A visceral reaction. Scheana Shay revealed her initial response while watching footage of Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval in the Vanderpump Rules finale trailer after their affair was made public.
“I was physically shaking. I was just texting as fast as I [could about it]. I was, like, ‘Oh, my God, her smirk,’” Scheana, 37, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, May 3, while promoting her partnership with Smirnoff for their Locura Tour in celebration of the new Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind.
The “Good as Gold” artist claimed Raquel, 28, made the same expression when she broke the news about her affair with Tom, 40, after the women appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen together in March.
“The night in New York [when she told me] — after she grabbed my wrist — I had to get her away from me because it was that same look and smirk,” she recalled. “It was just, like, ‘Oops, I got caught. My bad.’ [And there was] no remorse.”
Scheana’s friendship with the model took a turn after Us confirmed Tom’s split from Ariana Madix in March due to his infidelity. Amid the drama, Raquel filed an order of protection against the former SUR waitress and alleged a physical altercation occurred following their joint appearance on Andy Cohen‘s talk show.
The charges were ultimately dropped, and Scheana later admitted she shoved Raquel out of shock but denied punching her costar. Following the scandal, Scheana weighed in on whether she thinks Raquel and Tom regret the harm they caused Ariana, 37, through their affair.
“No, [Raquel has no remorse about the situation],” she told Us before noting that she felt differently about the TomTom co-owner. “I know he absolutely has a lot of regrets. I don’t know how much you’ll see in our [onscreen] conversation, but also then we have a whole reunion. But she was, like, sociopathic. It was very bizarre to just see someone cry so hard over a pageant and not ruining their best friend’s relationship.”
The “Scheananigans” podcast host went on to call out Tom for how he addressed his relationship issues with Ariana after their breakup. (The Missouri native recently claimed he attempted to pull the plug on his romance with Ariana before his cheating scandal came to light.)
“I think he could have handled everything a lot better. It’s like, ‘Oh, you’re in fight or flight mode? Maybe you should have just chosen flight and crawled into a hole until this passed.’ Let’s not try to double down. Let’s not try to blame Ariana,” the former singer added on Wednesday. “You’re wrong. End of story. Let all of us heal and if there is another season — who knows how this is gonna go down — [then we will see]. I don’t think anyone knows yet.”
While the future of the hit Bravo series is up in the air, the California native has ideas about how another season could work while Raquel and Tom are on the outs with their friend group. “I can picture [us filming together] because I’ve had to picture it. That’s the name of the game. But I can’t envision what type of event that would be at. It would have to be something Lisa Vanderpump hosts,” she explained. “[Because] they’re not getting invited to any birthday parties, that’s for sure.”
As cast and fans alike await news of Vanderpump Rules’ renewal, Scheana has shifted her focus to other ventures, including her partnership with Smirnoff for Cinco de Mayo. The TV personality will be in Chicago on Thursday, May 4, to host a pop-up for the festive holiday — and treat guests to Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind cocktails.
“It tastes really good. I’m [also] a sucker for any cute branding. And I loved the decor of this,” Scheana told Us of the alcohol brand’s new flavor of vodka. “But then I made a little spicy tamarind [margarita], a skinny version last night, and it was so good. I didn’t even need to add that much to it because the vodka has all of the flavor.”
Scheana teased that fans can “take [their] celebrations from basic to bold” just in time for Cinco de Mayo with the new Smirnoff flavor. “I am not always the tequila girl, so I can always be a vodka girl. I’m never hungover after vodka, and it’s just so good,” she concluded. “I’m really excited for this. I love a spicy drink.”
For more details on Scheana’s partnership with Smirnoff — and the Chicago Locura Tour event — click here.
Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET. The season finale is set to air on Wednesday, May 17.
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With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
