You’ve probably heard of the Scandoval. In the final season of Vanderpump Rules, fans are talking about Tom Sandoval, a cast member who cheated on his longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix with her friend Raquel Leviss. Full of lies, twists and betrayals, the affair kept everyone talking on social media throughout the season, as Sandoval and Madix have been dating since Season 3 of the show. What’s particularly interesting is that this particular affair made a big deal of it, although it’s far from the first cheating scandal in the series’ history.
For some reason, Sandoval’s affair is the one that broke through the silent noise the series has maintained throughout its decade run, hitting social media in a way that even those unaware of Vanderpump Rules flocked to see what the deal is. To be fair, the more I learn about this affair, the more I think that other scandals on the show have been more interesting — but whatever gets people talking online.
This affair in particular involves a very large number of members of the Vanderpump cast, which is why more people are interested in what is happening. The series began because Lisa Vanderpump was a member of the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where their restaurants were often the scene of brawls. When Scheana Shay showed up to help serve a party and turned out to be the woman Brandi Glanville’s ex-husband Eddie Cibrian cheated on her with, fans were intrigued by the drama.
Then Vanderpump Rules came out and we couldn’t get enough. All of this led to the show’s recent ratings boom with Scandoval, but it’s important to note that there have been worse scandals as well.
Cheating scandals are regular themes on the series (Bravo)
From Season 1 and beyond, it was clear that Vanderpump Rules would see a new cheating scandal every season. Why? Because the cast just couldn’t seem to stop. In Season 1, it was shockingly revealed that Jax Taylor cheated on Stassi Schroeder in Las Vegas and got a woman pregnant. That seemed like the ultimate ordeal until Season 2 surpassed it — and so on and so forth.
The shocking thing about Season 2 was that Kristen Doute — who originally dated Tom Sandoval for almost six years — cheated on Tom twice with his best friend Jax Taylor on the couch at their apartment while Sandoval slept. To appear innocent, Doute claimed Sandoval cheated on her with Madix (although they both continued to deny it) and even went so far as to say it was somehow worse than sleeping because they kissed while drunk had with Jax Taylor while Sandoval was in the other room.
Scandoval is such a big deal because it has this energy. One of the rumors has it that Madix was suspicious of Leviss because she stayed with Madix and Sandoval after her breakup with DJ James Kennedy.
Tom Sandoval is a disaster (Bravo)
One reason Scandoval continues to exist is thanks to Tom Sandoval and his current tour with his band Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras. The Most Extras are the heavyweights in this band because…well, honestly, Sandoval can’t sing, but he still thinks he’s a musician, which has been a constant theme on the show since season one.
Sandoval is aggressive, annoying and thinks he’s better than everyone else – and now fans have had to witness his full public meltdown during his concerts.
Maybe that’s because he’s subject to public ridicule on tour, but it’s weird that he kept talking about it. Sandoval’s ego has been a topic of conversation for years, especially with Taylor poking fun at it. But to see Sandoval’s own view of his musical talent so distorted by his poor singing voice is just hilarious.
People love chaos (Bravo)
Vanderpump Rules thrives on the messy lives the cast lead. If they calm down and there is no scandal? The show isn’t talked about that much. But with the cheating scandal the main theme this season, fans are back at Bravo week after week in search of more. It sets an odd precedent for Vanderpump Rules. Without a cheating scandal, will people be watching?
I recently watched the entire series and found the series to be entertaining overall, but there are seasons where the “drama” is constructed in such a way that it’s not that interesting. On the one hand, I don’t think that happened. I’ve seen the TikToks. I also think the Scandoval was a way to get people to invest and it worked. Now let’s wait and see what happens in the final reunion episode.
(Selected image: Bravo)
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