Raquel Leviss had tons of issues with her time on Vanderpump Rules — which came as a shock to producers.
During a BravoCon panel titled “Spilling Vanderpump Tea With Bravo Producers,” executive producers Alex Baskin, Jeremiah Smith, Natalie Neurauter and Sheonna Mix weighed in on Raquel’s claims about what made her not want to return for season 11.
Sheonna recalled being excited to work with Raquel, 29, on her season 10 arc.
“Coming into this [past] season, we were very excited for her. She had been in a relationship pretty much her whole adult life with James [Kennedy]. We saw that relationship — I think you all saw it — it was not the most healthy relationship,” the producer noted. “We were really excited for her to be herself. For her to spread her wings and be who she wanted to be, not be James’ girlfriend.”
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Despite Raquel turning her back on reality TV, Sheonna said the crew still cares about her, adding, “I understand that those were the things that were articulated but I will say that this team has loved her since she was a student traveling in [to film]. I still love her. We still very much love her. I am not sure where some of that stuff came from, to be quite honest.”
Raquel started making appearances on the hit Bravo series during season 5 before becoming a full-time cast member four seasons later. A majority of Raquel’s screen time was focused on her relationship with James, 32, until their split in 2021. As season 10 started airing earlier this year, Raquel made headlines for having an affair with Tom Sandoval — which ended his nearly decade-long romance with Ariana Madix.
After addressing the drama at the reunion — which was filmed in March — Raquel checked herself into a mental health facility. She remained at the treatment center for 90 days before breaking her silence on her state of mind in a tell-all interview with Bethenny Frankel.
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“[With reality TV], they always dangle that carrot in front of you, like, ‘Well, you need to tell your side of the story, otherwise it’s gonna be written for you,’” she claimed in August on the “ReWives” podcast. “And that’s terrifying. So, I almost went back … just because of that.”
Raquel went on to say that her decision to not return for season 11 was a result of salary negotiations. She alleged that Bravo refused to pay her “equally” to Sandoval, 41, and Ariana, 38.
(l-r) Raquel Leviss, Scheana Shay, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Schwartz, Lala Kent, James Kennedy and Katie Maloney Tommy Garcia/Bravo
“I asked for equal pay with Tom and Ariana and for them to reimburse me for my treatment expenses. They refused to pay me equally,” she added. “I feel like when you pay your employees, it really shows how much you value them.”
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During the BravoCon panel, executive producer Jeremiah made it clear that he had no regrets about his history with Raquel.
“I feel very good and comfortable with how I treated and interacted with Raquel throughout the seasons she was on the show. No one was a bigger supporter or encourager of her during season 10 than I was,” he told the audience. “We were celebrating her. So, for her to now be taking this stance is a little upsetting.”
