The first part of the three-part Vanderpump Rules reunion was a chaotic event, with many of the cast members’ best and worst qualities on full display. While Tom Sandoval was left without Raquel Leviss to answer for their cheating scandal, Ariana Madix and the audience were happy to receive some much-needed answers to the burning questions surrounding Scandoval. While Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz spoke about their relationship after divorce, the focal point of the conversation was Tom and Ariana’s relationship, which has irrevocably broken after Tom’s cheating. While Lala Kent, James Kennedy, Lisa Vanderpump, and Scheana Shay were also in attendance, Tom and Ariana were the most buzzed about.
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Raquel filed a restraining order against Scheana after alleging that her castmate and former friend got physically violent after finding out about Scandoval, so she was kept away from the set for the duration of the time Scheana was filming. Though Raquel wasn’t present for the first part of the Vanderpump Rules reunion, her reactions were shown as she watched a live feed from set while the rest of the cast were interviewed. After everything that’s gone down between the cast members throughout Vanderpump Rules season 10, their reunion behavior was shocking at times, leaving everyone on edge as viewers wait to see the highly anticipated part 2.
9 Best: Ariana Madix
Ariana was one of the most incredible cast members of the first part of the Vanderpump Rules reunion for her strength and vulnerability in speaking out about Tom’s cheating. While viewers have yet to see her face Raquel, seeing her with her guard up against Tom and being able to speak candidly about their relationship while rebuffing the lies Tom is quick to tell about the state of things is a huge win for Ariana. Though sitting down and discussing her long-term boyfriend’s actions with her close friend is no easy feat, Ariana seemed empowered and prepared to be as open as she needed to be.
8 Worst: Tom Sandoval
While Tom Sandoval was trying to play the victim card throughout the first part of the Vanderpump Rules reunion, his behavior was far from likable and for the most part, felt manufactured. It seemed that Tom came into the reunion with a narrative he was trying to sell. He was hoping to get out of things with his hands as clean as possible, taking some responsibility while doing his best to paint his relationship with Ariana as essentially over. Between his fake crying, outbursts at James, and stand-offish attitude, it was clear that Tom felt attacked and wasn’t actually open to truly owning up to his mistakes.
7 Best: James Kennedy
Other than Ariana, James was one of the episode’s major winners. Thought he did have more than one outburst that caused him to storm off the set, his feelings about Tom were incredibly valid and are often being ignored when it comes to Scandoval in general. James was hurt by Tom’s lack of friendship after his breakup from Raquel, and on top of that, someone that James considered a brother then went on to carry on a secret affair with his ex-fiance. James getting in Tom’s face felt vindicating and calling him a “worm with a mustache” was simply the cherry on top.
6 Worst: Lisa Vanderpump
While Lisa’s undying support for both Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz has been kind in the past, it feels somewhat like overkill at this point. Lisa invested time and money into the Toms hoping that their business ideas and people skills would pay off, but investing her personal stake in them has done nothing but cause her stock to plummet. While she can definitely redeem herself in future parts of the Vanderpump Rules reunion, telling Lala not to call Tom “dangerous” and then explaining that she will continue to support Tom’s endeavors was a bad look overall for the typically classy Lisa.
5 Best: Lala Kent
Lala has barely scratched the surface of the Vanderpump Rules reunion and yet, she’s still emerged from the first part looking victorious. Lala’s ability to explain herself coherently and eloquently even when she’s clearly angry is her strong suit, and watching her be able to articulate how Tom and her ex, Randall Emmett, are similar in their narcissistic ways was fascinating. Aside from her own drama, Lala’s desire to jump to Ariana’s aid and at the same time, the fact that she spent several minutes of the reunion joking around with James, made her endlessly likable throughout part 1.
4 Worst: Raquel Leviss
There isn’t a lot to go off of when it comes to Raquel, who was stationed in a trailer 100-yards away from the set where the reunion was being filmed due to her needless restraining order against Scheana. Now that the order has been dismissed, it’s clear that Raquel was simply trying to incite further drama and make herself look like the victim in the situation. Unfortunately for Raquel, it’s clear that she had a huge hand in both Scandoval and the way it was handled when it came out publicly. Her less-than-interesting reactions from her trailer left much to be desired, but nothing that she can likely deliver.
3 Best: Katie Maloney
Katie held her own during the first part of the Vanderpump Rules reunion, even when faced with some difficult questions about the nature of her relationship with her ex, Tom Schwartz. While Katie was surely prepared to talk about her relationship with her ex-husband, it was clearly still a sore subject for her. Still, Katie was open and honest, refuting Schwartz’s claims and pushing him to be honest about Tom’s actions rather than covering for him as per usual. With a killer outfit and some wonderfully smoky eye makeup, Katie’s looks and attitude helped her slay her way to the winner’s circle.
2 Worst: Tom Schwartz
Tom Schwartz was clearly having a tough time throughout the first part of the Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion, as he was torn between telling the truth and protecting his friend. Though it’s clear that Schwartz has been trying to save face and make sure that Schwartz & Sandy’s is protected from the fallout of Scandoval, he also seems to have some issue with what Tom did. The fact that he’s openly telling the truth about the events and timing of Tom’s affair is a good look for Schwartz, but unfortunately, the fact that he’s still supporting Tom after such a massive blunder makes him one of the worst players.
1 Best: Scheana Shay
Scheana doesn’t do much during the first part of the Vanderpump Rules reunion, but when she does appear she makes an impact. From sharing that her relationship with Katie has gotten to a better place to crying openly about just how much she felt fooled by Raquel’s self-victimization, it’s clear that Scheana’s grown throughout Vanderpump Rules season 10. Though she won’t be around for the entirety of the reunion, what viewers have seen of her was a great reminder of the level of betrayal Tom and Raquel are capable of.