Vanderpump Rules season 10 finale was promised to show the fallout of Scandoval, and it delivered in the most real, raw, and dramatic way possible. With every moment chock-full of drama, the entirety of the episode felt intense, like holding your breath for nearly an hour as the details kept coming from interaction to interaction. Though the moment Ariana Madix found out about the affair between Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss wasn’t captured on camera, the Vanderpump Rules crew picked up just days after the news broke to the public. Ariana discovered the affair after finding a video on Tom’s phone of him and Raquel on FaceTime.
With Tom and Ariana at an impasse for the majority of the season, the affair wasn’t a major surprise to many of the Vanderpump Rules cast, though they were shocked to hear about just how long it had been going on. Lala Kent, James Kennedy, and Katie Maloney had all expressed their suspicions throughout the season, while Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd, had also made remarks about the nature of Tom and Raquel’s relationship. While Tom Schwartz knew about the affair to an extent and remained quiet, the only cast member who seemed to fully refute the idea of Tom and Raquel throughout the season was Scheana Shay.
10 The Season Finale Picks Up 2 Days After Scandoval Broke
The Vanderpump Rules season 10 finale opens just two days after the news of Scandoval broke publicly. Tom and Ariana are both asked in interview segments if they’re ready to talk about what went down, and both, after a laugh, answer with a shrug and a quick “no.” During the introductory segment of the episode, it was explained that Ariana had Tom’s phone during one of his band’s performances because it had fallen out of his pocket. “Call it women’s intuition,” she said of her gut feeling to look through Tom’s phone, where she found an incriminating video of Tom and Raquel FaceTiming from Schwartz’s apartment from the night prior.
9 Ariana Called Raquel In Front Of Tom To Learn The Truth
Ariana explained that when she was able to pull Tom aside, she took him somewhere private to ask him to explain what she’d seen. In order to corroborate his story, Ariana called Raquel. Both Scheana and Raquel were in New York City at the time, having just appeared on Watch What Happens Live after a new episode of the show had aired, and according to Scheana, Raquel looked incredibly casual as she figured out what was going on back in Los Angeles. She told Scheana about the affair flippantly, then talked to Tom and Ariana on the phone with Scheana in tow.
8 Tom & Ariana View The Affair From Different Perspectives
Vanderpump Rules launched directly into a massive moment between Tom and Ariana, who were still in their shared home. While Ariana looked despondent, she explained that while she was angry with Tom, her feelings were shifting. “I hate him,” she said, “but I’m very quickly becoming completely indifferent. He gives me the ick.” Tom stepped in, but their discussion quickly turned into an argument when it became clear that they were coming from two different perspectives. While Ariana was more interested in hearing about Tom’s motives, Tom was spending most of his time defending his relationship with Raquel instead of talking through why he destroyed the one he had with Ariana.
7 Tom Tries To Justify His Actions By Citing An Emotional Connection
During the argument, Tom tried to justify his relationship with Raquel by explaining their “deep emotional connection” several times. He started the conversation on a sour note, as he explained, “every time I try to apologize to you, it just makes you more angry.” Tom continued to share details of his relationship with Raquel to Ariana, as though he wanted her to tell him that because he had feelings for her, the affair was okay. When Ariana made it clear she wasn’t interested in hearing about how great Raquel was, Tom didn’t seem to understand that her anger towards him was not about his feelings but his actions.
6 Ariana Tells Tom Exactly How She Feels About Him
Angry due to Tom’s inability to apologize properly or explain exactly what pushed him into a seven-month-long affair, rather than breaking off his relationship with Ariana, the Vanderpump Rules star was justifiably angry. Though she didn’t end the conversation, Ariana used the opportunity to make sure Tom understood exactly how she was feeling. In an incredibly candid moment, Ariana shared, “I was ride or f***ing die for you – and I had her back as well. [The affair] is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen.”
When Tom had no comeback, Ariana continued on. “I regret every moment I stood up for you, defended you, supported you. You’re worth nothing, and I want you to feel that deep in your soul. I want you to hear those words coming from the mouth of the woman that f***ing stood by you, and loved you, and was ready to build the rest of my life around you. Hear my words, and know that that’s how I feel about you. I regret ever loving you. Any last words before we never speak again?” She gave Tom the opportunity to speak before he tearfully left their home.
5 Tom & Tom Tearfully Embrace
After the argument between Tom and Ariana, Tom was shown at Schwartz’s apartment, where he and his long-time friend and business partner shared a tearful embrace. While it was clear that Schwartz knew about the affair, his story wasn’t completely adding up as he talked about the drama. He shared that he’d told Tom to come clean to Ariana when he found out about Tom and Raquel sleeping together the first time, but things spiraled from there. While he did call the drama and fallout from Scandoval “soul-crushing,” Schwartz was feeling panic surrounding the future of Schwartz & Sandy’s rather than emotion about his friend’s relationship.
4 James Cries Over Sandoval & Calls Raquel Out
In one of the most unhinged moments of the episode, Lala, Katie, and Ally sat at James’s kitchen table as he called Raquel to check-in. While the women dissuaded James from calling Raquel, he decided to go ahead and do so anyway. After a brief check-in where Raquel reported that she “feel[s] really s***ty” and that she and Tom were not an item, James went in on his ex-fiance. “You’re not the brightest chick, come on now,” James laughed into the phone while Ally gestured wildly for him to end the call. “The smartest thing you’ve ever done is creep around with Tom Sandoval for seven months.”
3 Tom & Raquel Share “I Love You’s”
Tom headed to Raquel’s the following day for their first moment alone since the scandal broke. The pair did a shot together to alleviate some of the pressure as Tom said, “cheers to being in hell, where we belong.” Raquel followed up with, “I don’t think we actually belong in hell.” They drank to their cursed relationship and, at one point, exchanged what seems to be their first “I love you’s“. Raquel, mistakenly responding to what she thought was Tom saying it, returned the sentiment. When Tom corrected her, “I said ‘they love you’,” Raquel looked embarrassed, but he followed it up by saying, “but I love you, too.”
2 Kristen Doute’s Return Is A Full Circle Moment
Former Vanderpump Rules cast member Kristen Doute, Tom’s ex-girlfriend, who he originally cheated on with Ariana, stopped at Tom and Ariana’s place to give Ariana some much-needed closure. While their meeting could’ve been uncomfortable, Kristen was incredibly sweet to Ariana, telling her she looked “so hot and skinny” and making jokes about Tom being “our ex-boyfriend.” The pair spoke candidly about fully understanding Tom’s true nature, and after manifesting a bright future with someone she knew could understand her experience, Ariana was able to let go of some of the pain she’d been holding. “Ashes to ashes, and dust to side chicks,” Ariana said while laughing as they ceremonially burned their manifestations.
1 Tom Admits He’s Cheated Before To Scheana
In the final Vanderpump Rules season 10 scene, filmed two weeks after the news of Scandoval broke, Tom and Scheana sat down to discuss what happened. While Scheana and Ariana have been best friends for years, Tom and Scheana have always been incredibly close. Scheana felt betrayed by Tom and his actions, especially because she vouched for him and defended him endlessly, only to have him betray everyone. During the tearful conversation, Tom admitted to Scheana that he’d cheated on Ariana twice before. “Obviously, we’re not friends anymore,” Scheana said to Tom through tears. “And I’m really gonna miss you, but right now, you don’t deserve any friends.”