Tom Sandoval cracked a sex joke when asked about reports that he and ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix refuse to make eye contact during season 11 of Vanderpump Rules.
“We don’t really look at each other too often,” Sandoval, 41, told TMZ of Ariana, 38, while leaving the Ziggy Hotel in West Hollywood on Thursday, August 3. “We don’t even look at each other when we have sex anymore, it’s crazy.”
As former costar Billie Lee, who was walking behind him, started to giggle, Sandoval added with a laugh, “I’m just kidding.”
The exes, who still live together, have been on the outs since March when Ariana learned of Sandoval’s months-long affair with their Pump Rules costar Raquel Leviss. The pair called it quits after nine years of dating amid the infidelity scandal.
In addition to shedding light on his current dynamic with Ariana, Sandoval reacted to his Special Forces costar Nick Viall’s recent claims that he “snuck” photos of him and Raquel, 28, onto the set and “showed them to the cast.” Nick, 42 — who made the claims during the Thursday episode of his “Viall Files” podcast — noted that competitors are not allowed to bring certain items to the show’s training process.
Sandoval told TMZ that he “definitely was not showing [the photos] as a badge of honor,” noting that the quasi-military training series is “very lonely.”
He continued: “There’s no phones, no nothing. But, you know, [Nick’s] got a podcast to do.”
Although the TomTom cofounder and Raquel have taken a step back from their romance since their affair came to light, Nick said on his podcast that Sandoval seemed to him like “someone who had feelings and cared about [Raquel].”
While Sandoval has already begun filming season 11 of Pump Rules with costars including Ariana, Scheana Shay, Lala Kent, Tom Schwartz, Katie Maloney and James Kennedy, Raquel’s future on the Bravo series remains up in the air.
Last month, Raquel was spotted for the first time since checking out of the mental health treatment facility she entered in April. She donned a hat that read “Be a good person” during the outing in Tucson, Arizona, where she was visiting family.
One month prior to the sighting, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that no decisions had been reached about Raquel returning to the reality show. “Both sides are hoping they can work something out,” the insider shared.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Pump Rules cast has already sparked new drama while filming the forthcoming installment. Ariana took to social media last month to defend Scheana, 38, after the “Good As Gold” singer drew backlash for posting a photo with Sandoval.
“Scheana is an amazing friend who took a photo with a fan for their birthday. There’s been so many mean comments towards her for it and she was just doing something nice,” Ariana wrote via her Instagram Story at the time. “We always try to stop for photos and when the whole cast is present, it’s common for the whole cast to be in the photo regardless of what is going on between any of us at the time.”
Scheana subsequently addressed the backlash herself, saying via her own Story: “It, like, still blows that people, like, don’t realize we’re filming a show. And it was that girl’s birthday. What are we going to be like, ‘No! Absolutely not.’ Like, no, ‘Happy birthday. Let’s take a f—king picture.’ It’s called adulting.”