The first part of the Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion aired and it was great TV. I watched on Peacock the next morning so I could enjoy it in all its uncensored glory and it did not disappoint. For the first time, Andy Cohen did one-on-one interviews with the three cast members at the center of the affair. They haven’t aired anything from Raquel’s yet, but Ariana’s was more of what we’ve seen from her lately and Tom’s was him trying to hedge and justify and play the victim. But the real drama started when the main cast all sat down (sans Raquel for now) together with Andy and Lisa Vanderpump.

Raquel’s Text to Ariana: During the reunion, fans saw the first interaction Raquel and Ariana had about the affair after a heated phone call as things were unraveling. The Florida native wrote “You are dead to me,” to which the California native replied with an apology. “Ariana, I don’t know what to say right now besides I really f—ked up and I am so so so sorry,” Raquel wrote, to which Ariana answered, “Shut the f—k up you f—king RAT.”

Sandoval and Raquel’s 1st Hookup: “So we had that guys’ night at the Mondrian and that very next See You Next Tuesday. They were filming and we weren’t a part of it. But then a bunch of us went to The Abbey and it was that night,” Sandoval revealed. “We had that first time and then we took a break. After we went to Life Is Beautiful [in September 2022] — which was after we wrapped.”

Sandoval Addresses His and Ariana’s Issues: According to the Missouri native, he felt like Ariana’s “gay BFF” ahead of their split. “We put on a front when we were filming,” he told Andy. “For us to have these issues and to keep them from people? I don’t think it was fair to the rest of the cast.” In unseen footage, which was filmed in September 2022, Sandoval confided in a producer about the challenges in his relationship. “I feel guilty. When people put themselves out there. Like, it’s not fair. I feel like it is important for us to talk about this s—t and not pretend like it is all amazing,” he said off screen during filming at SUR.

James and Sandoval’s Fight: The professional DJ nearly got physical with Sandoval multiple times after the bar owner questioned the validity of their former friendship. Andy stepped in to get James to take a break — as Raquel watched the drama unfold in a separate area due to her temporary restraining order against Scheana Shay.

Schwartz Admits He Was Hinting at Sandoval and Raquel’s Affair: During the reunion, Andy asked Schwartz if his comment about Raquel having a crush on someone else was secretly about Sandoval. “Honestly yeah. Subconsciously or whatever … I am not an idiot. You told me that day [at the end of August 2022] about the one-night stand. And then things went back to normal,” the Minnesota native shared. “Without a doubt about it throughout the fall leading up to the new year, they spent an inappropriate amount of time together. F—k yeah they did.”

[From US Weekly]

James and Lala were kind of a Greek chorus during the reunion. Their side commentary was everything the audience was likely thinking and their reads of both Toms and Lisa were completely correct. My only quibble would be they were too quick to jump on the Toms when they really should have let the guys talk and dig their own holes. It was clear throughout the one-on-one and group interview that Tom Sandoval is still lying and Tom Schwartz is trying to cover up for him poorly. Schwartz completely blew up Sandoval’s timeline about the affair, but no one was surprised. And Schwartz is a total jerk for knowing about the affair and sh-t-stirring in front of Ariana while glamping. Lisa was defending Tom way too much, but she and the other Tom are really his only allies and clear lines have been drawn. I honestly can’t wait til next week when they get Raquel on the stage too. It’s going to be a sh-tshow at the f-ck factory because while Tom at least knows he should show remorse (and he probably actually feels it for himself), Raquel doesn’t seem to have any idea how to even attempt to redeem herself.

photos are screenshots from YouTube