Vanderpump Rules season 10 ended with a devastating three-part reunion in which Ariana Madix and Lala Kent eviscerated Raquel Leviss, to the point where many viewers found their words and actions uncomfortable to watch.
And, in hindsight, Lala agrees, acknowledging now she was left feeling "dirty" in the moments after the reunion wrapped filming.
However, she also believes that Raquel should never have been allowed on reality TV, continuing: "For me, it's a reality TV show [and] I feel like we're all playing the same game, but when I watched that, I was like, 'Oh, we're maybe dealing with someone who maybe shouldn't be on this type of platform."
Despite the majority of Bravo fans being on Team Ariana, many found it uncomfortable to watch the cast attack Raquel as she sat and accepted their jabs and often agreed with their sentiments.
"I don't know how other people feel about the last five minutes, but I did sit there and go, 'Oh [expletive], she needs some real help,' and I'm hoping she got it," Lala told TMZ.
The three-part reunion between the stars of the Bravo show mostly focused on the affair between Raquel and Tom Sandoval, who had been in a nine-year relationship with Ariana. Tom, now 39, and Ariana, now 37, had been together for nine years following the former's break-up with fellow Vanderpump star Kristen Doute.
They met in 2013, when Ariana was introduced on the second season of the show, a spinoff of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills starring restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump; they began dating in 2014. They eventually moved in together, and in late 2022 Ariana spoke openly about their future, admitting that she didn't see marriage "on the agenda".
Raquel, 28, meanwhile, was introduced to the show in season five in 2016 as the girlfriend of cast member James Kennedy. The two got engaged in 2021 but split up a few months later. Ariana discovered the affair when she looked at Tom's phone and saw an intimate video taken by Raquel.
Tom shared a statement on Instagram the following day, apologizing to Ariana and admitting the affair, stating that he "made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love". Raquel then also shared a statement with ET admitting her part in the relationship and apologizing to her fans and specifically Ariana, adding that she was seeking counseling.
The drama became a global story, and dominated vast swathes of the internet — one gossip columnist even called it "our Brangelina", and The New York Times covered it.
In the reunion, taped just three weeks after the scandal broke, Ariana, best friend Katie Maloney, Lala and James attacked Tom and Raquel for their deceitful behavior. Lisa also shared her disappointment in Tom's behavior, even as she refused to break her business partnership with him.
Sandoval's best friend and Katie's ex Tom Schwartz, who knew of the affair and kept it secret, squirmed uncomfortably throughout the proceeding and also took jabs from Ariana, La La, Katie, and the others.
The final few minutes saw Raquel speak to a producer days after the reunion was filmed where she debunked several of Tom's claims and laid out the true timeline of their affair.
It was also confirmed that she had voluntarily checked into a mental health treatment facility after filming and was still undergoing treatment.
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