lisa Vanderpump].”
He’s not wrong!
Double Dating!
In a break from the Scandoval drama (sorta…), Schwartz finally admitted his relationship with female friend Jo Wenberg (who he moved into his apartment after his divorce from Katie) was, in fact, romantic:
“It did evolve into a situationship or a friends with benefits thing with clearly defined boundaries. We were both coming out of long-term relationships and for a minute there we were each other’s happy place.”
Not a fan, Katie called her a “creep.” Andy then wondered if Schwartz and Jo’s trip with Sandoval and Raquel to Big Bear was a double date, but Schwartz denied the allegation. Katie chimed in:
“The four of you went to Big Bear together!”
Ariana was also skeptical, saying, “what it was, a f**k fest?” Schwartz insisted he was “going snowboarding with Tom Sandoval,” but Ariana pointed out she and the other girls weren’t invited. James then noted his ex-fiancée “hates snowboarding” so the only reason she likely went was “to f**king f**k Tom.” Yeesh!
The New Randall Emmett
Elsewhere, the Give Them Lala podcast host compared the 39-year-old cheater to her ex Randall Emmett, predicting:
“Give it 10 years, he is Randall Emmett. He is absolutely terrifying, I couldn’t get Randall to stay home, and then when s**t hit the fan, I couldn’t get him the f**k out of the house. That is the f**king narcissist. Everyone needs to be warned about this person. Like this is a dangerous human being.”
Whoa… She makes a good point! Things are already pretty similar — at least with the living situation! While Ariana seemed to agree with this POV, Lisa — who defended Tom a TON during the show — said it was “actually a ridiculous stance to start saying Sandoval’s a dangerous person.” Lala doubled down:
“I didn’t ask for anyone else’s opinion. He was sleeping next to her, this was his life partner. If he could do that to her, there’s something wrong with this person.”
PREVIEW: Lala snaps at Lisa when she interrupts about her opinion of Sandoval. #pumprules pic.twitter.com/1tl7jKKGv6
— Vanderpump Rules ????️???? (@sur_rules) May 24, 2023
Damn. This was all just in the first episode! We still have another TWO bombshell episodes to get through!! What was your favorite part?? Sound OFF (below)!
[Image via Bravo]