Heavy/Getty Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
A Bravo producer says it is far-fetched to think that former couple Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix won’t film together during the upcoming season of “Vanderpump Rules”
When the show’s season 10 finale aired in May 2023, Madix was just a few days past learning about her boyfriend of 10 years’ seven-month affair with her close friend, Raquel Leviss. At the time, Bravo’s cameras captured a tense breakup conversation between the exes ,with Madix telling the bar owner, “I regret ever loving you. Any last words before we never speak again?”
Madix has since been vocal about her stance on refusing to film with Sandoval or Leviss ever again. But now that filming for season 11 has picked up, producer Alex Baskin says all bets are off regarding the estranged exes’ filming status.
Here’s what you need to know:
‘Vanderpump Rules’ Producer Alex Baskin Hinted That It’s Inevitable That Ariana Madix & Tom Sandoval Will Have to Film Together Again
Getty/BravoAriana Madix and Tom Sandoval.
Cast members for “Vanderpump Rules” began filming for season 11 in July 2023. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Baskin said it’s not the first time there have been issues with cast members not wanting to film together.
“We always deal with pushback if different parties don’t want to shoot with each other because of strained relations,” he told THR. “Obviously, this is more extreme. But Ariana and Tom Sandoval, I would hasten to point out, they still live together. The idea that they wouldn’t shoot together is a little bit hard to digest. They’re in the same home.”
Sandoval and Madix are currently living in separate areas of their large, Valley Village, California home. It is unclear if they are still on non-speaking terms, but during the season 10 reunion, they revealed they were using a go-between for communication.
While she wants to sell the house she purchased with Sandoval, Madix told the Los Angeles Times that she “can’t afford” to move out yet. “I pay a hefty mortgage,” she said. “And I’m not going to shell out more money because of someone else’s s***.”
Ariana Madix Previously Said She Has ‘Nothing’ to Say to Sandoval or Leviss
BravoTom Sandoval with Raquel Leviss and Ariana Madix.
While she is able to dodge Sandoval at home, during an interview with The New York Times, Madix was asked about the possibility of filming with him or Leviss in season 11.
“I have nothing to say to either of them,” she told the outlet in May 2023. “Our show is very real and follows a real group of friends, and neither of them are in the group of friends, so, good luck.”
But, like Baskin, one co-star didn’t rule out the possibility. During a May 30, 2023 interview on the “Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef” podcast, VPR veteran Peter Madrigal hinted that everyone has their price.
After Madrigal acknowledged that Madix “doesn’t want to shoot with Tom Sandoval,” he noted, “It’s everyone’s prerogative, whether they’re gonna shoot with anybody or not, I suppose.”
But he hinted that the production company could sway things. “Oh, man, how do I put this? Um, you know what? I think that there can be incentives in there,” Madrigal teased. The “Vanderpump Rules” star then clarified that he knows nothing about his co-stars being offered extra money to film together.
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