Tom Sandoval is the #1 worst guy in this group
my thoughts & theories on the scandoval
Few things are as comforting as when the internet unites behind a cause, even if the reason is negative (the reason is always negative). And not since Harry Styles possibly spat on Chris Pine have so many of us been on the same page, especially when it comes to a Bravo scandal. Bravo watchers have seen an FBI SWAT team surround a sprinter van. An exile to Italy. Snow in Pasadena. We’ve seen a lot, yet Tom Sandoval cheating on Ariana Madix feels bigger than all of it.
The moment news broke that Vanderpump Rules’ most stable couple had broken up because Tom was in a long-term affair with fellow cast member and James Kennedy’s ex-fiance Raquel Leviss (née Rachel, as it turns out), we all flocked to our own proverbial back alleys of Sur (group chats, TikTok comments, Reddit, the meme market). As we processed the cast reactions and the weekend’s paparazzi shots (including Tom’s seemingly self-staged shoot via Backgrid), the analysis and rewatching began. I started my own re-watch, and it hit me like the strongest of Pumptinis: just as water is the essence of wetness, infidelity is the essence of Vanderpump Rules.
Sopranos might be the blueprint for a final scene, but VPR has its own equally inventive introduction over in the lowbrow galaxy. In what some might argue was the most memorable opening to a reality show, former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills housewife Brandi Glanville confronts Scheana about her affair with Eddie Cibrian. Scheana’s Housewives-adjacent affair with Cibrian was the hook that gave the Sur crew a foothold in Bravo primetime, a fitting preview for a season that would reveal several cast members cheating and the shadowy origins of Sandoval and Ariana’s own relationship.
The VPR cast has always stood out as uniquely authentic amidst a world of heavily produced “reality” shows. They were messy from the first frame and seemed to have the bandwidth to live with constant dramatic stakes that us normies had only experienced during college spring break. It felt like they would be acting the same exact way, with or without cameras and a contract. They were the friend group that says “we could totally be a reality show,” but in their case, it was actually true. It was inevitable that we would become attached to such an authentic cast dynamic, but after 10 years, it makes the specific flavor of Tom Sandoval’s betrayal especially hard-hitting (like this journalism).
Story continued on betches.com. Follow on TikTok for the VPR rewatch.
