As the Vanderpump Rules cast starts giving Sandoval the time of day, Ariana makes it very clear where she stands — and frustrates some of the group in the process.
The Vanderpump Rules cast is between a rock and a hard place when it comes to being friends with both Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix following Scandoval.
Scheana Shay is the one who appears to be struggling the most, as she was closest with Sandoval before his affair with Rachel Leviss blew up the entire show and friend group in the process. In recent weeks, she’s made it clear she’s Team Ariana, but also wants to find some way forward with Sandoval because it wasn’t healthy for her to keep hating him. She also felt as though nobody cared how the scandal affected her, as she lost one of her close confidants.
Tuesday’s new hour began with Scheana talking to Lisa Vanderpump a bit about her issues, saying she felt like Madix shut down any conversations about the complicated situation. “I feel like I’m not valid in my feelings,” she said, before revealing how hurt she was when she learned Madix landed a spot as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
“This year, I started taking dance class. I was preparing in case I did get it. It was kind of a punch to the gut,” she shared, as LVP said she knew Scheana wanted to be on the series “more than anything.”
Shay added in a confessional, “I am so happy for her, but I can be happy for her and sad for me at the same time.” She then quipped, “Good for her, she has come such a long way from being my backup dancer.”
Lisa said that if they were true friends, Shay would be able to tell Madix how she felt, something Scheana hoped to do when they saw each other next.
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But before Scheana had a change to speak with Ariana, Lala Kent did — and explained to her why Shay was in her feelings.
“I think her whole thing is, if I go somewhere where he’s around, can I be able to enjoy myself and have fun with him on a very surface level?” asked Lala, as Ariana said she wasn’t telling Scheana — or anyone — to “f–king fight” Sandoval whenever they see him.
Kent then brought up how Shay was getting attacked on social media for taking a photo with a fan that also included Sandoval. She asked Ariana why she didn’t come to Scheana’s defense at all, considering how much Shay had been there for her post-Scandoval.
“I’m not gonna post and have my s–t reposted as headlines and stuff,” said Madix, before Kent pushed back. “Even for your friend? You couldn’t tell all these people who are your Stans, I love Scheana, she’s a great friend, everyone knock it off?” asked Lala, saying “it would have been nice” to Ariana to stick up for their costar.
“This girl was so upset over what these two people did to you and later one got a f–king restraining order over it,” Lala continued. “But I think she needs some closure in all of this. She needs you to say, ‘I love you … whatever you need to do to heal, please know that you can do that.'”
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Madix still didn’t want Sandoval to have “any access to my life via me or via mutual friends,” however, and said she was “not down with him being around.” She was adamant she would continue to “quietly remove myself from situations that make me uncomfortable and him being around makes me uncomfortable.”
When Lala said she needed to stop “shutting down like this,” Ariana said she was “not the one to come to with the Sandoval sympathy train.” She added that while she wanted Scheana to “be happy and do what works for her so she is happy,” she still needed to look out for herself as well.
“I’m trying to be compassionate, but I also know Scheana is very easily walked all over,” she added in a confessional. “He knows Scheana is the easiest route to go to get people back in his corner and if he can get Scheana to come around, Lala, James, Ally, he can ice me out of the friend group.”
The conversation ended there, without much of a resolution — but shortly after they met up, Madix did take to Instagram and defend Shay, so Lala’s words must have struck a cord.
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Scheana wasn’t getting much in the way of sympathy from Katie Maloney either, after Shay said she thought Sandoval was more sad about losing their friendship than the end of his relationship with Ariana.
“He was so unhappy with her for so long,” said Scheana, as she told Katie, Lala and Kristina Kelly she was only now — 5 months later — starting to go through the “actual grieving process” of losing her friend. “Ariana has already grieved the loss of this, making millions of dollars and living her best f–king life. I’m not there,” she added.
After she said she missed being friends with the Tom he was “before,” Katie said she wasn’t “holding onto things from 12 f–king years ago” and wanted nothing to do with Sandoval going forward. “He’s been awful to me, he interfered in my marriage, he made everyone think I was a monster,” she added, before calling him a “demon.”
“I wish Scheana would just wake the f–k up … Sandoval never really gave a f–k about your friendship, cut ties, move on, be a good friend to Ariana,” Maloney also exclaimed in a confessional.
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The episode ended with Ariana, Katie, Lala, Scheana and Ally Lewber having a girls night while the boys grabbed dinner together. Madix seemed particularly peeved James Kennedy went out with Sandoval for food, as Tom is the one who was sleeping with his former fiancée behind everyone’s backs.
During their convo, Kent said “everyone’s worried about losing [Madix] as a friend” over Sandoval — before saying that “healing starts” the more time passes. While she acknowledged Ariana was “always gonna see” Tom differently than everyone else, she wanted it to be crystal clear how she would felt if James — or anyone, really — “decides to go and kick it” with her ex.
“I don’t f–k with that,” she said.
Kent then looked at Scheana directly and said, “I think it’s now been made apparent that if you choose to forgive him or whatever it is you feel you need to do then that’ll put your friendship at risk.”
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“I didn’t say anything about forgiveness. I’m just not gonna f–k with people who are going out to dinner with him on random Wednesday nights,” Ariana then clarified, as Scheana decided to put a pin in talking to Madix about her Sandoval situation until a later date.
“You’re getting very heated at James going and having dinner,” Kent told Ariana, before explaining she knows more than anyone how unhealthy it can be to harbor resentment towards an ex. Lala also felt her case was even worse, as she’s stuck with Randall Emmett for life because of their child. In a confessional, she said holding onto that hatred “is like drinking the poison and expecting you to kill the other person. I don’t want that for my friend.”
The episode ended with Lala apologizing for making the situation about her.
Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays on Bravo.
