Published:
5:53 AM PST, January 9, 2024
In a jaw-dropping debut episode of her Rachel Goes Rogue podcast, former Vanderpump Rules star Rachel Leviss spills the beans on her tumultuous relationship with Tom Sandoval, shedding light on their affair which rocked the Bravo reality show in 2023.
Leviss, who decided not to return for season 11, explained her decision, citing the emotional toll of interacting with Sandoval and feeling like an outsider among the cast.
"I really believe the girls wouldn't give me the time of day to let me open up to them, given my previous history with my interactions with them," she shared.
The podcast delves into Leviss' mental health struggles during the scandal and her contemplation of returning to the show while in treatment. Ultimately, she decided against it, expressing relief at watching "the worst version" of herself on season 10.
During the episode, Leviss reveals details about the beginning of her affair with Sandoval, clarifying that she does not want to be with him. She describes their first hookup, recounting a night at The Abbey in West Hollywood that led to a heated pool encounter at Sandoval's home while Sandoval's then-girlfriend, Ariana Madix, slept upstairs.
"We go in the back, and the sliding door isn't unlocked, so he was like, 'Well, we've got the fire pit here,' and I was like, 'Yeah, the fire pit's cool, we can just keep talking,'" she recalled. "We got the fire pit going, we’re chatting, and then he goes, 'You know what the best thing about this pool is? That it’s heated.'"
They decided to go on, with Rachel saying, "I took my jeans off, and I had this corset top on, so I left that on, and I was in my underwear, and I went in his pool and it was heated."
She mentioned that Sandoval, who was just in his boxers, initially swam on the opposite side of the pool. However, he eventually approached her and requested that she lower the volume of the music playing on her phone.
"And then he looked at me a certain way and then he grabbed me, spun me and kissed me and I was like surprised but like happy," she said, before cringing at herself by saying, "Ugh, so bad, so embarrassing."
"I knew it was wrong, Tom knew it was wrong. Right after Tom kissed me, he like sat on the stair of the pool and he was like, hands on his face, his mind must have been running a million miles a minute, contemplating what to do," she continued.
When questioned about the extent of their encounter, Leviss admitted, "It was very bad."
The podcast also addresses Leviss' reaction to Sandoval's recent podcast interview, where she expressed repulsion towards his voice.
The affair remained a secret for months, leading to a ratings boom for Vanderpump Rules when it was exposed in March 2023, ultimately ending Sandoval and Madix's longtime relationship.
Leviss acknowledged the potential for scrutiny and judgment but stated, "I would rather speak my truth and share my story and be ridiculed for it than sit idly by and watch this whole season pan out and not get my story across."
Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules premieres January 30 at 8pm ET on Bravo.
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