‘Vanderpump Rules’ Stars Stray From Team Ariana Ahead of Trip With Tom Sandoval: ‘Not Taking Sides’
The tide is slowly starting to turn amongst the Vanderpump Rules cast when it comes to Team Ariana and Team Sandoval.
During the Tuesday, February 20, episode of the Bravo show, Scheana Shay and Brock Davies sat down with James Kennedy and Ally Lewber to discuss their upcoming cast trip. The getaway — which Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix, opted out of — was becoming a cause for concern after Tom Schwartz invited Tom Sandoval.
Scheana, 38, started the candid conversation by bringing up Lisa Vanderpump's concerns about Sandoval's mental health in the aftermath of his scandal. (Sandoval, 41, made headlines in March 2023 when he and Ariana, 38, called it quits after nearly a decade of dating due to his affair with Rachel "Raquel" Leviss.)
"I just don't want him to do something and for it to be too late," Scheana said about Sandoval, who previously expressed his experience with suicidal ideation. In response, Brock, 32, asked why Lisa, 63, asked Scheana to be the one to pave the way for peace within the friend group.
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"It's not fair that this got put on you because it put you against the wall," he noted. "What are you going to do? Say someone's mental health isn't OK?"
Shortly after news broke about Sandoval's infidelity, most of the Vanderpump Rules cast distanced themselves from him publicly while making money off of the insane reaction to the scandal. Schwartz was the only one who remained in Sandoval's corner as the others showed their support for Ariana.
Ally, 28, for her part, discussed her complicated feelings toward Sandoval during Tuesday's episode, saying, "We are humans. We are going to feel bad for him. That's why I am nervous to go to Tahoe because I know that seeing him and hearing him, I will fall for that."
In a confessional, Ally explained that she didn't have "a personal issue" with Sandoval.
"He has never done anything to me. He has always been very welcoming and kind. But I just feel very uneasy being around him," she admitted. "Just seeing the way he hurt James and I don't want to fake being nice. It is just one of those things where you are preparing for the awkwardness."
James, 32, meanwhile, said he didn't rule out potentially spending time with Sandoval on the trip. During the emotional conversation, Brock weighed in on the pressure some of the cast members felt to only speak to Ariana or Sandoval.
"There is right and there is wrong. We are not talking sides. What you did was very very wrong and he needs to acknowledge that. So none of us are choosing Team Ariana," he said before noting that the group was "on her side" regardless of their interactions with Sandoval.
Ally agreed that they should offer Sandoval an olive branch, adding, "We ride for her but we can have empathy for someone who f—ked their whole life up. It can get dark quickly."
Earlier in the episode, Lisa sat down with Scheana and Lala Kent to ask them to have more consideration for Sandoval's feelings. Lisa revealed that during her conversation with Sandoval he discussed his deteriorating mental health.
Lala, 33, told cameras that she "never gave" Sandoval's state of mind "much thought."
"In my mind, I looked at him as someone who was like my ex [Randall Emmett]. They don't have feelings. I have been holding on to a lot of anger," she noted. "I don't trust anybody and it is jut not healthy. I don't want to be angry all the time. It is truly killing me."
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As for Scheana, she was concerned that reviving her friendship with Sandoval would harm her connection with Ariana.
"This hasn't been easy, for me especially. He was genuinely one of the best friends I've ever had in my life. Is it worth losing Ariana?" she asked. "Ariana made it very clear that anyone who chooses to remain friends with Tom Sandoval is basically dead to her. But at the same time if someone is really struggling at this level, how do I keep coming for him?"
Scheana attempted to bring up her feelings to Ariana during a pool party, which was swiftly shut down. While Scheana argued that Sandoval was "such an amazing friend" to her in the past, Ariana claimed her ex-boyfriend's behavior wasn't "genuine."
"He still will not take responsibility for what he did," Ariana continued. "I can understand that maybe he has had some thoughts and some feelings. But those thoughts and those feelings are based on the situation that he created in which he didn't give a f—k about anyone else's mental health. I know I am a bitch saying this but it just feels a little bit annoying."
She added: "As soon as he is getting invited to parties again he will be like, 'Great. That is what I wanted.' This is a scary f—king person that I don't trust anything that comes out of his mouth because it is constantly changing. It to me feels like manipulation."
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Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on Peacock the next day.
