Scandoval was born out of Tom Sandoval’s betrayal of his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix. He had an affair for months with Ariana’s friend, Rachel Leviss. This betrayal was the gift that kept on giving for the Vanderpump Rules cast. The spike in ratings was just what VPR needed.
But while the cast filmed Season 11, they were still all stuck in the Scandoval vortex. As for the fans? Most are over it and ready to move on. For the Vanderpump Rules cast, there are several reasons why moving on isn’t an option.
Hoping the Drama Will Earn VPR Another Season
Producers on Pump Rules confirmed that the show was nearly canceled before Scandoval broke. So, it is in the cast’s best interests to keep the drama, and those ratings, high.
Ariana has refused to film with Sandoval, which is her right after what he did. But the rest of the cast is probably hoping to ride the wave into a renewal for Season 12. No doubt Lisa Vanderpump hopes for the same.
Ariana Is Still Dealing With the Fall-Out
Let’s face it, living with your ex must be awkward at best. If you are living with an ex who humiliated you in front of the country, it must be hell.
The former couple communicates through intermediaries so they can avoid seeing each other. Part of the reason that Ariana is still living in the home that the duo purchased is financial. Ariana consulted “financial advisers, a lawyer, an accountant [and] all kinds of people helping make the best decisions.”
In other words, she wants to avoid being cheated by Sandoval…again. While Ariana may have moved on with her boyfriend Daniel Wai, the fallout from Scandoval is still all around her. Literally.
The Cast Profited From the Scandal
Everyone has cashed in on Scandoval. Tom and his band, The Most Extras, did some tour dates. Yawn.
Page Six reported that Lala Kent and her “Send it to Darrell” merchandise made quite a profit. After Rachel’s attorney sent legal letters to the cast, Lala sounded off in a since-deleted video on her Instagram Story. After her rant, she told Rachel to “Send it to Darrell.” Darrell is, of course, Lala’s attorney.
Lala made enough from selling the sweatshirts to put down a downpayment on a $1.3 million dollar home. Not too shabby!
According to The Daily Mail, Ariana and her co-star and partner, Katie Maloney, sold merchandise for their sandwich shop. The Something About Her merch brought in $200,000 as of May 2023. And Lala and Scheana Shay’s podcasts featured a ton of content about, and reacting to the scandal. From a financial standpoint, it only makes sense for the Vanderpump Rules cast to fan the flames of Scandoval.
There Are No Big Storylines on the Horizon
Last season had some great content before news of the cheating scandal broke. Katie and Tom Schwartz were trying to navigate their divorce. And Scheana and Brock Davies tied the knot in Mexico.
So far, Season 11 doesn’t have any major storylines to prop up the season. No weddings or divorces. Just James Kennedy being reunited with the dog that he shared with Rachel. Hey Graham/Hippie!
Meanwhile, Katie and Ariana are making headway in finally opening up their business. It doesn’t sound like much to work with. But if you add in the hurt and anger resulting from Scandoval, the picture looks a little better.
Still, the upcoming season will never top Season 10 of Pump Rules. Facts.
There Is Nothing Left To Tell
The one thing that kept VPR fans dialed in was curiosity about Scandoval. Rachel hopped on Bethenny Frankel’s podcast to share her side of the story. Rachel revealed that she no longer believed that she or Tom ever truly loved each other.
After her months-long stay in a mental health facility, Rachel decided to step away from the show. She even blocked Tom on social media, which made him irate.
Now Tom has shared his side of the story in his new podcast, the ironically titled, Everybody Loves Tom. He managed to paint Rachel as the villain of the saga. “So, you came into a relationship, and you carried this on for this long and did all of this for a period of seven months and you didn’t even love the person? That, to me, makes it so much worse,” Sandoval remarked.
We also learned that Sandoval allegedly last spoke to Rachel in June. Now that all the questions have been answered, what else is there to discuss?
Rachel isn’t there to face off with Ariana and the other cast members. Sandoval seems to be oozing back into his place on the cast. And Ariana and Katie won’t deal with him.
It’s time to start moving on from the cheating drama. For better or for worse.
TELL US – IS IT TIME FOR THE VANDERPUMP RULES CAST TO MOVE ON FROM SCANDOVAL? WILL YOU WATCH SEASON 11?
