Rachel “Raquel” Leviss explained why she questioned Ariana Madix about her sex life on Vanderpump Rules amid her affair with Ariana’s now-ex-boyfriend, Tom Sandoval, on Monday’s episode of her new podcast.
In addition to addressing Sandoval’s claim of missing her and accusing him of flipping on her, Raquel, 29, reacted to her drama with Dave Portnoy, 46, who she was linked to briefly last year, commented on her betrayal of those close to her, and shared why she wanted to know if Ariana, 38, and Sandoval, 41, were intimate.
“Because Tom was telling me that they weren’t having sex and it wasn’t existent. I just was curious to know her side of the story. Was that true for her too or is he just telling me one thing? I wanted to know like is she really attracted to him or is this more like a glorified roommate situation because that’s what he was telling me,” Raquel revealed on the January 8 episode of Rachel Goes Rogue. “I was trying to feel that out and it happened to play out on TV.”
Months after their affair was exposed, and after going nearly just as long without seeing one another, Sandoval appeared on the Two Ts in a Pod podcast, where he said he missed Raquel.
“The arrogance of it all,” Raquel said in response. “I’ve listened to this podcast interview maybe, like, five times now. I sent it to my therapist… I’ve never had this physical reaction before, but I felt like I was going to throw up because his voice repulsed me.”
“He misses all of the benefits of our relationship without actually being in the relationship and also having a committed relationship,” she clarified. “I know that he was kinda, like, playing offensive because I’m coming out with my own podcast and he’s afraid of what I’m going to say. I know he’s really trying to milk the victim role to make himself look better, I think, but in reality, I think it’s making him look worse.”
Although Raquel and Sandoval were in touch for a short time after his cheating was publicized, Raquel feels that Sandoval ultimately flipped on her, especially when it came to his comments on Two Ts in a Pod.
“He really threw me under the bus and he was okay with it. It seemed like he was doing a lot of victim blaming and not taking accountability and owning it, and maybe standing up for me a little bit,” she explained. “Like, if you really did love me and care about me the way that you say you did, I think he would probably not say something like that.”
Moving on to Dave, founder of Barstool Sports, Raquel admitted she knew nothing of him until after he dissed her publicly.
“I’ve heard of Barstool Sports, but I’ve never heard of Dave Portnoy. It’s just kinda wild how that story came out on Thanksgiving… I was in Chicago visiting my friends. These are friends that I met at my treatment center so my recovery friends. I guess I was spotted at a coffee shop, and I took a few photos with a few people. And of course, people were speculating and people were saying that [Dave] Portnoy was in Chicago the same weekend that Raquel was there or Rachel… Of course like the only rational thing is that [Dave] Portnoy and I are dating and that’s why he and his girlfriend broke up,” she explained.
As for him referring to her as a “trash bag” in regard to the romance rumors, Raquel suspected Dave was “[projecting].”
“He doesn’t know me at all, so whatever story he’s made up in his mind is, I don’t know, it’s on him I think,” she stated. “There’s a lot of misinformation about me out there too, and I think the reason why he’s so polarized to me is because he believes a lie that was put out there, so he’s just a little bit quick to judge. That’s his style, right? He’s just a shock jock, and that’s what his fans like.”
Looking back on her affair, and the many people she betrayed, Raquel confessed to struggling with the idea.
“It’s hard, but it’s like I betrayed people, too, so I don’t know. It’s a difficult reality to accept,” she noted.
Also on the episode, Raquel revealed if she still speaks to anyone from Pump Rules.
“It’s really difficult for me to. There are a few people that I do speak to occasionally and that have expressed that they miss me so much,” she confirmed. “They haven’t spoken out publicly like bashing me or anything.”
Vanderpump Rules season 11 premieres on Tuesday, January 30, at 8/7c on Bravo.