'She was completely blindsided.' The Vanderpump Rules cheating scandal everyone is talking about.

OK, if you're reading this then I assume you desperately need a lesson in Vanderpump Rules 101.

With a shocking cheating scandal taking up all the headlines, if you're feeling a little clueless as to who these people are and what's going on, then you're in the right place. 

I'm about to take you on a little history lesson of the explosive reality TV series, then I'll introduce you to the key players and finally I'll update you on what everyone is talking about; the cheating scandal between Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, and a fellow co-star.

Before you dive in, watch the trailer for Season 10 of Vanderpump Rules. Story continues below.

Where it all began.

If there’s one name you remember after today, let it be Lisa Vanderpump. She initially gained fame in 2010 with the release of the first season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - the OG of the Housewives franchise.

Vanderpump was one of the few women in that season who was seen working despite her fortune, and looking fabulously elegant whilst doing so. Owner and boss of high-end restaurant SUR in West Hollywood, she cleverly advertised her business on the show and eventually in 2013 negotiated her own reality show, Vanderpump Rules.

The series follows Vanderpump as she attempts to balance her motherly instincts with her savvy business sense and work ethic when leading her team of young hospitality workers who are also trying to make it in Hollywood. 

Viewers can't get enough of the endless drama the workers seem to provide from dating (and breaking up) with one another. Vanderpump Rules is currently airing its 10th season.

Who is the main cast of Vanderpump Rules Season 10?

Lisa Vanderpump.

Obviously, there are no Vanderpump rules without Lisa Vanderpump making an appearance here and there. Her plate got heavier in 2020 when she landed yet another spin off in Vanderpump Dogs. Working with her LA rescue centre Vanderpump Dogs, the series follows Lisa develop training programs for abandoned and abused animals before finding their forever home with her crazy and colourful clientele. The show ran for one season, and now it looks like Vanderpump is back to focusing on Vanderpump Rules. 

Image: Instagram @lisavanderpump

Scheana Shay.

Scheana has been with Lisa Vanderpump since day one, even making an appearance or two during the early seasons of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills back in 2010 when she was working at Vanderpump’s other restaurant Villa Blanca.

In 2013, Shay moved to work at SUR and began filming season 1 of Vanderpump Rules where fans have avidly been watching the ups and downs of her career and love life.

In 2019, Shay met Brock Davies at an event and soon after the man began appearing on the show. The pair had a daughter together in 2021 and got married in 2022. The couple are still together and we expect their nuptials to air in 2023. 

Image: Instagram @scheana

Lala Kent.

Kent joined SUR and ultimately Vanderpump Rules for season 4 in 2015. She made waves immediately after consecutive flings with Kennedy and another co-star at the time, Jax. However in 2015, Kent revealed she had a new man, but couldn’t reveal his identity. 

It was film producer Randall Emmett, who didn’t want to be named until his divorce to actress Ambyr Childers was finalised in 2017. Emmett proposed to Kent one year later in 2018 and the pair had a daughter, Ocean, in 2021. 

Unfortunately, after a series of cheating allegations, their engagement ended in 2021.

Image: Instagram @lalakent

Katie Maloney.

Katie has also been a full-time cast member since season 1, introduced to the show with a boyfriend at the time Tom Schwartz. Fans have watched their tumultuous relationship for years. With the couple constantly fighting on and off camera, it came as a surprise when they got married in 2017.

In 2018, the cast accused Schwartz of cheating on Maloney. Over the many seasons of the show, Schwartz has been filmed treating Maloney horribly after drinking and like clockwork apologising for it days later. The pair unsurprisingly filed for divorce in 2022 after 12 years together, the repercussions of which are airing on television now. 

Tom Schwartz.

Schwartz was only in season 1 sporadically as Maloney’s boyfriend. However, he was promoted to series regular in Season 3. Whilst only working as a bartender for Lisa Vanderpump for one shift before quitting, Schwartz had bigger plans. 

Both he and co-star Tom Sandoval opened a bar and restaurant alongside Vanderpump and her husband called TomTom in 2018. The pair have since opened a second venue, Schwartz & Sandy’s in LA. 

Schwartz most recently has come under fire for kissing co-star Raquel Leviss so soon after his divorce. 

Mahoney and Schwartz 2012, Image: Instagram @musickillskate

Tom Sandoval.

Tom Sandoval is another cast member that’s survived all ten seasons of the reality show. Starting off as a bartender at SUR, he now owns multiple businesses alongside co-star Tom Schwartz.

Originally dating Kristen Doute, who was part of the cast of Vanderpump Rules until 2019 when she was dropped, Sandoval began dating Ariana Madix within a year of their breakup in 2014. At the season 2 reunion that year, Madix was officially introduced to the show as his girlfriend and she joined the cast of season 3 the following year. 

The pair have bought a house together, co-written a book and have appeared consistently steady in their relationship. Fans even labelled them as the most healthy, normal and drama-free relationship on the show, as well as ‘least likely’ to break up. 

HOWEVER, the recent cheating scandal has thrown that all away.

Ariana Madix.

2014 saw Madix joined the show as a bartender for SUR and her arrival caused a stir. With Sandoval still with Doute at the time, there were rumours that he and Madix had cheated with one another, although the pair denied it. After a rocky start, especially with Doute, the drama settled and Sandoval and Madix were considered a strong unit ever since... up until this week.

Madix and Sandoval 2022, Image: Instagram @thomassandoval1

James Kennedy.

James Kennedy has been fired and rehired by Vanderpump too many times to count. Originally working as a busboy at SUR, Kennedy began dating co-star Doute in 2014 at around the same time Sandoval and Madix got together. However, the pair didn’t last long, with Kennedy accusing Doute of not being over Sandoval.

Kennedy also spent some time hooking up with another co-star Lala Kent before 2016 when he officially began dating Raquel Leviss, who joined Vanderpump Rules later that year. The pair dated for five years, moving in together in 2020, getting engaged in May 2021 and then calling it quits by December 2021. 

James has already moved on with Ally Lewber who has joined the season 10 cast as a newcomer this year. 

Raquel Leviss

After her split with Kennedy, Leviss briefly dated another co-star Peter Madrigal before hooking up with Schwartz and causing drama. While co-star Lala Kent warned Leviss to stay away from Schwartz to avoid a messy situation, it seems Leviss has quickly moved on to the OTHER Tom...

Leviss and Kennedy 2021, Image: Instagram @itsjameskennedy

The Vanderpump Rules cheating scandal.

OK, so now you know the main contenders, let's break down the cheating scandal that everyone’s talking about. 

Apparently Tom Sandoval has been cheating on his partner of ten years, Ariana Madix with Raquel Leviss.

According to PEOPLE, the affair has been going on for over six months. "This has been going on for upwards of 6 months, all the while, Tom was sleeping next to Ariana in bed," a source tells the magazine. "She was completely blindsided by this; devastated doesn't even scratch the surface of how she feels.

"This is someone she thought she knew; someone she planned to spend the rest of her life with. You can't even put into words that betrayal." 

With the news breaking only on Friday, earlier in the week Madix was seen supporting her partner Sandoval's band in LA. The pair were seen kissing by onlookers. 

"She had no idea any of this was happening behind her back," a second source told PEOPLE. 

The news leaked after Leviss and Shay appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen where the former star defended her kiss with Schwartz.

"I'm just trying to live my life and I'm sorry if that offends people but it's not going to stop me from doing what I'm going to do," Leviss said, but after the taping apparently admitted the truth to Shay about her and Sandoval. 

"Scheana was furious," the third source told PEOPLE, "She and all the Vanderpump Rules costars have rallied around Ariana during this time. They can't believe Raquel would do something like that."

The universe works in mysterious ways because the same day, Maddix saw a sexually explicit video from Leviss pop up on Sandoval’s phone alongside the pair's sordid texting history. 

According to a fourth source talking to PEOPLE, Madix and Sandoval had privately been having problems, and this was "the final straw for Ariana. She put up with a lot over the years, but she won't sit back and be disrespected this way." 

The rest of the cast have been sharing their shock and outrage on social media. 

Leviss' ex-fiancé James Kennedy posted the breaking headline on Instagram captioning, "Hope you all feel as sick as I do. This explains everything."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Kennedy (@itsjameskennedy)

One thing's for sure, I'll be watching this drama play out... on Vanderpump Rules.

Feature Image: Bravo TV.

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