Vanderpump Rules: Fans Think They Know Why Raquel Leviss Turned On Tom Sandoval

By the time Season 10 came to a close, two cast members from "Vanderpump Rules" emerged as clear villains: Tom Sandoval and Rachel "Raquel" Leviss, who carried on an affair under everyone's noses for the entirety of the season and brutally wronged Sandoval's girlfriend and Leviss' friend and biggest champion Ariana Madix. After news broke of their illicit affair broke in March, spawning the term "Scandoval," fans and cast members alike rallied behind Madix and against Leviss and Sandoval ... and then, in the final five minutes of Season 10, Leviss revealed that she and Sandoval had been involved for way longer than they previously admitted, and that most of the caveats they offered up about their relationship were outright lies. Perhaps worst of all, after Sandoval denied that he was ever intimate with Leviss at the house he owns with Madix, she confessed that definitely were — while Madix was out of town attending her beloved grandmother's funeral.

Fans went wild over this reveal on social media, predictably — and they think they understand why Leviss decided to come forward. As @jenniferryuma wrote on Twitter, "tom and raquel get caught, meanwhile raquel doesn't understand that tom will put himself first (runs off on tour) and leave her to pick up the mess now that she's so isolated ... so she decides to get even and finally says everything out of spite." Regarding the "tour," Sandoval is currently on one with his vanity project band, Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras, while Leviss recently exited a mental health facility after treatment.

Fans definitely think that Leviss was both overwhelmed and betrayed by her clandestine lover, and that's why she went forward with the interview so she could control the narrative. Beyond that, some fans think it was also her attempt to get out from under Sandoval's thumb, as @KateCasey wrote: "Watching Raquel open up to a producer days after the reunion without Tom hovering makes you understand the hold he has on her."

@takeyourzoloft, meanwhile, thought that this was a small act of revenge after Leviss also felt wronged by Sandoval. "So basically what I'm getting from this is that after the reunion Tom probably pulled away from Raquel. She called up production and was like I'm ready to be honest. And blew his sh*t up." @MikeyTBH agreed, writing, "This Scandoval season of #PumpRules ending with Raquel absolutely throwing Tom Sandoval under the bus and exposing him for making her lie a ton about the affair... I mean it doesn't get better than this!"

Obviously, what Leviss did to one of her closest friends — especially considering that Madix frequently defended Leviss against detractors during Season 10 — is almost impossible to forgive for fans and cast members alike, but coming forward is at least something. @Bravalita recognized that, saying, "I'm glad Raquel went back and filmed a few days after that reunion and blew up Sandoval's lies because that's something Ariana never did until she was did wrong, even in the face of what Kristen [Doute, Sandoval's other wronged ex] was facing, abs I find that brave, bold, and commendable."

Leviss did some bad things, that's for sure... but fans definitely saved the bulk of their vitriol for Sandoval. @Whitney_OJ was blunt, saying, "Love that people were up in arms that Lala [Kent] called Sandoval dangerous last week. then we see Raquel in the last 5 minutes literally breaking down because Sandoval has made her feel like he's all she has and has to comply with his lying, manipulative agenda." thebravobabe_ agreed with this and Kent's previous assessment: "Tom Sandoval groomed and coached Raquel. Women need to stay away from him all together." @bruh16110500 was happy someone took Sandoval down, writing, "This ending is insane. Raquel finally revealing to the world that they slept together multiple times since Mexico is a blow to Sandoval and his lies."

@dailybravomail didn't totally let Leviss off the hook, but it did acknowledge it was Sandoval's fault: "The big reveal from my perspective is: they were still lying at the reunion. Tom was coaching/controlling Raquel on what to say even though he came out putting on a performance about being truthful. While Raquel got slaughtered, she had to keep more of Tom's secrets."

None of these people are wrong, and to their credit, Sandoval behaved horribly at the reunion even before Leviss revealed that they were lying the entire time. During an hour of low moments, he rarely defended Leviss, and even sniped that, while he was intimate with Madix, she "wore a T-shirt." Naturally, Madix has already monetized that insanely low blow.

After weeks of theorizing when producers teased that the final reunion installment would reveal something the cast wasn't even aware of just yet, some fans feel like this "bombshell" didn't quite hit. Tons of ideas circulated, including that Leviss was pregnant, that the timeline of the affair went far enough back that it overlapped with her engagement to DJ James Kennedy, or that she also slept with Sandoval's best friend and business partner Tom Schwartz (whom she also pursued during Season 10). As @layneashley222 wrote, "Rachel's 'big reveal' was pretty meh. We all knew it, but I'm still surprised she actually admitted it. It's another reminder that Sandoval is a narcissistic psychopath. They're both disgusting, but Sandoval is legitimately dangerous."

Still, some were shocked by Leviss' pure audacity, including the moment where she confessed that she approached Sandoval about becoming a "third" in his relationship with Madix, as if that would help anything. @dailybravomail wrote, "The depths of depravity that Raquel would sink to to continue lying to herself even when she's saying she wants to "tell the truth" and hates lying. She got caught in a lie here about St. Louis. THEN she wanted to ask to be in a thruple with Ariana?!"

@Chicagojewlz had a different read, though: "The real reveal isn't the timeline. It's that Sandoval has lied about and tried to control absolutely EVERYTHING. His coaching. His manipulating narratives. Even Schwartz saying now he sold me a lie about his relationship with Ariana."

The fact remains that what Sandoval and Leviss did was completely, utterly, and totally awful, and they were both taken to task for it by every other cast member during the reunion. While Sandoval had to endure all three parts, Leviss could only be on stage for Part 3 thanks to a restraining order she leveled against Scheana Shay, accusing her former friend of physically attacking her upon learning of the affair. Plenty of people on stage, like Kennedy and Leviss' perpetual enemy Lala Kent, were ready to attack — but the most cutting attacks of all, naturally, came from Madix, who was incensed at the girl who was once one of her closest friends.

Madix got in an astonishing amount of digs, from suggesting that Leviss get cozy with a cheese grater to calling her "diabolical, demented, disgusting, [and] subhuman" and telling Leviss to get a vocabulary that extends beyond the word "selfish." Perhaps the most stunning speech, though, was when Madix simply unloaded. 

"So, my dog [Charlotte] had just died, I cried in your f**king arms, and you thought, 'I should go f**k her boyfriend,'" Madix said. "You are lower than the f**king lowest of low people" Madix then made a pop culture reference she assumed Leviss would understand: "I know you like 'Harry Potter.' You're a f**king Dementor. I hope Charlotte f**king haunts you. You're a soul-sucking individual. And after today, I will never speak to you again, and I will be better for it."

"Vanderpump Rules" Season 10 is available on Peacock.