He’s back? Tom Schwartz might be making a solo trip to film Winter House amid Tom Sandoval’s cheating scandal with Raquel Leviss.
The Minnesota native, 40, was seemingly spotted filming season 3 of the hit Bravo series with Kory Keefer and Family Karma‘s Brian Benni. In a photo shared by a fan account via Instagram on Monday, March 13, the reality stars were seen having a conversation while cameras were around them.
Schwartz, for his part, previously hinted that he would be interested in returning after making an appearance on season 2.
“I’m down, you guys. I would love to do Winter House again. I don’t know if they’ll have us, but yes, I’m in,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in February during a joint interview with Sandoval, 40, at their restaurant Schwartz and Sandy’s.
One month later, news broke that Sandoval and Ariana Madix called it quits after nearly a decade of dating following his affair with Raquel, 28.
“They were having problems for a while,” a source told Us of the now-exes on March 3, adding that things “only came to a breaking point” when the Florida native, 37, was made aware that Sandoval was unfaithful.
Amid the drama, the social media account for Sandoval and Schwartz’s restaurant issued an Instagram statement addressing the backlash they received via Yelp as fans flooded the site with negative reviews.
“In light of the recent news we appreciate the many words of support but we also understand the outpouring of outrage that has been directed towards our businesses,” read a message from Schwartz and Sandy’s on March 4. “However, those of us who are not famous have dedicated our time hearts and money to make this restaurant a reality.”
The post continued: “We too are disappointed by the current situation as Ariana has always been a good friend and a great supporter of the restaurant. We appreciate that you may feel a certain way but please understand that the livelihoods of others also depend on this business. There are four more people involved in this venture other than just Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz.”
The message concluded by requesting that Vanderpump Rules fans be more mindful about staff members who had “nothing to do with this unfortunate situation,” emphasizing that the West Hollywood establishment aims to provide a “fun attitude” for the community.
The Missouri native, meanwhile, shared his own statement in defense of his businesses on March 4. Sandoval later shared a more direct apology to Ariana after he was called out for not mentioning her in his initial post.
“I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana,” he wrote via Instagram on March 7. “I made mistakes, I was selfish and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.”
Sandoval continued: “I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.”
Before Schwartz was spotted seemingly filming for Winter House, he broke his silence on his business partner’s scandal.
“[Sandoval’s] OK, I think. Relatively speaking. I mean, he has a sense of profound sadness, rightfully so. I think he feels like a piece of s—t, and to some extent, maybe he is,” he told TMZ on Saturday, March 11. “But he knows he f—ked up. The whole thing is just really sad.”
