Remember how the last season of Vanderpump Rules was devoted to a redemption arc for Tom Sandoval? Despite the vast majority of viewers being on Ariana Madix’s side? And how it fell flat in a spectacular way, fumbling a golden opportunity and destroying the show’s post-Scandoval hype? All for a guy who was never likable to begin with? Well, Sandoval has officially blown it all up by suing Ariana. Great call on that “humanizing” storyline no one asked for, producers!
A few days after the Anti-SLAPP motion against Rachel Leviss was dismissed, Sandoval followed in his former paramour’s footsteps. Despite sharing passcodes during their relationship, Sandoval’s suit claims Ariana accessed his phone without consent.
Sandoval may be a little delusional (see: his cover band) but there’s no way he thought this would be a good move PR-wise. He and girlfriend Victoria Lee Robinson deactivated their Instagram accounts when the news broke. Instead, it feels like a desperate move for money. And yet another opportunity in his endless quest to defeat final boss Ariana. I’m sure Tom Schwartz is currently using a baby voice and begging people to hug Sandoval. But this is the nail in the coffin for his buddy’s redemption arc.
Hasn’t Tom Sandoval done enough to Ariana Madix?
Ariana’s lawyer wasn’t wrong about Sandoval “tormenting” his ex. If you list everything he’s done, it paints a disgusting picture. Dismissing his actions as just an affair doesn’t apply any more (if it ever did). It’s not just that he cheated on Ariana with her close friend, right after her beloved dog died. Or that, when Ariana went to her grandmother’s funeral, he stayed behind to have Rachel over in their house.
He spoke poorly about her on camera, setting up a narrative that she was the problem so that his planned relationship with Rachel would win over viewers. Even after that con was exposed, he blamed Ariana for the affair. Sandoval made pathetic comments about Ariana for months and tried to destroy her reputation. After putting her on a pedestal for their entire relationship, he drastically changed his tune and claimed she was a nightmare all along. And now he’s suing her?
Let’s not forget that he and Ariana were already in a legal battle over their house because he refused to sell. Despite telling Jax Taylor to leave his residence after having an affair, Sandoval didn’t follow his own advice. And yet, Ariana was the one who got the heat for staying. Sandoval’s offers to buy Ariana out of their house were comically low.
By suing Ariana, Sandoval appears determined to punish her for exposing the affair. There is a history of people dragging their ex-partners through the court system, which some chalk up to a form of abuse. By engaging in this tactic, Sandoval is proving that Lala Kent was right to call him dangerous (before she inexplicably changed her tune).
So about those apologies and crocodile tears…
Most viewers already thought Sandoval’s attempts to apologize to Ariana were as phony as his crocodile tears and acrylic white nails. And yet, production (and certain cast members) tried to make her out to be the villain. All because she didn’t want to listen to a fake apology or watch him fake cry again (viewers surely felt the same).
I’m not sure why producers thought the audience would buy Sandoval’s act the first time. There’s a reason his acting career never took off. And now, he’s given ample reasons for people not to believe a word he says, or a tear he cries. Devoting scene after scene of Season 11 to his pity party feels like even more of a waste of camera time than it already was.
The hypocrisy of Tom Sandoval is staggering
On the Vanderpump Rules Season 11 reunion, Sandoval questioned if Rachel had a soul for suing Ariana. It was the one thing he and Katie Maloney could agree on. And now he’s doing the same thing? Not to mention, Sandoval previously blamed Ariana for not discovering the affair sooner. He even said she should’ve followed him around and looked at his phone more. Does this man forget that he’s on a television show where his conversations are filmed?
Because Sandoval is Sandoval, watch him continue to slam Rachel while doing the exact same thing. If there’s anything the man loves more than tacky outfits, it’s blaming a woman for his own actions.
Is Tom Sandoval throwing Ariana Madix under the bus for his recordings?
As we said last summer, Sandoval should’ve been fired from VPR for allegedly recording a Facetime of Rachel without her consent. When Kenya Moore was suspended for revenge porn, Bravo fans couldn’t help but point out the double standard. Not only did Sandoval stay on Vanderpump Rules, but he also got a sympathetic edit. And appeared on other reality shows, including The Masked Singer, subjecting viewers to his less-than-stellar vocals. He recently filmed The Traitors Season 3, and was rumored for Dancing with the Stars (doesn’t he know it’s Scheana Shay’s dream).
By filing this lawsuit, Sandoval appears to blame Ariana for his own bad deed. If Sandoval hadn’t recorded Rachel without her consent, there would be no video for Ariana to find. But this lawsuit attempts to paint Ariana as the bad actor because she looked through his phone. That certainly is a strategy!
Vanderpump Rules is over as we know it
Many already assumed VPR was done when they paused production. But now it’s official, there’s no way Vanderpump Rules can continue as it has for eleven years. We have to wonder if Sandoval got word that the show wasn’t coming back, and that’s what motivated this move. Especially since Ariana is thriving on Love Island USA.
Hopefully, Lala, Scheana, and the producers blamed Sandoval for tanking the show, not Ariana. However, we don’t have a ton of faith after the way they pushed his redemption arc in the first place. Everyone except Katie acted as if Ariana canceled the show by refusing to entertain Sandoval’s fake finale apology.
Sandoval just made his defenders look worse
In the Season 11 finale, Scheana said, “don’t make me look like a fucking idiot Tom.” Well, about that!
For nearly a year, so many people (Lisa Vanderpump especially) claimed Sandoval made one mistake. Nevermind recording Rachel without her consent, or all of his disgusting comments about Ariana and Rachel. Or comparing himself to George Floyd, or that tiger picture, or the disastrous Nick Viall interview. Scheana’s defense was especially egregious because she just kept telling the same story about 2012 Upfronts. Sandoval’s hot mic moment, and the fan backlash, already made it clear they chose the wrong team. But this makes participating in the redemption arc so much worse.
Even associates are getting dragged in. Because Sandoval and Victoria deactivated their accounts, fans swarmed the Schwartz & Sandy’s page. We can only imagine manager Greg’s reaction.
The fact that Schwartz and Sandoval have two bars is a perfect display of their ability to fail upwards. That was obvious after the million chances Sandoval got to redeem himself. In recent months, Scandoval fatigue made people stop paying as much attention. And instead of taking the victory, he decided to pull this move. Maybe he really is a narcissist, and filed the lawsuit to get that attention back. Either way, it shows once and for all that he’s not sorry.
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TELL US – WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO SANDOVAL’S LAWSUIT? DO YOU THINK HE CAN STILL BE REDEEMED?
