January 17, 2024 • 35 mins
Chapter 2:
Rachel answers your questions. (The good, the bad, and the ugly.)
And for the first time, Rachel watches the trailer for Vanderpump Rules Season 11 and responds.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is Rachel gos Rogue. This is Rachel Savannah Levis
from Rachel Goes Rogue. I am so excited to be
joining you guys on my second episode, and I'm feeling
good after the release of our first episode. I've gotten
a lot of feedback from you guys listening in and
(00:29):
it's been relatively positive so far. A lot of people
are reaching out saying that their perception of me has
changed a bit since listening and getting to know more information,
and I just hope as this continues, you guys can
discover things about yourself. I want this to be an
(00:50):
overall positive podcast, but as we progress forward to there
are some serious topics that I feel like need attention,
and I know one of the feedback marks was that
I laugh a lot and smile a lot through talking,
and so that is something that I have been aware of.
(01:11):
It's definitely anxiety based. When I talk about things that
make me feel a little bit uncomfortable, my default is
to smile and laugh through it, so I understand that
it could come across a way that I don't mean
it to. I don't think that any of this is funny,
(01:31):
and I don't enjoy recounting those painful memories that hurt
a lot of people and hurt myself. So just trying
to be real. And I'm sure as these podcasts come out,
episode by episode, I will get better at speaking and
(01:54):
expressing my emotions and keeping it real with you guys.
I'm here with my iHeart producers and they'll be helping
me go through different questions things that you guys want answered.
We're about to dive into the trailer of vander Pump
Rules Season eleven. This came out a few weeks ago,
and I figured we might as well watch it now
(02:16):
and I can talk about some of the thoughts, feelings
and emotions that come up for me.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
So you just watched the trailer, Yes, I have some
questions in your opinion. Why are Tom and arian are
still living together? And do you think it's for the show?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Oh? Wow? Tom doesn't want to lose that house, and
I think he's being stubborn with not letting Arianna buy
him out. I think that's also a big reason why
he didn't break up with her sooner, is because he
wanted that house. And I also know that they grew
(02:53):
up together in the fact that they came from this
small apartment that was a little run down and when
you turn the microwave on, the lights would go out,
and just it was a small space, and they worked
hard to make money and invest it into this big house.
(03:18):
And I feel like there's areas of comfort there that
they both felt comfortable in their relationship and comfortable in
that house, and now that the relationship is broken up,
I believe that Tom is having a really hard time
letting go of that house.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
And do you think it's for the show at all,
like how much they're going back and forth on social
media about it and that it's actually a storyline, or
do you think that it does really mean a lot
to him.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
I think it really does mean a lot to him,
And I think he's being stubborn, like I said, and
it's a power play on his part. But I can
see where she's coming from, like, dude, you cheated on me,
like you should be the one to leave. So I
see both points.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Now Arianna is dating again, So do you think Tom
should be dating again manytime soon?
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I really don't care what he does. He definitely didn't
wait to date after I admitted myself to trauma therapy center,
so he was out there with different girls each week
being photographed and me finding out about it while I
(04:39):
was in there and asking him about it. So I'm
not surprised that he's dating now. I do feel like,
and there have been instances where this hasn't applied to people,
but I feel like for me personally, I recognize that
I need to take some timed myself before I start
(05:01):
dating again and really reflecting on who I am and
growing as a person so that the next relationship I
have can be stronger and healthier. And when I see
people dating so quickly after a breakup, it's like a
red flag goes off in my mind. But I mean,
(05:25):
it's not my life, so who am I to judge?
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So in the trailer, James said to Sandival quote, you
still got so much growing.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Up to do. Tom, It's sad to me, what do
you think of your ex saying that to Sandal?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
I think it's so ironic that James is giving sand
of aal advice in anything. Yeah, James is definitely a
piece of work and not somebody who I believe has
life all figured out. So it's just kind of funny
to me comical that he's giving sand of all advice and.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
The trailer, Schwartz says to Tom, I don't know what
the future for me and Tom looks like, and what
are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 3 (06:09):
And do you think that the Toms will ever break up?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I don't think that Toms will ever break up. I
think that is the most codependent relationship that we've ever
seen on vander Pump Rolls. I know that they went
through this rough patch, and I think Schwartz is being
influenced by outside people telling him that Tom isn't a
good look and that he can't be friends with him
(06:33):
because he made terrible decisions and that reflects poorly on
you as a friend. And so I think he was
influenced by people to pull back. And I'm sure that
was part of the storyline too, but I do know that,
and maybe we'll go into this later. But when I
(06:54):
was sending letters to Tom from inside the trauma therapy center,
Tom told me to send letters to Shorts because he
would get the mail from Shorts and that way it
would be like under wraps and nobody would need to know.
(07:15):
And then there was a point where Tom said, oh,
don't send letters to Shorts anymore because he doesn't want
to be friends with me at this point, like he's
dumping me as a friend. And then he instructed me
to send letters to his house and I said, well,
don't you think that's a little weird, like what if
(07:35):
Ariana finds it? And he was like, no, my assistant
will get it. Don't worry about that at all. And
so I remember sending a letter out. And then a
few days later I sent a postcard which I saw
(07:56):
it had freaking stupid lightning bolts in the way that
it was like a storm cloud lightning bowlt in Arizona.
And I got a stamp from the bookstore, just a
tiny little postcard stamp, and I thought it was cute,
and I made a bad decision to send it to
(08:16):
the house because I trusted that Tom would make sure
that his assistant would get it. And of course, the
day I sent it out, Arianna went on Watch What
Happens Live and said that we were sending letters to
each other and that she found the letter. So then
(08:38):
you know, that sucked because I was like, you know,
this letter is already sent out and I can't take
it back now, Like Tom, I need you to check
the mail like every single morning, and make sure that
you get that postcard before Ariana sees it, and he
promised that he would, and he said his assistant was
(08:59):
on it, and I don't think he really gave a
I think maybe he wanted her to see it.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Now, going back a little bit, you mentioned that Schwartz knew,
So when did Schwartz find about find out about you
and Sandoval? And did Sandoval tell you when he was
going to tell Schwartz, Like, how did that conversation happen?
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Did Sandival tell me when he was going to tell Schwartz? No,
because Schwartz already knew at.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
That point, So how long did he know?
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Schwartz knew since the very beginning. I got a phone
call from Tom the next morning after we hooked up
for the first time, and my mind was racing. I
was feeling so much guilt and shame about it. And
I finally got a phone call from Sandoval and he
(09:53):
was at Schwartz's apartment when he called me, and that
was like a safe space for him. And so Schwartz
knew before we even had a conversation to talk about
it and what the game plan was going to be,
because immediately I was going to film with Ariana and
(10:16):
a group our group of girls that night, and I
was like, you know, like I'm seeing Ariana later. I
don't know what to do. He's like, well, just go
along like everything's normal. And I was like, okay, so
just so we're clear, we're not going to tell Ariana
(10:38):
and he was like, no, we're not. And I remember
that scene that night. Ariana and I actually shared an
uber to that scene, and as we were pulling up,
she was like, God, I hate this place. Every time
I come here, someone always says something horrible, like I
slept with your boyfriend. And I was like, I I
(11:00):
drank a lot. And there's a lot of videos from
that night of me just like being wild. Tom also
sent a bottle of champagne to our table that he
called in through the restaurant, and it was almost like
this twisted way of celebrating and then reassuring me that oh,
(11:23):
this is all fine and dandy, like this is something
to be excited about. And when the champagne came to
the table, all of the girls were like, oh my gosh, Tom,
that's so thoughtful, you know, And of course Ariana to
her is a gesture to her because that's her boyfriend.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
So we know that you hooked up with Sandoval in Mexico,
which is also when you kissed Schwartz, and this was
that Sheena's wedding. So were you doing that to draw
attention away from your relationship with Sandoval or did you
actually have feelings for Shorts?
Speaker 1 (11:56):
No, So there's little bit of a backstory to this.
When I first made that first move on Short, saying like, oh,
should we just make out now? It was part of
our inside joke that fans were convinced that Shorts and
(12:16):
I kissed at Coachella, and that was the rumor that
was circulating that April prior to filming that season. And
I had this little seed planted in my head that, oh,
like that could be a fun storyline for season ten
and because we're both single and so when I made
(12:39):
that move, he turned it down, and I was like, Okay,
that's that's that. Like, I'm not going to try again
because it was stupid to begin with and he clearly
wasn't into it. Fast forward to Katie inviting me out
(13:00):
to the Girl's trip to Vegas, and she said I
came forward with that information because I knew she was
going to find out. Eventually, she said that made me
feel really uncomfortable, and she set a boundary saying, if
you do anything with Shorts, I'm not going to be
able to have a friendship with you. And so the
(13:20):
next scene, I'm filming in my apartment with Sena and
I'm filling her in on being invited to this girl's
trip and telling her that she's not invited. And I said,
I came forward to Katie about me asking Shorts if
he wanted to make out, and I told her how
(13:41):
she reacted, and I said, that door is closed. I'm
not going to go there. I'm not going to kiss him,
like it just doesn't make sense for me to do that,
and I'm going to respect her boundaries. And the producers
were like, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, we
are making a reality TV show after all, so don't
(14:02):
say no so quickly. And I was like, okay, well,
I'm not going to make another move first, So if
that's something that he wants to do for a storyline,
then he can come to me with that.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Fast forward to the Cancun trip Forshina's wedding. Obviously, Schwartz
knew that Santoval and I had hooked up, and I
have a feeling that either producers got into Schwartz's ear saying, oh,
you should make out with Raquel, he got some pressure
(14:38):
somewhere to make out with me and put a move
on me, because they had this two top table set
up with the camera lights and they instructed me to
walk over there for a scene with Schwartz, and so
it is definitely staged and definitely produced. And I also
(15:00):
feel like Schwartz had the go ahead with Sandoval to
kiss me, because I don't think he would do it
without sand of bal being okay with it. So when
we got to that two top table set up with
the lights on us, and we filmed that scene and
(15:21):
you don't see the whole thing because they cut it.
But Schwartz like is talking to me and he has
his hands over his face like he's mumbling. He's like,
I can't make out anything that he's saying. I asked
him to repeat himself two times, and after the third time,
I was like, Okay, it's fine, just forget about it, like,
don't worry, and he's like, no, I kind of want
(15:44):
to make out with you. And I was like wait
what And he's like yeah, and I was like, oh, okay,
And so you know, we like went in for a kiss,
obviously both of us knowing that I had a thing
with Sandoval, and in that moment it just felt so
(16:06):
produced and like, Okay, this is clearly a storyline. Clearly
we're playing a part right now. And as we kissed,
the entire group was, I guess watching, and then they
cheered and started clapping, and so I was like, suorrets,
should we like go somewhere a little bit more private
(16:29):
because I feel like everyone's looking at us right now.
And he was like yeah, And so we went to
the second location where it wasn't all lit up, and
we had the cameramen like get in this pool that
they weren't prepared to go into to get the shot,
and we were like kind of behind this fence so
(16:49):
the crowd couldn't see us, and we were sitting there
talking about relationships and how he felt that Katie was
a little bit controlling. She was putting limits on him
of who he can and can't date. And I told
him about my breakup and my relationship with James, and
(17:12):
I said, it's been a blessing to have no contact
with him. We're just talking about that. And then I
was like, I kind of want to make up with
you again, you know, because I'm like, yeah, we're filming
this show, like this is what the producers want, and
so I went in for that kiss, and of course
here comes like there's this noise in the background, and
(17:34):
I turn around and it's Sandoval Army crawling over to us.
And then he cracks open two beers and he's like
here you guys, here you go. And then he's like
see you, and so we're like, okay, cheers like you know.
So I know that he was in on it and
definitely okay with it, especially because after that scene, we
(18:01):
went to go party at this club that they had
on the premises of this hotel called Desires, and we
were celebrating, and as I was on my way over there,
one of the producers came up to me and said, Hey,
(18:22):
so we were thinking about your birthday and we want
to have your birthday trip. How do you feel about
going glamping? And I was like That's what I've been wanting,
Like that's what I asked for. So immediately I was
rewarded and we were all celebrating, and it just felt
like this high, like I did something right. And so, no,
(18:45):
it wasn't initially a cover up to cover up my
relationship with Sandoval. It turned into that when we kept
the secret and played into this flirty role that Schwartz
(19:06):
and I had together. I question whether or not Sandibal
strategize that move so that it could be a cover up.
But I do know that Schwartz was fully aware of
the situation.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
In that moment. If you were in love with Sandibal,
then how could you want to kiss his best friend
and then go back and kiss him again.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I wasn't interested in Schwartz like that at all. It
was more of a like, I like you as a friend,
and I know he's not interested in me that way,
and I already like closed the door on exploring that.
So it didn't feel like I was betraying anybody by
(19:53):
kissing him, well besides Katie, of course. It just felt
like I was playing into this part.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
So it felt like a role.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
It felt like a role.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Obviously, it wasn't planned for Schwartz to be the cover
of the whole time. It kind of turned into that,
so was Sandoval at all angry that it became a
storyline between you guys, or did he encourage that distraction
and keep up with it like cracking open the beers.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Yeah, Sandoval encouraged that. He encouraged those interactions between Shorts
and I. And I also remember like filming at SIR
when Sandoval and Schwartz were there and they were like, Oh,
come sit down, and I'm in my waitressing uniform, and
(20:56):
I'm like, you could just see my face. I know it,
because you know, a part of me is like super
uncomfortable with like knowing the actual truth and knowing that like, oh,
I'm just you know, innocently sitting in the middle both
of the toms. But in reality, it was like clearly
(21:20):
all three of us knew what was going on, and
we all three got close. We got closer together because
Schwartz's apartment became a safe place for Sandoval and I
to meet up. And I don't want people to necessarily
(21:43):
go after Schwartz because I felt like Sandival put him
in a bad position where he didn't have a say.
And I know that he tried to set boundaries with
Sandoval and not having me there and really encourage him
to break up with Ariana and just come clean. But
(22:04):
Sandoval didn't, and he didn't respect his boundaries, and he
like reassured me that it was fine that I was there.
So I think people suspected that Schwartz knew, and I
don't see why it's a bigger deal that he did
(22:26):
know because Santoval, well, because okay, maybe I do, because
it really breaks the fourth wall of we're playing a
role here, we are partially acting on this show, and
the main goal is to not break that fourth wall.
And Sandoval, you know, I think he wanted to maintain that,
(22:48):
but he was not happy with Schwartz when he said
at the reunion that he found out in August, and
that was part of the conversation that he had when
he pulled me aside out of the trailer and the
cameras went down. He was like, it's not cool that
(23:09):
Schwartz came clean with his answer, or he didn't come
fully clean. But he definitely didn't stick to the date
that Sandoval wanted him to, and I think he was
reinforcing that I would stick to that story to keep
me in his grasp and so that I wouldn't go
(23:33):
rogue and expose it all. And so it was definitely
like a control tactic, and it seemed to have worked
for the time being. Like at the reunion, I I
there's a lot to process.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Can you explain how the fans comments.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Actually influence storyline and how you all reacted.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Yeah, it's very strange how the fans comments will influence
our storyline and how we go about filming, because it's
I guess it's part of the producer's job to know
(24:19):
what the fans want to see and what they're asking for,
and then as a good cast member who a lot
of cast members will self produce and be thinking about
what storyline they're going to be involved in as the
season comes up. The comments that the fans will put
(24:44):
out there seems to influence, Like if there's like a
little seed that they put out there, like oh, so
and so should date so and so, it seems to
come into fruition. And that is is kind of what
happened with Peter and I guess I'll go into this now.
(25:08):
So the whole Peter date came about when I bought
some flowers at Trader Joe's and I was flower ranging
in my apartment. Actually it was Sheena's apartment that I
was subletting. But anyway, I was flower ranging and it
(25:28):
was an Instagram live and then I took a picture
of the flowers by the window and I said when
the sun hits just right, and Peter Madrigal commented under that,
saying they're perfect, and so fans commented under that, saying,
oh my god, Peter got Quel flowers, Like how romantic,
(25:49):
how cute those guys would be so cute together. I
want to see Peter and Reckel date. And so it
became like, oh haha, like a funny thing at first,
and Peter asked me out and I was like, well,
I haven't been on a real, real date since my
(26:11):
breakup with James, and I feel like Peter is a trusted,
safe person where I could get back into dating with
Peter maybe, and like we could just go for drinks
and like it doesn't have to be anything more than that.
And so Peter planned to a date for us. He said,
(26:33):
I'll pick you up at five, and he picked me
up and we got drinks. I must have had maybe
four lemon drop martinis and nothing to eat for dinner,
and I ended up crying to him about my heartbreak
with James and just feeling confused and just like definitely
(26:58):
not from a healed place. And he was actually very
supportive and was He came over to the booth that
I was sitting at and like put his arm around
me and he said they're there, like it's gonna be okay,
and you know, I was literally crying on his shoulder
and he was like, okay, I think it's time to
(27:19):
take you back and I was like yeah, thanks. So
we're driving back to the apartment and I was like, Peter,
can you please pull over. I feel sick. And he's like,
are you serious, and I'm like, yeah, I'm serious, and
so he pulled over and I threw up in the
gutter and I was like, oh my god, Like how embarrassing.
(27:40):
I'm so sorry. He's like, no, it's okay. It happens.
And he dropped me off and I went upstairs safely,
brushed my teeth, got ready for bed. And then the
next week he texted me and he was like, that
was a great date. I want to go out with
you again, and I was like, that was a great date.
I feel like I'm not in a good place to
(28:02):
be dating right now, based off of like how much
I was drinking and how much I was crying. So
I think it's best if we just stay friends. And
so that's where we left it. But then as the
new season started filming and I didn't have the Miss
(28:22):
California storyline that I wanted to have, the producers approached
me saying, we want you to go on a date
with Peter, and I said, no, I don't want to
go on a date with Peter. I already went on
a date with Peter and it ended up terribly and
I don't see anything going forward there. And they said, well,
(28:44):
that happened off camera, and people know about it, and
we want to cover all things because it's reality. And
so we are setting you up for a date with Peter,
and you know, you don't have to date him for long.
You just have to go on this date. And I
was like, I really don't want to, and I talked
(29:05):
to other people about it and I said that I
didn't want to. But then I also felt like I
didn't really have a storyline for this season besides being single.
And then, of course, like when you're single, you're supposed
to date. So I was like, well, I feel a
little bit obligated to go on this date. And so
when I got there, I told them like, all right,
(29:28):
I'm going on this date, but I'm gonna like end
it with him on this date, like I don't want
to lead him on. And they said, no, no, you
can't do that. You have to wait a week at least,
and so just hang out, you know, like you don't
take it so seriously. I demanded that the date was
during the daytime. I was like, we are not doing
(29:49):
a nighttime date, we are not doing a dinner date,
nothing like that. It has to be during the day.
So at least they compromised with that. But of course
on this I was crying to him once again, and
I knew that I didn't see future with him, but
(30:10):
I was taking direction from production to you know, not
quote unquote break up with him until later on. And
so that's a long story.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Well, so when production comes to you and says, you,
guys are gonna go on a date, you need a storyline.
Does he know that this is a storyline like this
or does he play along or is he going in blind?
And does he take that personally that maybe he thought
there was a future but there really isn't.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
It's a good question. I think that's a question for him.
But I also know that Peter has been a character
that hasn't been in the main storyline for much of
the time. He's always been in the outer circle, and
(31:04):
he still gets an episodic rate, and his episodic rate
is relatively high since he's been on the show since
the very beginning, and so I wouldn't be surprised that
he's seeing this as an opportunity to make his income
and part of his storyline to stay relevant with the show.
(31:25):
I don't know if he genuinely had like deep feelings,
which is also weird to me because it should have
been just like a manager server relationship and anything. But
that is crossing a line, especially when I'm still working
(31:46):
at SIR and so yeah, I don't know if he
actually had feelings or if his motivation for doing that
was a storyline. That's more of a question for him,
But I do know I made a remark on Watch
What Happens Live and this was the night that Arianna
(32:07):
found out and I got punched in the face. Moments
before she and I were filming with Andy Cohen on
Watch What Happens Live, and I made a comment about
Peter being a starter pony, like, oh, he's a good
starter pony to get back into the dating world. And
(32:28):
I didn't mean it as a derogatory comment, but I
think he interpreted it that way and was offended, and
so I would like to take this time now to
apologize to him for that. And yeah, it's it, definitely is.
(32:49):
It's a weird reality to live in as a person
when things are so mixed up. You don't know if
that person getting involved in your life is doing it
for a storyline or if they are actually genuinely interested
in telling you this information or befriending you or dating you.
(33:15):
So it's very messy and complicated. And when you're on
a TV show like this, season after season after season,
your entire life revolves around what substance are you going
to give to the cause to provide entertainment for people,
(33:37):
And then your life doesn't really become yours anymore.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
To kind of wrap up, the group seems to have
forgiven sand ofbal and we see that in the trailer
for the upcoming season. Do you think if you went
back on this season they would start to forgive you
just how they forgave him, or do you think it
would stay as it is now.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
I absolutely do not think that they would forgive me
if I went back to do this season. And I've
heard a few interview bites from a few of the cast,
like Katie and La La saying, Oh, she should have
just come back. It's not what she thought it was
going to be. Like they were. It seems to be
that they were bummed that I wasn't going to come
(34:34):
back because it was such a hot topic that it
took away from opportunities to film about it and scenes
that could have been made. And so I don't think
that they would ever give me the time of day
to open up and dive in deeper and be real
(34:57):
and honest and authentic, And to an extent, you can't
really be real and honest and authentic all the way
when you can't break the fourth wall
This is Rachel gos Rogue. This is Rachel Savannah Levis
from Rachel Goes Rogue. I am so excited to be
joining you guys on my second episode, and I'm feeling
good after the release of our first episode. I've gotten
a lot of feedback from you guys listening in and
(00:29):
it's been relatively positive so far. A lot of people
are reaching out saying that their perception of me has
changed a bit since listening and getting to know more information,
and I just hope as this continues, you guys can
discover things about yourself. I want this to be an
(00:50):
overall positive podcast, but as we progress forward to there
are some serious topics that I feel like need attention,
and I know one of the feedback marks was that
I laugh a lot and smile a lot through talking,
and so that is something that I have been aware of.
(01:11):
It's definitely anxiety based. When I talk about things that
make me feel a little bit uncomfortable, my default is
to smile and laugh through it, so I understand that
it could come across a way that I don't mean
it to. I don't think that any of this is funny,
(01:31):
and I don't enjoy recounting those painful memories that hurt
a lot of people and hurt myself. So just trying
to be real. And I'm sure as these podcasts come out,
episode by episode, I will get better at speaking and
(01:54):
expressing my emotions and keeping it real with you guys.
I'm here with my iHeart producers and they'll be helping
me go through different questions things that you guys want answered.
We're about to dive into the trailer of vander Pump
Rules Season eleven. This came out a few weeks ago,
and I figured we might as well watch it now
(02:16):
and I can talk about some of the thoughts, feelings
and emotions that come up for me.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
So you just watched the trailer, Yes, I have some
questions in your opinion. Why are Tom and arian are
still living together? And do you think it's for the show?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Oh? Wow? Tom doesn't want to lose that house, and
I think he's being stubborn with not letting Arianna buy
him out. I think that's also a big reason why
he didn't break up with her sooner, is because he
wanted that house. And I also know that they grew
(02:53):
up together in the fact that they came from this
small apartment that was a little run down and when
you turn the microwave on, the lights would go out,
and just it was a small space, and they worked
hard to make money and invest it into this big house.
(03:18):
And I feel like there's areas of comfort there that
they both felt comfortable in their relationship and comfortable in
that house, and now that the relationship is broken up,
I believe that Tom is having a really hard time
letting go of that house.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
And do you think it's for the show at all,
like how much they're going back and forth on social
media about it and that it's actually a storyline, or
do you think that it does really mean a lot
to him.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
I think it really does mean a lot to him,
And I think he's being stubborn, like I said, and
it's a power play on his part. But I can
see where she's coming from, like, dude, you cheated on me,
like you should be the one to leave. So I
see both points.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Now Arianna is dating again, So do you think Tom
should be dating again manytime soon?
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I really don't care what he does. He definitely didn't
wait to date after I admitted myself to trauma therapy center,
so he was out there with different girls each week
being photographed and me finding out about it while I
(04:39):
was in there and asking him about it. So I'm
not surprised that he's dating now. I do feel like,
and there have been instances where this hasn't applied to people,
but I feel like for me personally, I recognize that
I need to take some timed myself before I start
(05:01):
dating again and really reflecting on who I am and
growing as a person so that the next relationship I
have can be stronger and healthier. And when I see
people dating so quickly after a breakup, it's like a
red flag goes off in my mind. But I mean,
(05:25):
it's not my life, so who am I to judge?
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So in the trailer, James said to Sandival quote, you
still got so much growing.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Up to do. Tom, It's sad to me, what do
you think of your ex saying that to Sandal?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
I think it's so ironic that James is giving sand
of aal advice in anything. Yeah, James is definitely a
piece of work and not somebody who I believe has
life all figured out. So it's just kind of funny
to me comical that he's giving sand of all advice and.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
The trailer, Schwartz says to Tom, I don't know what
the future for me and Tom looks like, and what
are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 3 (06:09):
And do you think that the Toms will ever break up?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I don't think that Toms will ever break up. I
think that is the most codependent relationship that we've ever
seen on vander Pump Rolls. I know that they went
through this rough patch, and I think Schwartz is being
influenced by outside people telling him that Tom isn't a
good look and that he can't be friends with him
(06:33):
because he made terrible decisions and that reflects poorly on
you as a friend. And so I think he was
influenced by people to pull back. And I'm sure that
was part of the storyline too, but I do know that,
and maybe we'll go into this later. But when I
(06:54):
was sending letters to Tom from inside the trauma therapy center,
Tom told me to send letters to Shorts because he
would get the mail from Shorts and that way it
would be like under wraps and nobody would need to know.
(07:15):
And then there was a point where Tom said, oh,
don't send letters to Shorts anymore because he doesn't want
to be friends with me at this point, like he's
dumping me as a friend. And then he instructed me
to send letters to his house and I said, well,
don't you think that's a little weird, like what if
(07:35):
Ariana finds it? And he was like, no, my assistant
will get it. Don't worry about that at all. And
so I remember sending a letter out. And then a
few days later I sent a postcard which I saw
(07:56):
it had freaking stupid lightning bolts in the way that
it was like a storm cloud lightning bowlt in Arizona.
And I got a stamp from the bookstore, just a
tiny little postcard stamp, and I thought it was cute,
and I made a bad decision to send it to
(08:16):
the house because I trusted that Tom would make sure
that his assistant would get it. And of course, the
day I sent it out, Arianna went on Watch What
Happens Live and said that we were sending letters to
each other and that she found the letter. So then
(08:38):
you know, that sucked because I was like, you know,
this letter is already sent out and I can't take
it back now, Like Tom, I need you to check
the mail like every single morning, and make sure that
you get that postcard before Ariana sees it, and he
promised that he would, and he said his assistant was
(08:59):
on it, and I don't think he really gave a
I think maybe he wanted her to see it.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Now, going back a little bit, you mentioned that Schwartz knew,
So when did Schwartz find about find out about you
and Sandoval? And did Sandoval tell you when he was
going to tell Schwartz, Like, how did that conversation happen?
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Did Sandival tell me when he was going to tell Schwartz? No,
because Schwartz already knew at.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
That point, So how long did he know?
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Schwartz knew since the very beginning. I got a phone
call from Tom the next morning after we hooked up
for the first time, and my mind was racing. I
was feeling so much guilt and shame about it. And
I finally got a phone call from Sandoval and he
(09:53):
was at Schwartz's apartment when he called me, and that
was like a safe space for him. And so Schwartz
knew before we even had a conversation to talk about
it and what the game plan was going to be,
because immediately I was going to film with Ariana and
(10:16):
a group our group of girls that night, and I
was like, you know, like I'm seeing Ariana later. I
don't know what to do. He's like, well, just go
along like everything's normal. And I was like, okay, so
just so we're clear, we're not going to tell Ariana
(10:38):
and he was like, no, we're not. And I remember
that scene that night. Ariana and I actually shared an
uber to that scene, and as we were pulling up,
she was like, God, I hate this place. Every time
I come here, someone always says something horrible, like I
slept with your boyfriend. And I was like, I I
(11:00):
drank a lot. And there's a lot of videos from
that night of me just like being wild. Tom also
sent a bottle of champagne to our table that he
called in through the restaurant, and it was almost like
this twisted way of celebrating and then reassuring me that oh,
(11:23):
this is all fine and dandy, like this is something
to be excited about. And when the champagne came to
the table, all of the girls were like, oh my gosh, Tom,
that's so thoughtful, you know, And of course Ariana to
her is a gesture to her because that's her boyfriend.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
So we know that you hooked up with Sandoval in Mexico,
which is also when you kissed Schwartz, and this was
that Sheena's wedding. So were you doing that to draw
attention away from your relationship with Sandoval or did you
actually have feelings for Shorts?
Speaker 1 (11:56):
No, So there's little bit of a backstory to this.
When I first made that first move on Short, saying like, oh,
should we just make out now? It was part of
our inside joke that fans were convinced that Shorts and
(12:16):
I kissed at Coachella, and that was the rumor that
was circulating that April prior to filming that season. And
I had this little seed planted in my head that, oh,
like that could be a fun storyline for season ten
and because we're both single and so when I made
(12:39):
that move, he turned it down, and I was like, Okay,
that's that's that. Like, I'm not going to try again
because it was stupid to begin with and he clearly
wasn't into it. Fast forward to Katie inviting me out
(13:00):
to the Girl's trip to Vegas, and she said I
came forward with that information because I knew she was
going to find out. Eventually, she said that made me
feel really uncomfortable, and she set a boundary saying, if
you do anything with Shorts, I'm not going to be
able to have a friendship with you. And so the
(13:20):
next scene, I'm filming in my apartment with Sena and
I'm filling her in on being invited to this girl's
trip and telling her that she's not invited. And I said,
I came forward to Katie about me asking Shorts if
he wanted to make out, and I told her how
(13:41):
she reacted, and I said, that door is closed. I'm
not going to go there. I'm not going to kiss him,
like it just doesn't make sense for me to do that,
and I'm going to respect her boundaries. And the producers
were like, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, we
are making a reality TV show after all, so don't
(14:02):
say no so quickly. And I was like, okay, well,
I'm not going to make another move first, So if
that's something that he wants to do for a storyline,
then he can come to me with that.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Fast forward to the Cancun trip Forshina's wedding. Obviously, Schwartz
knew that Santoval and I had hooked up, and I
have a feeling that either producers got into Schwartz's ear saying, oh,
you should make out with Raquel, he got some pressure
(14:38):
somewhere to make out with me and put a move
on me, because they had this two top table set
up with the camera lights and they instructed me to
walk over there for a scene with Schwartz, and so
it is definitely staged and definitely produced. And I also
(15:00):
feel like Schwartz had the go ahead with Sandoval to
kiss me, because I don't think he would do it
without sand of bal being okay with it. So when
we got to that two top table set up with
the lights on us, and we filmed that scene and
(15:21):
you don't see the whole thing because they cut it.
But Schwartz like is talking to me and he has
his hands over his face like he's mumbling. He's like,
I can't make out anything that he's saying. I asked
him to repeat himself two times, and after the third time,
I was like, Okay, it's fine, just forget about it, like,
don't worry, and he's like, no, I kind of want
(15:44):
to make out with you. And I was like wait
what And he's like yeah, and I was like, oh, okay,
And so you know, we like went in for a kiss,
obviously both of us knowing that I had a thing
with Sandoval, and in that moment it just felt so
(16:06):
produced and like, Okay, this is clearly a storyline. Clearly
we're playing a part right now. And as we kissed,
the entire group was, I guess watching, and then they
cheered and started clapping, and so I was like, suorrets,
should we like go somewhere a little bit more private
(16:29):
because I feel like everyone's looking at us right now.
And he was like yeah, And so we went to
the second location where it wasn't all lit up, and
we had the cameramen like get in this pool that
they weren't prepared to go into to get the shot,
and we were like kind of behind this fence so
(16:49):
the crowd couldn't see us, and we were sitting there
talking about relationships and how he felt that Katie was
a little bit controlling. She was putting limits on him
of who he can and can't date. And I told
him about my breakup and my relationship with James, and
(17:12):
I said, it's been a blessing to have no contact
with him. We're just talking about that. And then I
was like, I kind of want to make up with
you again, you know, because I'm like, yeah, we're filming
this show, like this is what the producers want, and
so I went in for that kiss, and of course
here comes like there's this noise in the background, and
(17:34):
I turn around and it's Sandoval Army crawling over to us.
And then he cracks open two beers and he's like
here you guys, here you go. And then he's like
see you, and so we're like, okay, cheers like you know.
So I know that he was in on it and
definitely okay with it, especially because after that scene, we
(18:01):
went to go party at this club that they had
on the premises of this hotel called Desires, and we
were celebrating, and as I was on my way over there,
one of the producers came up to me and said, Hey,
(18:22):
so we were thinking about your birthday and we want
to have your birthday trip. How do you feel about
going glamping? And I was like That's what I've been wanting,
Like that's what I asked for. So immediately I was
rewarded and we were all celebrating, and it just felt
like this high, like I did something right. And so, no,
(18:45):
it wasn't initially a cover up to cover up my
relationship with Sandoval. It turned into that when we kept
the secret and played into this flirty role that Schwartz
(19:06):
and I had together. I question whether or not Sandibal
strategize that move so that it could be a cover up.
But I do know that Schwartz was fully aware of
the situation.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
In that moment. If you were in love with Sandibal,
then how could you want to kiss his best friend
and then go back and kiss him again.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I wasn't interested in Schwartz like that at all. It
was more of a like, I like you as a friend,
and I know he's not interested in me that way,
and I already like closed the door on exploring that.
So it didn't feel like I was betraying anybody by
(19:53):
kissing him, well besides Katie, of course. It just felt
like I was playing into this part.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
So it felt like a role.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
It felt like a role.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Obviously, it wasn't planned for Schwartz to be the cover
of the whole time. It kind of turned into that,
so was Sandoval at all angry that it became a
storyline between you guys, or did he encourage that distraction
and keep up with it like cracking open the beers.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Yeah, Sandoval encouraged that. He encouraged those interactions between Shorts
and I. And I also remember like filming at SIR
when Sandoval and Schwartz were there and they were like, Oh,
come sit down, and I'm in my waitressing uniform, and
(20:56):
I'm like, you could just see my face. I know it,
because you know, a part of me is like super
uncomfortable with like knowing the actual truth and knowing that like, oh,
I'm just you know, innocently sitting in the middle both
of the toms. But in reality, it was like clearly
(21:20):
all three of us knew what was going on, and
we all three got close. We got closer together because
Schwartz's apartment became a safe place for Sandoval and I
to meet up. And I don't want people to necessarily
(21:43):
go after Schwartz because I felt like Sandival put him
in a bad position where he didn't have a say.
And I know that he tried to set boundaries with
Sandoval and not having me there and really encourage him
to break up with Ariana and just come clean. But
(22:04):
Sandoval didn't, and he didn't respect his boundaries, and he
like reassured me that it was fine that I was there.
So I think people suspected that Schwartz knew, and I
don't see why it's a bigger deal that he did
(22:26):
know because Santoval, well, because okay, maybe I do, because
it really breaks the fourth wall of we're playing a
role here, we are partially acting on this show, and
the main goal is to not break that fourth wall.
And Sandoval, you know, I think he wanted to maintain that,
(22:48):
but he was not happy with Schwartz when he said
at the reunion that he found out in August, and
that was part of the conversation that he had when
he pulled me aside out of the trailer and the
cameras went down. He was like, it's not cool that
(23:09):
Schwartz came clean with his answer, or he didn't come
fully clean. But he definitely didn't stick to the date
that Sandoval wanted him to, and I think he was
reinforcing that I would stick to that story to keep
me in his grasp and so that I wouldn't go
(23:33):
rogue and expose it all. And so it was definitely
like a control tactic, and it seemed to have worked
for the time being. Like at the reunion, I I
there's a lot to process.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Can you explain how the fans comments.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Actually influence storyline and how you all reacted.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Yeah, it's very strange how the fans comments will influence
our storyline and how we go about filming, because it's
I guess it's part of the producer's job to know
(24:19):
what the fans want to see and what they're asking for,
and then as a good cast member who a lot
of cast members will self produce and be thinking about
what storyline they're going to be involved in as the
season comes up. The comments that the fans will put
(24:44):
out there seems to influence, Like if there's like a
little seed that they put out there, like oh, so
and so should date so and so, it seems to
come into fruition. And that is is kind of what
happened with Peter and I guess I'll go into this now.
(25:08):
So the whole Peter date came about when I bought
some flowers at Trader Joe's and I was flower ranging
in my apartment. Actually it was Sheena's apartment that I
was subletting. But anyway, I was flower ranging and it
(25:28):
was an Instagram live and then I took a picture
of the flowers by the window and I said when
the sun hits just right, and Peter Madrigal commented under that,
saying they're perfect, and so fans commented under that, saying,
oh my god, Peter got Quel flowers, Like how romantic,
(25:49):
how cute those guys would be so cute together. I
want to see Peter and Reckel date. And so it
became like, oh haha, like a funny thing at first,
and Peter asked me out and I was like, well,
I haven't been on a real, real date since my
(26:11):
breakup with James, and I feel like Peter is a trusted,
safe person where I could get back into dating with
Peter maybe, and like we could just go for drinks
and like it doesn't have to be anything more than that.
And so Peter planned to a date for us. He said,
(26:33):
I'll pick you up at five, and he picked me
up and we got drinks. I must have had maybe
four lemon drop martinis and nothing to eat for dinner,
and I ended up crying to him about my heartbreak
with James and just feeling confused and just like definitely
(26:58):
not from a healed place. And he was actually very
supportive and was He came over to the booth that
I was sitting at and like put his arm around
me and he said they're there, like it's gonna be okay,
and you know, I was literally crying on his shoulder
and he was like, okay, I think it's time to
(27:19):
take you back and I was like yeah, thanks. So
we're driving back to the apartment and I was like, Peter,
can you please pull over. I feel sick. And he's like,
are you serious, and I'm like, yeah, I'm serious, and
so he pulled over and I threw up in the
gutter and I was like, oh my god, Like how embarrassing.
(27:40):
I'm so sorry. He's like, no, it's okay. It happens.
And he dropped me off and I went upstairs safely,
brushed my teeth, got ready for bed. And then the
next week he texted me and he was like, that
was a great date. I want to go out with
you again, and I was like, that was a great date.
I feel like I'm not in a good place to
(28:02):
be dating right now, based off of like how much
I was drinking and how much I was crying. So
I think it's best if we just stay friends. And
so that's where we left it. But then as the
new season started filming and I didn't have the Miss
(28:22):
California storyline that I wanted to have, the producers approached
me saying, we want you to go on a date
with Peter, and I said, no, I don't want to
go on a date with Peter. I already went on
a date with Peter and it ended up terribly and
I don't see anything going forward there. And they said, well,
(28:44):
that happened off camera, and people know about it, and
we want to cover all things because it's reality. And
so we are setting you up for a date with Peter,
and you know, you don't have to date him for long.
You just have to go on this date. And I
was like, I really don't want to, and I talked
(29:05):
to other people about it and I said that I
didn't want to. But then I also felt like I
didn't really have a storyline for this season besides being single.
And then, of course, like when you're single, you're supposed
to date. So I was like, well, I feel a
little bit obligated to go on this date. And so
when I got there, I told them like, all right,
(29:28):
I'm going on this date, but I'm gonna like end
it with him on this date, like I don't want
to lead him on. And they said, no, no, you
can't do that. You have to wait a week at least,
and so just hang out, you know, like you don't
take it so seriously. I demanded that the date was
during the daytime. I was like, we are not doing
(29:49):
a nighttime date, we are not doing a dinner date,
nothing like that. It has to be during the day.
So at least they compromised with that. But of course
on this I was crying to him once again, and
I knew that I didn't see future with him, but
(30:10):
I was taking direction from production to you know, not
quote unquote break up with him until later on. And
so that's a long story.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Well, so when production comes to you and says, you,
guys are gonna go on a date, you need a storyline.
Does he know that this is a storyline like this
or does he play along or is he going in blind?
And does he take that personally that maybe he thought
there was a future but there really isn't.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
It's a good question. I think that's a question for him.
But I also know that Peter has been a character
that hasn't been in the main storyline for much of
the time. He's always been in the outer circle, and
(31:04):
he still gets an episodic rate, and his episodic rate
is relatively high since he's been on the show since
the very beginning, and so I wouldn't be surprised that
he's seeing this as an opportunity to make his income
and part of his storyline to stay relevant with the show.
(31:25):
I don't know if he genuinely had like deep feelings,
which is also weird to me because it should have
been just like a manager server relationship and anything. But
that is crossing a line, especially when I'm still working
(31:46):
at SIR and so yeah, I don't know if he
actually had feelings or if his motivation for doing that
was a storyline. That's more of a question for him,
But I do know I made a remark on Watch
What Happens Live and this was the night that Arianna
(32:07):
found out and I got punched in the face. Moments
before she and I were filming with Andy Cohen on
Watch What Happens Live, and I made a comment about
Peter being a starter pony, like, oh, he's a good
starter pony to get back into the dating world. And
(32:28):
I didn't mean it as a derogatory comment, but I
think he interpreted it that way and was offended, and
so I would like to take this time now to
apologize to him for that. And yeah, it's it, definitely is.
(32:49):
It's a weird reality to live in as a person
when things are so mixed up. You don't know if
that person getting involved in your life is doing it
for a storyline or if they are actually genuinely interested
in telling you this information or befriending you or dating you.
(33:15):
So it's very messy and complicated. And when you're on
a TV show like this, season after season after season,
your entire life revolves around what substance are you going
to give to the cause to provide entertainment for people,
(33:37):
And then your life doesn't really become yours anymore.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
To kind of wrap up, the group seems to have
forgiven sand ofbal and we see that in the trailer
for the upcoming season. Do you think if you went
back on this season they would start to forgive you
just how they forgave him, or do you think it
would stay as it is now.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
I absolutely do not think that they would forgive me
if I went back to do this season. And I've
heard a few interview bites from a few of the cast,
like Katie and La La saying, Oh, she should have
just come back. It's not what she thought it was
going to be. Like they were. It seems to be
that they were bummed that I wasn't going to come
(34:34):
back because it was such a hot topic that it
took away from opportunities to film about it and scenes
that could have been made. And so I don't think
that they would ever give me the time of day
to open up and dive in deeper and be real
(34:57):
and honest and authentic, And to an extent, you can't
really be real and honest and authentic all the way
when you can't break the fourth wall
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