“Followed Ariana’s lead”: Andy Cohen recalled Vanderpump Rules producers’ response to his question about pursuing Scandoval storyline sooner

Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval’s cheating scandal, aka Scandoval, came out in the open in March 2023. Bravo teased the same in the recently released finale trailer that the drama will unfold in upcoming episodes. However, the last couple of episodes showed that the affair was quite evident. In fact, it showed that some cast members grew suspicious of Sandoval and Raquel Leviss’ bond. Thus, Bravo host Andy Cohen asked producers how they could not know about the affair and why they didn’t pursue the storyline sooner.

The Bravo host recalled his interaction with the Bravo producers on his Sirius XM show Radio Andy. He said that after he began watching the show, he called production and asked them if they "didn't get that this (the affair) was happening.

The production team, however, told him that they all "kind of followed Ariana’s lead," as she kept claiming that she knew Raquel and that the affair wasn't happening.

Ariana Madix was Sandoval’s then-girlfriend and a close friend of Raquel. She was seen defending the latter in the previous episode of Vanderpump Rules when Katie Maloney questioned Raquel and Sandoval’s “friendship.”

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Andy Cohen pointed out Vanderpump Rules' Ariana defended only Raquel, not Sandoval

According to Tom Sandoval’s interview on Howie Mandel's podcast, the affair with Raquel Leviss started before Scheana Shay and Brock Davies’ wedding. For a long time, he was cheating on Ariana Madix, and Raquel too was betraying her friend.

In the Vanderpump Rules episodes, a weird energy between Sandoval and Raquel could be felt. Fans got major red flags when Tom defended Raquel and tried to lie when she stayed over when Ariana was not home.

In the previous episode, Katie Maloney and Lala Kent tried to divert Ariana Madix’s attention toward her then-boyfriend and her BFF’s “friendship.” However, the actress kept defending them and stating that she trusted Raquel and that the latter was kind and loyal.

During his SiriusXM show Radio Andy, Bravo host Andy Cohen mentioned that he questioned Vanderpump Rules producers about the Scandoval drama. He asked them how could they didn’t get a hint that something was going on between Sandoval and Raquel, especially when they had all the footage.

Andy Cohen added that the producers mentioned that they followed Ariana’s lead. The Bravo host further pointed out that Ariana kept on defending Raquel, but not Sandoval.

He said:

“The funny thing is — if you think about it now — if you listen to what Ariana is saying she is not saying, ‘Tom would never do that. Isn’t she mainly pointing to Raquel?"

Cohen added that Ariana kept pointing that Raquel wasn't the kind of person and that everyone was "barking up the wrong tree."

Andy then gave a theory of why cast members were surprised by the affair news even after it was evident, as per the previous episodes. He said that since Ariana was shutting down conversations about her and Tom being in an open relationship, she was also "shutting down the idea" that Raquel would do that.

The host added that because of that, no one took it further and when the affair was revealed, it came as a shock to everyone. He noted that despite this, once people looked at the footage, it was like "This story wrote itself."

Ariana and Sandoval were in a live-in relationship for nearly ten years. She and Raquel were close friends and was the only one who defended the former pageant in front of Lala Kent and Katie Maloney. In the upcoming episodes, Sandoval and Raquel’s secret will come out in the open, leading to heartbreaks and fights.

Viewers can watch Vanderpump Rules season 10 every Wednesday on Bravo at 9 pm ET.