Ariana Madix recalled an awkward purchase ex Tom Sandoval made for Raquel Leviss when the twosome were “in love.”
“I would be in the house and there’s a box on the kitchen counter and it’s addressed to somewhere in Arizona and it’s just full of who even freaking knows what,” Ariana, 38, recalled during the Tuesday, January 30, episode of the Vanderpump Rules After Show, which aired following the season 11 premiere. “There’s one thing that I saw that I’m struggling to talk about it because it’s so cringe.”
Ariana went on to share that she discovered a friendship lamp Sandoval, 41, had bought after Raquel, 29, that could help the pair communicate when they were far apart. “It’s Bluetooth where if I touch it where I am, it will turn on where you are,” she explained, adding, “Oh my god, I can’t.”
“Yeah, I was very much in love,” Sandoval said when asked about the communicative lights by producers, noting that he would also send Raquel candy and other gifts to show his affection.
“I would sign her cards and stamp them with wax,” he continued. “I don’t even send my mom birthday cards they stress me out. I like, learned how to stamp and wax [cards] and I’d put sparkles in [for] when she was halfway through.”
Ariana and Sandoval dated for nearly nine years on the Bravo hit but called it quits in March 2023 when Ariana discovered Sandoval’s affair with Raquel. After season 10 of Vanderpump Rules wrapped later that month, Raquel admitted herself into a mental health facility in Arizona. Five months later, Us Weekly reported that Raquel had cut off contact with Sandoval and would not be returning for season 11.
Prior to breaking ties with the TomTom cofounder, Raquel sent her own set of presents to Sandoval’s home which he still shares with Ariana — including a lightening bolt postcard. (When season 10 of Pump Rules aired, eagle-eyed fans noticed that both Raquel and Sandoval were wearing lighting bolt necklaces before news of their affair came to light.)
During Tuesday’s “After Show,” Ariana revealed that she would notice mail addressed to Sandoval from Raquel arriving to the house, including the postcard.
“Something comes and you’re like, ‘Is that for me? Oh no, it’s coming from somewhere in Arizona,’” she said, noting that she can’t be sure of Raquel’s “mindset” at the time but speculated that the model had “zero concept” that Ariana could intercept the letter a co-owner of the house.
Sandoval, meanwhile, said that the postcard was sent a “month” before it actually arrived. When Tom Schwartz called sending the letter an “insane” decision, Sandoval agreed, saying he wasn’t sure what Raquel was thinking as she had also sent items to Schwartz’s address.
“Leading up to season 11 filming we definitely were communicating and sending each other letters and stuff like that,” he continued. “She’s like, ‘I wasn’t thinking. It was my first time out.’ They had left the [mental health] facility and they had gone out somewhere and she had gotten a postcard and I was like, “I can’t find it. I don’t know where it is.’”
Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes are available to stream on Peacock the next day.
