Cause for concern? Andy Cohen recalled his initial reaction to Raquel Leviss‘ lack of emotion while apologizing for her affair with Tom Sandoval at the Vanderpump Rules reunion.
“I was worried for Raquel’s mental health going into the reunion. I mean, I still am. But actually, when I saw how unemotional she was, it made me think she was really medicated or really out of touch with her role in everything,” the Bravo executive producer, 55, who hosted the season 10 special, told Variety on Wednesday, June 7.
Andy went on to question Raquel’s response to Scheana Shay‘s breakdown over their friendship.
“When Scheana is crying her eyes out and [Raquel] says in the trailer, ‘I should have written her a note’ — I found that very confusing and it made me think that, maybe, there was something she was missing about what these relationships were,” he added. “It made me think that, maybe, she didn’t think they were as real as the other people thought. I didn’t understand.”
![Andy Cohen Recalls Wondering Whether Raquel Leviss Was ‘Medicated’ at ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Reunion: 'I Was Worried' for Her Mental Health](/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Andy-Cohen-Recalls-Wondering-Whether-Raquel-Leviss-Was-Medicated-at-Vanderpump-Rules-Reunion.jpg?w=1000&quality=55&strip=all)
The season 10 reunion of Vanderpump Rules, which was filmed in March, came weeks after Us Weekly confirmed Sandoval, 40, and Ariana Madix‘s split due to his infidelity. That same month, Scheana, 37, made headlines when Raquel, 28, filed an order of protection after accusing the “Scheananigans” podcast host of a physical altercation following their joint appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
As a result, Scheana and the former beauty queen were unable to tape the reunion together. The former friends swapped places and production kept them 100 yards away from each other throughout the day. During a one-on-one interview with Andy, the model revealed that she was planning to drop the restraining order and it was officially dropped later that month.
Executive producer Alex Baskin offered his point of view on how production had to adjust filming around Scheana and Raquel’s legal issues — and their vastly mismatched reactions on screen.
“Raquel and Scheana’s different demeanors in their trailers reflect them as a whole. Scheana was really intense and agitated. And I think one of Raquel’s traits that I think is driving a little bit of fire is that she seems very leveled,” he shared with Variety on Wednesday. “In some ways that helped her that day because it helped her get through a very difficult day. But sometimes — where it does her a disservice is — it seems she’s maybe not affected by what is happening or doesn’t care. She would maintain otherwise but she had a very calm and leveled demeanor.”
Scheana, for her part, reflected on where she stands now with Raquel, adding, “I have been mourning the loss of my friendship with Raquel and asking myself who the f—k Rachel is.” (Raquel previously confirmed her legal name is Rachel.)
During the final part of the reunion, which aired on Wednesday, Raquel continued to shock viewers in never-before-seen footage from a confessional.
“I think it’s important to me to tell the truth. I think that I’ve been lying and being so deceitful this entire time that I don’t want to lie anymore and it’s all out there anyway. Like, the worst is out, yet I’m still finding myself having to lie about specific timeline things,” she told producers during her final interview of the season.
The California native admitted that she and Sandoval weren’t completely honest about the timeline of their secret romance. (The couple previously claimed they hooked up once in August 2022 before starting up an affair after filming wrapped one month later.)
“This is the one story that we’ve agreed on getting straight. And I know the reason why Tom wanted to lie about it is because it’s a really bad look to hook up with someone’s boyfriend in their own house when they’ve gone out of town. Especially for like a funeral of all things,” Raquel said before she started to cry, confirming they hooked up at Ariana and Sandoval’s house when she was out of town for her grandmother’s funeral. “So, like, I don’t know if this is f—king killed my soul. I am so sick of lying, I hate it. I hate being deceitful. It’s horrible.”
Shortly after production wrapped on season 10, Us confirmed that Raquel checked into a mental health facility in the aftermath of the drama.
“Raquel and her family decided before the relationship was discovered that she would enter a voluntary facility for mental health counseling,” a statement from her rep read. “Raquel had planned to admit herself before the VPR reunion was taped on March 23. She was scheduled to go in pre-reunion but decided she wanted to finish her filming commitment. Bravo and production were aware and in support of her journey towards better mental health.”