Raquel Leviss Seemingly Quits ‘Vanderpump Rules’ After #Scandoval
#Scandoval defined Vanderpump Rules Season 10, but it appears Raquel Leviss — one-third of the cheating scandal — will not be returning to take part in the aftermath in Season 11.
The VPR fanbase was rocked to its core when Tom Sandoval‘s affair with Leviss was revealed in March 2023. Sandoval had been in a long-term relationship with co-star Ariana Madix, and the show was filming Season 10 when Madix learned of the affair through an intimate video of Sandoval and Leviss on his phone.
Madix told production what happened, giving the show time to get the cast’s reaction to the scandal on camera. The ordeal was addressed again in the VPR Season 10 reunion in June. Leviss checked herself into a mental health treatment center in April 2023 to work through the experience and what led her to make the choices she made.
VPR Season 11 has been filming since June 28, but Leviss implied in her first interview about the season that she hasn’t been taking part. Speaking on Bethenny Frankel’s ReWives podcast, Leviss said she didn’t receive additional payment after the scandal led to a ratings high and first-time Emmy nominations for the Bravo reality series. She said she “almost went back” to the show after she became one of its “villains.”
Raquel Leviss, Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix in ‘Vanderpump Rules’ (Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo)
“I haven’t seen a single penny,” Leviss told Frankel in the episode titled, “Reality Reckoning: [Raquel] Leviss (Part One).” “It’s not fair. And I feel like a toddler saying, ‘It’s not fair.’ But it really isn’t. And I feel like I’ve been portrayed as the ultimate villain. My mistakes that I’ve made on camera live on forever. And you mentioned something about the addiction of doing reality TV and the way that they always dangle that carrot in front of you, like, ‘Well, you need to tell your side of the story otherwise it’s gonna be written for you.’ And that’s terrifying. So I almost went back, I know just because of that.”
Saying she “almost went back” all but flat-out says that Leviss has not been part of Season 11 filming. It’s notable that she gave Frankel the interview about fair pay, as the Real Housewives star has been vocal in recent weeks about her belief that reality TV stars need to unionize. Frankel says she has not received fair compensation for her part in the Real Housewives‘ popularity. She and the other reality stars are paid for their work, but she believes cast members should receive additional compensation when the shows reach new heights of success.
“When you get a ratings bump or something happens, you should share,” Frankel told Variety in July. “Networks and streamers have been exploiting people for too long.”
