Vanderpump Rules season 10 delivered an emotional finale, packed to the brim with high-intensity moments, especially the major confrontation between Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix. The former couple, who had been together for nearly a decade prior to their split, sat down to speak in their home to speak one last time in front of the cameras. Tom, whose seven-month-long affair with Raquel Leviss had come to light only two days prior to the conversation, was looking for some reprieve from Ariana. Unfortunately for the long-time Vanderpump Rules star, Ariana wasn’t feeling like forgiving Tom seemed to be in the cards for her any time soon.
Tom and Raquel, who was a close friend of Ariana’s for years prior to the affair, had gotten closer to one another after Raquel’s engagement to James Kennedy ended. While the pair were seemingly engaged in a close friendship, behind closed doors they were having a physical and emotional affair, blindsiding Ariana when she found out. Throughout Vanderpump Rules season 10, Ariana had painstakingly defended both Tom and Raquel’s relationship, as well as Raquel herself from several other cast members. Putting her utmost trust in Tom and Raquel, Ariana was unsurprisingly hurt and betrayed after the affair came out in an incredibly public manner.
Tom Feels Ariana Is Too Angry To Talk
After a quick primer on what went down in the days leading up to Vanderpump Rules season 10 resuming their filming, Tom and Ariana sat down at their shared home to have a clear-eyed conversation about what happened to their relationship. Prior to Tom entering the room, Ariana shared to a friend, “I hate him, but I’m very quickly becoming completely indifferent.” When Tom sat down to talk to a disassociating Ariana, she was quick to call him out. “You still haven’t said sorry for what you actually did,” she said, to which Tom replied, “every time I try to apologize to you, it just makes you more angry.”
While Tom said he’s open and ready to talk, the fact that he’s too afraid of Ariana’s anger to even step up and apologize is off-putting. Tom’s actions were diabolical, deceitful, hurtful, and will have repercussions in Ariana’s life for years to come. Regardless of the fact that she is angry and will continue to be, Tom taking initiative and at the very least apologizing for lying to her and deceiving her for months is the least he can do. Ariana is rightfully angry, which she explains, while Tom seems to be needlessly bothered by her anger. Tom’s spineless, defensive attitude going into the conversation leaves much to be desired.
Ariana Wants To Hear About Tom’s Thoughts, Not Raquel
Tom and Ariana’s conversation starts off on the wrong foot, as he presented the affair with Raquel as a mistake, at first. Ariana stopped Tom, explaining, “I loved you…when you had nothing. You got a little bit of money, a little bar, a little band, and then this girl is going to act enamored with you…and that’s what you want. Someone to gas you up. That girl is searching for identity in men, she has no identity of her own. Willing to stoop so low as to f*** one of her best friends’ life partners, and that’s like a good person you think you should be around?”
Tom explained quickly, “I don’t know how it happened – it just happened. We became really good friends, like I was seeking something that I wasn’t getting here. And that’s selfish, that’s really selfish.” When Tom began to defend his relationship with Raquel, Ariana seemed angrier than before. Tom seemed to want validation from Ariana that because he had a connection with Raquel, his actions were at least warranted. Ariana, on the other hand, was far more interested in understanding how Tom’s character could allow him to cheat on her, eventually screaming at him to try to get him to stop talking about Raquel and start talking about himself.
Tom Blames A Mid-Life Crisis For His Decisions
Tom spent a large portion of the argument trying to make some sort of point instead of simply owning up to his actions. He shouted at Ariana about just how great Raquel was to him, yelling, “well guess what – [my relationship with Raquel is] real because she treats me with f***ing respect, something I haven’t gotten from you in a long time.” He continued on, “it was about a connection where we were actually respecting each other and giving each other confidence.” When his reasoning was challenged, Tom explained that turning 40 sent him into a spiral, getting him thinking about the rest of his life.
Rather than owning up to his behavior, Tom spent the majority of the argument trying to make excuses and defend his relationship with Raquel for its merits. He finally opened up to Ariana in some way by sharing that his aging really changed his mindset, sending him into some sort of panic and pushing him to change things about his life. In other moments, Tom’s seemed like he’s having a mid-life crisis, like sharing that he thinks quality time is “taking mushrooms together.” While his anxiety over aging and changing his life is valid, the way he went about doing so was deeply damaging for everyone around him.
Ariana Lays It All Out On The Table
When pressed, Ariana decided to lay all her emotions out on the table. She lit into Tom, saying, “I regret every moment I stood up for you, defended you, supported you. You’re worth nothing, and I want you to feel that deep in your soul. I want you to hear those words coming from the mouth of the woman that f***ing stood by you, and loved you, and was ready to build the rest of my life around you. Hear my words, and know that that’s how I feel about you. I regret ever loving you. Any last words before we never speak again?”
Keeping herself composed as she spoke about her past feelings for Tom, Ariana did her best not to mince words. She made it incredibly clear that her love and support for Tom would have been unmovable, even explaining, “I was ride or f***ing die for you – and I had her back as well.” With Tom having broken her trust and there being no chance of him earning it back, Ariana made it clear that Tom was no longer a part of her life, and she wanted to ensure he felt just how deeply he’d hurt her. Tom, tearfully, listened to Ariana and responded, “I thought we’d be together forever.”
The Couple Tearfully Split For Good
As the couple wound down in their argument, things took a turn and both wound up tearfully considering the fact that they were hoping to be together for the rest of their lives. “I would’ve followed you anywhere,” Ariana cried as Tom watched on across from her. “I would’ve changed any part of whatever you weren’t happy with. I was 100% committed to you as of literally 2 days ago.” Tom cried harder at this revelation, clearly finding it difficult to grasp the fact that he couldn’t betray Ariana and still have her in his corner.
When the couple finally finished fighting, it became clear that there was some deeply genuine sadness between them. Ariana was still incredibly hurt by the way Tom acted toward her, while Tom was still trying to make sense of his own behavior and justify it to himself. The Vanderpump Rules stars tearfully finished their conversation, with Tom ending things off on a somber note. “You can think whatever you want,” he cried, “but they were some really good times.” Ariana agreed, but with the understanding the good times were now over.
Sources: Bravo/Instagram, im the pupa/Twitter, MarTEAnis With Eddy/Twitter, Bravo/Instagram, To The Chart/Twitter
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
