Rachel “Raquel” Leviss may have complained about not making a penny off her highly-talked-about affair with Tom Sandoval, but, according to executive producer Alex Baskin, she made quite a lot for her role on Vanderpump Rules season 10, during which their sordid romance was confirmed.
During a joint interview with Sandoval, 41, before Raquel filed her bombshell lawsuit against Tom and Ariana Madix over revenge porn and invasion of privacy claims, Alex revealed Raquel’s exact salary and dished on the future of the Bravo reality series as Sandoval threw some shade at his former flame and shared his thoughts on Raquel returning, noting that she’ll likely be back next season — or the one directly after.
“What else is she going to do?” Sandoval wondered during a February 20 interview with The New York Times.
After quitting Pump Rules last year, Raquel appeared on Bethenny Frankel‘s podcast, where she suggested Sandoval had been rewarded for their affair as she gained nothing. However, as Alex shared, she was paid a whopping $342,000 for her final season.
“Are we supposed to give her retroactive payment for having a clandestine affair for eight months?” he wondered.
Following the reveal of their affair, Sandoval and Raquel kept in touch until she suddenly ceased communication amid her months-long stint in a mental health treatment facility.
“She never even gave me any closure,” he revealed. “It was really hard. It still messes with me.”
Shortly after Raquel cut ties with him, Sandoval traveled to New Zealand to film Special Forces, where he believes producers manipulated footage to make it appear as though Jojo Siwa, 20, who voluntarily quit, outlasted him.
“They said she lasted longer than me, but she most definitely did not,” he clarified.
Also during the interview, Alex admitted that when it came to “Scandoval,” the affair between Sandoval and Raquel, as well as the fallout that ensued, saved the show from cancelation.
“We were hobbling,” he stated.
As for the future, after noting that Ariana Madix, 38, did not want to interact with Sandoval during filming on season 11, Alex said that the series may see its struggles.
“We can still squeeze a great season out of it, but going forward, I don’t know,” he confessed.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
