Caught in the act? Tom Sandoval came to Raquel Leviss‘ defense while they were secretly having an affair — and Katie Maloney put him on the spot about the pair’s suspicious connection.
During a new episode of Vanderpump Rules, which aired on Wednesday, April 19, Katie, 36, and Tom, 40, argued about Raquel’s decision to crash Lala Kent‘s party.
“It’s just funny to me. Raquel, you’re a dumb bitch. And she should not have shown up here tonight at Lala’s birthday,” the “You’re Gonna Love Me” podcast host said to the TomTom co-owner.
In response, Tom claimed Katie was getting “a lot of joy” out of hating Raquel, 28. “I’ve seen Katie over the years be a very proactive and vindictive person. So, she is savoring this like the best piece of Wagyu steak she’s ever had,” he told the cameras.
Earlier in the episode, the beauty pageant contestant faced the aftermath of her August 2022 hookup with Oliver Saunders. (At the time, Garcelle Beauvais‘ eldest child, 32, made headlines when his ex-wife, Samantha Saunders, alleged they were still married.)
Tom showed his support for Raquel amid the drama — which Katie questioned during their argument.
“You get a lot of joy out of Raquel as well,” the Utah native, whose ex-husband Tom Schwartz hooked up with Raquel one episode prior, quipped. “You go to The Abbey together at one o’clock in the morning.”
Sandoval, for his part, slammed the accusations, saying, “Dude, what the f—k are you even saying? Get the f—k out of here, man.”
Katie presumably heard about the Missouri native’s private outing with Raquel from James Kennedy‘s girlfriend, Ally Lewber.
“Last night at Lala’s apartment, I was grabbing my stuff and we were leaving and chatting. That is when I mentioned that I saw Sandoval and Raquel dancing together at The Abbey after [a] See You Next Tuesday [event at SUR],” the Bravo newcomer, 27, revealed in a confessional. “I personally wouldn’t be comfortable to have my boyfriend out at 1 a.m. with girls. But everyone is different.”
She added: I thought it was kind of weird that it was 1 a.m. and we were like, ‘Where is [Sandoval’s then-girlfriend] Ariana [Madix]?'”
Us Weekly confirmed in March that Sandoval cheated on Ariana, 37, with Raquel before their split. Ahead of the cheating scandal, the Florida native defended her nearly decade-long romance with the bar owner after the trailer for season 10 featured a rumor that they were in an open relationship.
“We dont have an open relationship. i’m really not that cool. thought that was obvious,” Madix tweeted in January.
One month later, the Lifetime star addressed her decision to clear the air about her personal life. “I feel like when you let things ruminate like that, it kind of just becomes more than it is,” she exclusively told Us in February. “Honestly, it would be really sexy if we were, but we’re not.”
Sandoval, however, recently claimed that he tried to end his relationship with Madix as his feelings for Leviss grew. “Like many relationships, it felt like it became more of, like, a best friends, family [thing] — sometimes roommates,” he said on the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast earlier this month. “There were a lot of ways where the relationship was just lacking the intimacy, the connection. We would travel more by ourselves than we would together. I would go to weddings by myself.”
The businessman admitted he remained in consistent contact with Raquel after their August 2022 hookup. “I was seeing Raquel as often as I could. I know that sounds horrible,” he continued. “And FaceTiming her all the time. And Ariana didn’t even notice because that’s just how separate our lives were. I had to actually tell her, ‘How have you not noticed how distant I’ve been lately?'”
After Sandoval said there wasn’t a “label” on his current connection with Raquel, Us confirmed that the California native checked herself into a mental health treatment facility. A rep for the model issued a statement on Friday, April 14, that Raquel was in rehab, but not seeking help for substance abuse issues.
“Raquel and her family decided before the relationship was discovered that she would enter a voluntary facility for mental health counseling,” the spokesperson told Us. “Raquel had planned to admit herself before the VPR reunion was taped on March 23. She was scheduled to go in pre-reunion but decided she wanted to finish her filming commitment. Bravo and production were aware and in support of her journey towards better mental health.”
Meanwhile, Sandoval and Raquel’s close bond continues to get questioned on the hit Bravo series. In the trailer for next week’s episode, Scheana Shay confronts the Missouri native about the rumors circulating in their friend group.
“You might just laugh this off and say it isn’t a big deal but to me it is. Katie said, ‘Raquel is now going after Sandoval,'” the “Good as Gold” singer, 37, told Sandoval in the sneak peek clip.
Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
