Ariana Madix Wanted to Spend 'Quality Time' With Sandoval Pre-Affair

Ariana Madix Was Excited to Spend 'Quality Time' With Tom Sandoval — Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix at the ‘Vanderpump Rules’ TV Series premeire Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

The calm before the storm. Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval offered a glimpse at their relationship dynamic before his affair with Raquel Leviss came to light.

“I am so excited to be in Mexico. Nothing else to get in the way of my quality time with Tom,” Ariana, 37, gushed during a new episode of Vanderpump Rules, which aired on Wednesday, March 29.

The Florida native, who started dating Sandoval, 40, in 2014, joked that her then-boyfriend was her “prisoner” ahead of their romantic getaway.

Sandoval and Ariana’s onscreen interactions, which were filmed in August 2022, came months before Us Weekly confirmed their split due to his infidelity. All eyes have been on the couple for signs of trouble — and several scenes aren’t aging well, including the TomTom co-owner’s attempts to support Ariana as she dealt with her dog’s passing.

“Ariana has never had much interest in bearing children but if she could have given birth to Charlotte, she would have,” he said in a confessional in a March 8 episode. “We obviously knew that this day was coming but now that it is here, I am very concerned about how this is going to affect Ariana. I just need to be there in any way I can. She’s my girl.”

Us confirmed on March 3 that Ariana had discovered the affair two days prior.

“Ariana found out [about the affair] after looking at Tom’s phone while he was on stage performing his new song,” a source shared with Us earlier this month. “It’s still unclear when Tom Schwartz knew or if he was blindsided.”

At the time, the source noted that Sandoval and Raquel, 28, were hoping to have a future together. “Tom and Raquel are the real deal. This isn’t just a regrettable fling or one-night stand.” the source added. “It’s no excuse for what they did and the people they hurt, but they see a long-term future together. Only time will tell if their bond can survive the backlash.”

Amid the drama, the beauty pageant contestant took to social media to address her fractured friendship with Ariana. “I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships,” she wrote via Instagram. “There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.”

Sandoval, for his part, broke his silence after Vanderpump Rules fans shared negative comments about his restaurants in response to the scandal. He later issued a separate statement apologizing to Ariana.

“I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana,” the Missouri native wrote via Instagram. “I made mistakes, I was selfish and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.”

He added: “I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.”

The trio, who filmed additional scenes for season 10 of the hit Bravo series, reunited on Thursday, March 23, to tape the cast reunion.

Sandoval later reflected on the aftermath of the scandal, telling TMZ on Monday, March 27, “Hindsight’s always 20/20. Like, if you look back at a situation, you think of all the things you should have, would have done better.”

The reality star admitted that his affair affected the two restaurants he runs alongside Tom Schwartz, which includes Schwartz and Sandy’s. “Oh yeah, of course. It’s tough,” he added. “I honestly don’t even want to comment on it, but it has been rough. They say time heals all wounds, so we will have to see what happens.”

Ariana, for her part, noted that she was no longer concerned about Sandoval or Raquel. “I don’t know what they do. At this point, I don’t care about anything that either of them does,” she said in a video obtained by Page Six on Sunday, March 26.