With season 11 production underway, Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval have seemingly managed to avoid one another in front of the cameras so far — but one Vanderpump Rules exec isn’t sure the pattern can continue.
Producer Alex Baskin shared insight into returning to the show’s “normal, pretty aggressive timeline” of filming in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Tuesday, July 18. Baskin hinted that the “hysteria” surrounding Sandoval and Ariana’s breakup — and his affair with costar Raquel Leviss — is far from dying down.
Us Weekly confirmed in March that the longtime couple — who dated for nearly a decade — called it quits after Ariana learned of Sandoval’s infidelity. Production on season 10 had already wrapped when the scandal broke, but Bravo resumed filming for a gut-wrenching season finale, which aired in May. The episode featured a heated confrontation between the exes, but Ariana has asserted that she has no interest in facing off against Sandoval again.
“I have nothing to say to either of them,” she told The New York Times of Raquel and Sandoval. “Our show is very real and follows a real group of friends, and neither of them are in the group of friends, so, good luck.”
Baskin, however, doesn’t think Ariana’s plan is feasible. “We always deal with pushback if different parties don’t want to shoot with each other because of strained relations,” he told THR. “Obviously, this is more extreme. But Ariana and Tom Sandoval, I would hasten to point out, they still live together.”
He added: “The idea that they wouldn’t shoot together is a little bit hard to digest. They’re in the same home.”
Ariana had fans convinced in May that she was leaving the home she shared with Sandoval after moving trucks were spotted at the property. “Ready to dip out 😏,” she hinted via her Instagram Story, referring to a phrase used by Sandoval during season 10 in an attempt to cover up his romance with Raquel.
Despite hinting otherwise, Ariana stayed put. “I’m moving up, not out — well, not yet at least,” she said in a subsequent Story promoting her partnership with SoFi.
Season 11 began filming in June. Earlier this month, Ariana was spotted shooting with Lala Kent and Katie Maloney — but Sandoval and Raquel were noticeably absent from the trio’s social media footage as they filmed.
Lala gave fans an update on Tuesday during a cast trip to Lake Tahoe. “Everyone is in a couple. The Toms, Brock [Davies] and [Scheana Shay] and these little love birds [James Kennedy and Ally Lewber],” she teased in an Instagram video, leaving out both Katie and Ariana. “It is a good thing we have the MILF and I am OK with it.”
Though cameras are up once again, it might be a while before fans are watching fights in the SUR alley or parties at TomTom. “I have mixed feelings [about it],” Baskin confessed to THR. “I’d love to take advantage of the moment, but it’s really intense to make these shows. … In six months, we’ll drop a new season. It’s good to make the audience miss you a little bit.”
Baskin also asserted that it feels like time to “move on” from Scandoval. “This show’s never been static, and we’d disappoint the audience if we started just sleuthing,” he said. “Everyone is trying to move on with their lives. If that creeps back in, then it creeps back in.”
When it comes to Raquel, who entered mental health treatment amid backlash for the affair, even producers aren’t sure where she stands. “Those are ongoing conversations,” Baskin said. “I imagine there will be an update fairly soon. But, for now, we’re still in dialogue with her.”
