Southern Charm star Olivia Flowers set the record straight about her apparent BravoCon outing with Tom Sandoval, calling herself a “big” Ariana Madix supporter.
On Saturday, November 4, eagle-eyed fans spotted Olivia, 31, and Sandoval, 41, apparently hanging out together. However, that’s not what really went down.
“We went to [Paige DeSorbo‘s] birthday party and just happened to leave at the same time. I remember walking through the casino, and I heard, ‘It’s Olivia and Sandoval,’ and I was like, ‘S—t,’” Olivia told fans during the Southern Charm BravoCon panel on Sunday, November 5. “It’s not Olivia and Sandoval. We just left at the same time and I’m a big Ariana fan, big fan of the cast … that’s the answer.”
Olivia joked that she “knew” questions were going to “come around” after being seen with the Vanderpump Rules star.
This isn’t the first time Olivia and Sandoval have crossed paths. In November 2022, Olivia visited her “old stomping grounds” in Los Angeles where she met up with some VPR stars at Schwartz & Sandy’s.
“This spot was a whole mood,” Olivia captioned a photo at the time, posing with Sandoval, Scheana Shay, Raquel Leviss and Tom Schwartz.
Sandoval and Raquel, 29, were sitting next to each other in the snap, an apparent foreshadowing of the drama that was to come.
In March, Us Weekly confirmed that Sandoval and Ariana had split after nine years of dating after the TomTom co-owner’s months-long affair with Raquel came to light. The aftermath was shown during Vanderpump Rules season 10.
In the wake of Scandoval, as it was dubbed by fans, both Ariana and Sandoval returned to film VPR season 11 — which is set to premiere in January 2024 — while Raquel has stepped away from the show. (A source told Us Weekly in September that Raquel and Sandoval have not spoken “in three months.”)
Sandoval, for his part, also faced the fan reaction to Scandoval head-on during BravoCon this past weekend, when he was booed repeatedly during the VPR cast panel.
“It gives you a little dose of reality [for] lack of a better term really,” Sandoval told Us Weekly exclusively on Friday, November 3, following the panel. “Sort of keeps you grounded. I dunno.”
Sandoval also confessed to Us that there was a period of time when he wasn’t sure if he would return to Pump Rules following the events in season 10 — however, made the decision to come back.
“I think, as time went on, when I get to times where I find life really hard to deal with, I think it’s good to challenge yourself,” he shared. “Do what’s hard, you know what I mean?”
