Tom Schwartz is ‘terrified’ to film new season of ‘Vanderpump Rules’
Tom Schwartz is feeling “terrified” about the upcoming Season 11 of “Vanderpump Rules” due to the backlash he received for his involvement in Tom Sandoval’s affair with Raquel Leviss. Schwartz stated to Us Weekly that he is always slightly scared when a new season starts, especially given the volatile nature of the group. He also acknowledged that the group is a group of friends with a lot of history, trials, and tribulations, but it all comes from a place of love. Despite being scared, Schwartz expressed his gratitude for still being on the Bravo show.
Although the reality TV star is set to return for his 11th season, executive producer Alex Baskin told Variety that the cast’s contract renegotiations were on pause, with the biggest issue being getting the current cast to re-sign and agree to film together without things getting too heated.
Sandoval’s months-long affair with Leviss was exposed in March after Ariana Madix discovered a NSFW video of the former beauty pageant queen on her then-boyfriend’s cellphone. The news of the scandal, dubbed Scandoval, took the internet by storm, with Madix receiving an influx of support. Schwartz also came under fire after admitting to knowing about the affair but decided to keep it under wraps in support of his best friend. However, it appears that the drama took a toll on their friendship as Schwartz admitted earlier this month that he has been distancing himself from Sandoval.
Despite the drama, Schwartz is slated to return for Season 11 and stated that he will be “a little more stoic” when it comes to handling the drama. Leviss, who entered a mental health facility amid the backlash, plans to share more about the bombshell affair once she is out and looks forward to sharing her story with the unfiltered truth.
Tom Schwartz is “terrified” to start filming Season 11 of “Vanderpump Rules” following backlash over his role in Tom Sandoval’s affair with Raquel Leviss.
“I’m always slightly terrified when we started a new season. We’ve been through so much with this group and we’re a volatile crew,” Schwartz, 40, told Us Weekly on Friday.
“We’ve always been a volatile group of friends. I don’t think I’ve ever had an argument outside of this group, to be honest. We have a lot of history together and there’s been trials and tribulations, but it comes from a place of love.”
Despite being “scared” for cameras to start rolling again, Schwartz said he is “grateful” to even still be on the Bravo show.
While it appears the reality TV star is slated to return for his 11th season, executive producer Alex Baskin told Variety last month that the cast’s contract renegotiations were on pause.
The biggest issue was not only getting the current cast to re-sign but also getting them to agree to film together — without things getting too heated.
Sandoval’s months-long dalliance with Leviss, 28, was outed in March after Ariana Madix discovered a NSFW video of the former beauty pageant queen on her then-boyfriend’s cellphone.
News of the bombshell affair — dubbed Scandoval — took the internet by storm, with Madix receiving an influx of support.
Schwartz also came under fire at the time after admitting he knew about the affair but decided to keep it under wraps in support of his BFF.
Yet it appears the drama finally took a toll on their friendship as Schwartz admitted earlier this month he has been distancing himself from Sandoval.
“He made a big mess and he left it for us to clean up,” Schwartz said on “When Reality Hits with Jax and Brittany.” “It’s hard for me not to be resentful of him … I’m taking a break from Tom right now.”
This time around, Schwartz said he’ll “be a little more stoic” when it comes to handling the drama in the upcoming season.
During the Season 10 reunion, which was filmed just weeks after news of the affair broke, the entire “VPR” cast unleashed on the adulterous duo.
At one point, Madix said she “couldn’t think of two worse people” than “subhuman” Leviss and “rat” Sandoval.
Yet after the reunion, Leviss sat down for a one-on-one interview with producers to clear the air about several lies she and Sandoval maintained.
She confessed that they actually hooked up “multiple” times at co-star Scheana Shay’s wedding in late August — where she also kissed Schwartz.
On top of that, she revealed they hooked up at Sandoval’s shared home with Madix while she was out of town for her grandma’s funeral — despite vehemently denying it during the reunion taping.
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And it turns out, Leviss — who entered a mental health facility amid the backlash — has even more to say.
Sources recently told TheFantasyTimes that Leviss “looks forward to sharing her story with the unfiltered truth when she comes out.”
While it’s unclear if she is planning on returning to the series, Leviss is doing her best to “grow from her mistakes” in the future.
