Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss.Photo:River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Rachel “Raquel” Levissis speaking on falling forTom Sandovalunder what she now believes were false pretenses while filmingVanderpump Rules.
Speaking during the latest episode of her podcast,Rachel Goes Rogue, Leviss alleged that producers forced her to crash Sandoval’s night out with the guys in Los Angeles — which led to thepair’s first sexual encounter— after returning froma disastrous cast trip in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. While she thought she was surprising him, she said that Sandoval already knew she would be joining him.
“Charli [Burnett]and I walk in, and who’s the brightest-eyed, bushy-tailed one to see me? Who is so thrilled that I just walked in? [None] other than Tom Sandoval,” Leviss said. “And it’s such B.S., too, because I heard somebody say, like, ‘Oh yeah, Tom definitely knew. Producers definitely told Tom that Charli and Raquel were about the walk in.’ ”
Leviss, 29, has accused Sandoval, 40, of “acting” during their first encounter.Todd Williamson/Bravo via Getty
Todd Williamson/Bravo via Getty
“Like, he was ready for that scene,” she revealed. “And I’m like, ‘God d— it! He fooled me!’ Like, I thought he was actually genuinely happy to see me. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is what it feels like to actually be appreciated,’ and feel like you’re welcomed in a room and feel like somebody wants you there — like, the stark contrast.”
“But then later on, finding out that he was acting and that wasn’t fully genuine? Ugh,” the former reality star added.
Leviss and Sandoval had a months-long affair after meeting on ‘Vanderpump Rules’.Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
Leviss shared she told people that night she wanted to “go wherever Tom Sandoval goes” as she felt, “This person actually cares about me and he’s, like, down to hear my side of the story.”
The podcaster also accused producers of forcing her to argue withLala Kentin Lake Tahoe before meeting Sandoval and said when she explained to him what happened, “the whole world melted away.”
“[It was] like, the only person I could see was him and nobody else,” Leviss recalled. “And he was actually listening to me and understanding the situations I was in [where] producers were intervening and telling me to say certain things that I normally wouldn’t actually say. And he understood that, like he had been there before.”
Santiago Felipe/Getty, River Callaway/Variety via Getty
Leviss and Sandoval went on to have amonths-long affairthat ended hisnine-year relationshipwith costarAriana Madix. The affair was exposed after filming had wrapped on season 10 of the reality show, with the Bravo cameras picking back up to capture the fallout.
Leviss would later enter into a mental health treatment center, and opted not to return toVanderpump Rulesfor season 11, which premieres Tuesday on Bravo.
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And reflecting on their romance on her podcast, Leviss said that she wondered if Sandoval had masterminded the whole affair.
“The thought has crossed my mind,” she continued. “He is known to self-produce, and all he has is this show … When we did have conversations like, ‘How is this going to play out?’ He said, ‘We can be together next season.’ ”
source: people.com
