Raquel Leviss shared what producers allegedly told Tom Sandoval amid the latest season of Vanderpump Rules. She also revealed she’s been introducing herself as “Rocky,” reacted to Ariana Madix’s shady reunion comment, and addressed Tom filming for the next season of The Traitors.
Raquel and Tom had a secret relationship while he was still seeing Ariana. After the ‘Scandoval,’ Raquel went back to her given name “Rachel,” though she wasn’t bothered by people still calling her Raquel, her stage name. At the recent reunion, Ariana called Raquel a “b**ch” – and claimed Raquel’s always talking about her publicly.
On her Rachel Goes Rogue podcast, Raquel indicated that Tom reached out to her publicist and shared that production brought “everyone into the green room” to say there’d be a “shift” in the show because they didn’t want to keep discussing Scandoval, as Raquel was “not coming back.”
According to Raquel, Tom claimed they said, “We need you guys to create other drama essentially, and like move on from the Scandoval because it’s been drug out too far.”
Raquel also revealed she’s been introducing herself as “Rocky” to new friends because it’s a “cute nickname” that she had when she played volleyball.
“I like nicknames, and I like connecting to the different parts within me,” said Raquel. “And it doesn’t have to be … a whole new identity or anything. It just means that I’m an integrated human being.”
The alum was eventually asked about Ariana’s recent shade.
“The reason why I didn’t address it during the podcast … is because exactly that I don’t need to talk about Arianna anymore than I deem necessary to get my point across,” she said. “And unfortunately, yes, Ariana’s name has come out of my mouth and it is not to bash her in any way. It’s to provide context to my experience and the story that I’m sharing with you guys as a person who was in my life.”
She also said it “sucks” for Raquel to have the show “defame” her and “push a narrative” that is “not accurate,” so she “understand[s]” the pain Ariana feels hearing her own name on Raquel’s podcast.
“I just think that I’ve done it in a way that is ultimately respectful to her. And I don’t plan on continuing to talk about her anymore because she is not a part of my life,” she said.
Reacting to the announcement that Tom will compete in the next season of The Traitors, Raquel suggested she might have to watch it, and she admitted that she watched his stint on Special Forces – a show that Tom asked her to be on.
“I did kind of have like a little bit of joy seeing him go through painful experiences,” she said. “I may have to tune in for Traitors … I feel like he is a master manipulator and it would be very interesting to see his tactics in a situation where it’s encouraged to be manipulative.”