All a ruse? Tom Schwartz asked Tom Sandoval to help him figure out his lack of chemistry with Raquel Leviss — while his business partner was having a secret affair with her.
In a clip from next week’s episode shared by Bravo on Friday, April 21, Schwartz, 40, discussed the aftermath of his hookup with Raquel, 28.
“By the way, I had a conversation with Raquel. We did not makeout,” the Minnesota native, who shared a steamy moment with the model ahead of Scheana Shay and Brock Davies‘ August 2022 nuptials, told Sandoval, 40. “I have so much more of an appreciation for Raquel, but I just don’t know why I am not more attracted to her.”
The Fancy AF Cocktails co-author, who was dating Ariana Madix at the time, referred to Raquel as “dope” while reassuring his friend that he didn’t “have to be” interested in the SUR waitress.
Schwartz, who called it quits with Katie Maloney in March 2022, noted that something felt off since he locked lips with the former beauty pageant contestant, adding, “There’s no sexual chemistry. I have this gut feeling that she kind of has a crush on someone else. That’s just it.”
Season 10 largely focused on Schwartz and Raquel’s connection before Us Weekly confirmed her offscreen affair with Sandoval. As news broke in March that the TomTom co-owner had been unfaithful to Ariana, 37, the couple called it quits after nearly a decade of dating.
The California native issued a public apology to Ariana at the time, writing via Instagram, “I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships. There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.”
One month later, Schwartz revealed when he found out about Sandoval’s infidelity.
“I learned about the affair in August. The one-night stand was in August and then it became, from my point of view, it became an emotional affair,” he said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on April 5. “Which is still inappropriate, but I didn’t think it was linear. [Then] in January, he came to me and told me that he was in love with Raquel.”
Sandoval, for his part, claimed he tried to end his romance with Ariana before his cheating scandal made headlines.
“We didn’t tell anybody, but she knew,” he alleged on an episode of the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast earlier this month. “She was trying to, like convince me not to be broken up … but that was not the case. She asked me that day as we were leaving about, like — because we had talked about fertilizing [her] eggs, which I never did. She was like, ‘So, what do you think about doing a sperm check to fertilize my eggs?’ And I’m like, ‘What? We’re broken up.’ … I was like, ‘We’ll talk about this later, I gotta go do my show.'”
While filming the hit Bravo series, Sandoval publicly addressed the issues he had with his then-girlfriend.
“It is tough sometimes to talk to you about stuff because you never agree with me. I feel like this summer — for the past few months — I will explain to you a situation and my point of view,” he said to Ariana during the Wednesday, April 19, episode. “And it feels to me like you are very quick to take the other person’s point of view. I don’t want anybody to ever have my back unconditionally, but it sometimes makes me feel like you question my intelligence. You think I am an idiot in some ways or that I am annoying.”
In the teaser for next week’s episode, which will air on Wednesday, April 26, the Missouri native elaborated on their disconnect. “It’s been a little frustrating. We will be in the car, and I will be talking and she f—king comes at me. And I am like, ‘What is this?'” he shared with Schwartz. “It hurts my feelings because the person I love thinks I am dumb or annoying. It definitely pulls into question whether Ariana and I are right for each other.”
In response, Schwartz questioned Sandoval and Ariana’s future, saying, “She’s quick to be dismissive of you and that’s a slippery slope in a relationship.”
Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
