Vanderpump Rules alum, Rachel Leviss, formerly known as “Raquel”, was introduced to the reality show’s fans during Season 5. Back then, she was dating James Kennedy and did not get along so well with the rest of the cast, specifically Lala Kent, Stassi Schroeder, and Katie Maloney, due to her being James’ girlfriend at the time. None of those girls were so fond of James in the earlier seasons, so Rachel was guilty by association. That quickly changed once Rachel and James split up and ended their engagement, which took up a lot of screen time during Season 9. Ironically enough, there was another Vanderpump Rules cast member who seemed just as excited about the proposal as James, and that was none other than Tom Sandoval.
Tom Sandoval, an OG Vanderpump Rules cast member, cheated on his girlfriend of 9 years, Ariana Madix, with Rachel. When this scandal came to light during Season 10, Tom and Rachel claimed that they had fallen in love with each other, and there was nothing anyone could have done to stop it. That ended rather quickly. When they both become two of the most hated people on the Internet, Rachel leaves the show, ghosting everyone along with them, including Tom. Rachel vowed never to return to the show because of the hate she received and said she never wanted to speak about the show, or the cast members, ever again. Yet, that seems to be all she does.
Rachel’s Mental Health Has Been a Focal Point Since Her ‘VPR’ Exit
Rachel got ripped to shreds during the Season 10 reunion. Every cast member, including the iconic Lisa Vanderpump, had something to say. Rachel took no accountability for her actions and accepted that she took part in destroying an almost 10-year relationship. She just claimed that no one understood her feelings for Tom and that “real friends” would not treat her the way she was being treated. After this brutal yet iconic reunion, Rachel leaves Vanderpump Rules.
Due to the amount of online hate and threats Rachel received on social media, she decided to check herself into a mental health facility. During her stay, Rachel explained that her experience at the facility shed light on the situation and that she realized that returning to the show would only bring toxicity back into her life when she was trying to heal and do the opposite. “One of my individual assignments was a shame backpack. Where, basically, I was instructed to write down every mean thing that I could recall being thrown my way. All the insults, all the name-calling, all the derogatory comments that I could remember.” Rachel shared this on her podcast, Rachel Goes Rogue. Rachel had a photo of Ariana Madix in that backpack, the woman whose relationship Rachel had a part in destroying.
Rachel took to social media to explain that her time in the mental health facility helped her through her struggles. She claims that her journey throughout her stay made her realize that those cast members were never her friends and that she really was never even in love with Tom Sandoval. Despite her constant claims of having a “new mindset”, all she talks about is Vanderpump Rules and the cast members. If Rachel really does not want anything to do with the show, or people affiliated with it, then she needs to take the advice of the facility and stop speaking about it. Another Vanderpump Rules alum, and current cast member on Bravo’s, The Valley, Jax Taylor, recently shared his own internal struggles with the world and checked himself into a similar facility.
Even though Rachel and Jax have no communication, and never even got along during the filming of Vanderpump Rules, Rachel took to social media to congratulate Jax on being brave enough to speak up on his mental struggles. Fans have speculated that it was a tactical move to make herself look better because they were not friends. Other theories are that Rachel just wanted to make the issue about herself since she had not been in the limelight for quite some time. What everyone can agree on though, is that if she really does not want to be involved in anything Vanderpump Rules-related, then she should not publicly be speaking about cast mates.
‘Rachel Goes Rogue’ Shows Her Desire to Stay Relevant
Despite claiming that she does not want the attention on her or the Scandoval situation anymore, Rachel’s actions have shown the opposite. Rachel created her own podcast, “Rachel Goes Rogue”, to share her side of the story, and her opinions on everything related to reality television and certain Bravo celebrities. On her podcast, Rachel revealed that she does miss the friendships that she developed during her time on the show, specifically with Scheana Shay, and then shared that she does not miss James Kennedy at all. Although it was a sweet gesture to talk about missing her friendships and talking about the loving memories she and Scheana share, it does not help what Rachel always tries to preach, which is never affiliating herself with Vanderpump Rules again.
Rachel was asked if she would ever return to Vanderpump Rules. She responded by explaining that she would need all expenses paid for therapy in order to return. If returning to a show is going to cause extreme mental health issues to the point where she knows therapy will be needed, then joining the show again would not be worth it. It seemed as though Rachel just wanted the attention and to be the main topic of conversation about whether she would make an infamous return or not.Rachel contradicts herself about every episode of “Rachel Goes Rogue”, claiming she does not want to be part of the world of reality television, yet she constantly shares her opinion and speaks about the Vanderpump Rules world.
Yes, Rachel Leviss and Tom Sandoval did a terrible thing. They cheated, lied, and destroyed multiple relationships. No one deserves such tremendous amounts of hate, though. Mental health is important, and Rachel, Jax Taylor, and everyone else who has been painted as a villain deserves the opportunity to heal. What Rachel needs to stop doing, is claiming one thing, yet doing another. Rachel wants nothing to do with the show or the cast, but is always speaking about them and how they treated her poorly. Rachel wants attention as she is still on reality television, while claiming she doesn’t.
Vanderpump Rules is available to stream on Peacock in the US.
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