Well, it seems like Scandoval may have finally come to an end. The leading lady in the Bravosphere-altering affair broke her silence with The Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel on her podcast, Just B with Bethenny Frankel. Rachel Leviss (formerly Raquel Leviss) shared her thoughts on the Vanderpump Rules fiasco in her first interview since Scandoval dominated mainstream media, and it’s safe to say that we have *thoughts*.
To quickly recap, Vanderpump Rules cast member Tom Sandoval came under fire earlier this year for his months-long affair with fellow co-star Raquel Leviss, effectively ending his decade-long relationship with Leviss’s close friend (AND co-star) Ariana Madix. The Scandoval launched the cast of VPR onto the world’s stage, with plenty of people weighing in on the cast members.
Raquel — oops, we mean Rachel — has kept a low profile since the affair was revealed in March, checking into a mental health treatment facility for three months. She surfaced for the first time on July 18 in Tucson, Arizona, donning a baggy look and a hat that ironically read: "Be a good person."
"I’m OK. I’m hanging in there," Rachel tells Bethenny. "It’s been a whirlwind. It’s been chaos, but I’ve taken some time to myself to reflect and try to understand my actions and I finally have come to a place where it makes sense to me."
"Part of the reason why I wanted to go to a treatment facility was to understand my behaviors,” Rachel continues. “My goal was to really get down to the bottom of, 'OK why am I choosing men that are unavailable, why do I keep finding myself in unhealthy relationships, what are the things that I need to change about my behavior.' And in knowing that I needed to make a change, I first had to know what leads to those behaviors."
Bethenny — who admits she didn’t watch Vanderpump Rules until the affair took over the news cycle — says she felt sympathy for Rachel while witnessing the backlash she received online and knew her life was being "exploited" without compensation.
"It’s so nice to have you validate that experience because for a moment I thought I was going crazy. And it’s true, reality TV is edited, it is contrived to create a certain storyline. So it’s not all factual,” Rachel responds.
Rachel adds, "As a viewer tuning in, it’s easy to get wrapped up in that. Then the concept of an affair hits really hard to a lot of people. So I think there was a lot of projection happening, a lot of emotions that came up for people, and unfortunately, I was the punching bag for a lot of that."
Rachel takes accountability for her actions, though, forgoing the brash version we saw in Season 10. "I do want to take a moment though to just acknowledge the hurt that I brought to a lot of people. I was not careful in my actions and I was not thinking long-term. I was completely wrapped up in heartbreak and wanting to get certain needs met."
"Looking back now, I can see that I was still healing from a relationship from someone I thought I was going to marry," she admits, seemingly referencing the end of her engagement to Vanderpump Rules co-star (DJ) James Kennedy. "And in ending that, I still haven’t healed yet."
But what about Ariana? The BFF she undeniably betrayed? Well, Rachel feels slighted by her and wants the world to know that they were just “friends.” "Part of me says, good for you, because take advantage of these opportunities while they come your way. But it is hurtful to me just to think that — my nature is very kind and forgiving and understanding of other people, so the concept of me being the ultimate reality TV villain just blows my mind. And the way that she spoke to me at the reunion, I feel like it was uncalled for.”
Interesting…We don't fully disagree with Rachel. She does deserve to take time for herself (we all do) and anyone who is able to look internally and improve themselves is admirable, but we can't agree that anything Ariana did was inherently wrong. Ariana was deeply hurt, and like anyone going through a mind-blowing, life-altering event, expressing their anger is a huge part of healing.
Oh, and Rachel adds that she "would not be involved in this affair, secrecy-type situation if [she] thought there was longevity in this relationship between Tom and Ariana.” No offense, but that’s no reason to have an affair — ever.
At the moment, Rachel is “at peace” in Arizona and doesn’t plan on returning to Los Angeles to film Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules, which is probably a good choice for her. Filming for the upcoming season is currently underway, and fans are not happy to see the cast engaging with either of the Toms at all.
We hope Rachel finds the healing she needs, and is able to lead a happy and healthy life out of the reality TV spotlight. Like one commenter wrote, “I’m here for this. While everyone else from the show got their fame, support, and attention...Rachel literally took on so much verbal, mental, and emotional warfare from everyone around her…and yet the MAN who was in the committed relationship is still around…hanging out with the cast. This just shows the level of hatred everyone has for women in general…even if single and vulnerable you are held to a higher standard the the man in a very committed relationship stepping out. Of course Rachel is guilty of her own crimes but the backlash she received over [Scandoval] will always baffle me.”
What do you think about Rachel’s statements? Are you on #TeamAriana or #TeamRachel? Let us know @BritandCo!
Header photo via iHeartRadio and Bethenny Frankle
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