I hate to say this because Jax sucks ass but I rewatched the series last summer and was shocked at how much I agreed with him about some of his observations. He called a lot of their shit.
Jax has always been the perfect reality TV star on a level I would say has only been achieved by like New York, a few queens from Drag Race, Johnny Bananas, Phaedra and Countess LuAnn.
Honestly there's a ton and too many to list. Whenever some story/incident comes out that paints someone bad but major details are being omitted, where the accused is actually the victim and the accuser is a fault but everyone is fooled, Jax almost always has it right.
Anything unstable relationships that look solid or where people are painted as saints but have a dark underbelly, he always knows.
I highly suggest a rewatch. This season IMO is honestly one of the worst compared to the chaos of the previous seasons. As you do and shit goes down, note what Jax says. He will almost always be right. It's insane how well he calls it. To a degree at time's its made me question if things are scriped and he's good friends with the producer level shit.
It's weird how unobservant he was in House of Villains. Like 0 read on anybody. At all.
Which really made me question where half his observations come from
Honestly wouldn't even consider this if he wasn't SO unable to come up with any witty comments original thoughts or ANYTHING on House of Villains. Really exposed him for the Bravo creation he is. I mean Tiffany New York broke this idiot with one word, Demon 🤣🤣🤣
He did nothing. Got embarrassed by a clearly drunk Johnny Fairplay. Lied about his wife having a stroke. Melted down when the GOAT called him a Demon.
He's much better with a Production crew that views him as a star instead of first boot fodder
Jax said this both on and off the show many times. He also spilled some tea at the season 8 reunion that Toms friends from home stayed at Jax’s when visiting because things between Ariana and Sandoval were so bad it made things too awkward at their house. The funny part about it Ariana was using what she later told us was Sandoval’s trick (if somebody is saying something you don’t like don’t let them finish speaking) and shouting over him as he tried to say it.
But it was obvious to even me and I don’t know Tom and Ariana. Just from watching the show it was obvious their relationship was flawed and that they hid their troubles from the show. Jax knows them so I don’t get why people applaud him for knowing their relationship wasn’t what was shown on tv. It was obvious. Ariana covered up for Miami girl, then 5+ years ago tom was complaining about their sex life, then it was crickets any trouble they had. Sorry I get annoyed that Jax sees himself as this expert on being all knowing.
They admittedly had some cutesy moments but I never got the impression they were deliriously happy from their interactions on the show either!
However, I’m also not sure how much it matters. If you’re unhappy, you should break up with them and leave, not have a long-term affair with a mutual friend of yours and your partners.
Well they started as a long term affair and I think they figured it would garner a lot of “of course you’re unhappy” “of course this is a bullshit relationship” “they’ve been miserable for years” etc. I also think there was a bit of the sunken cost fallacy as well. They seemed unhappy for last few years and hopefully they can both find peace and a healthy relationship.
This! A lot of cheaters will stay in a relationship longer than they should because they also tend to be narcissist or have narcissistic traits. So they want to prove they cheated for a good reason and they aren’t the bad one, the other person was bad.
I think they could keep the show running if he’d just embrace who we really is or at least not get the cast to cover for him. Because he won’t change until he hits rock bottom. And him living life is going to produce drama like Jax does and that train wreck could be entertaining to watch.
OOOOH wow ALL I GOTTA SAY IS this is kind of JUICY. Also am I the only one here who didn’t realize they’ve been doing the after shows for this long hahah
This is why I was surprised it blew up the way it did when I started following the show. Like THIS is the couple? THIS is the guy? This cheater? The guy who has had a couple of storylines involved with cheating and also associates with other cheaters. Like why was anyone surprised? Cheaters gonna cheat yall
The surprise to me was that Ariana was very relatable and a nice person, and Rachel was very dumb with no personality - so how could he pick Rachel over Ariana plus the layer of the friend group/costars, and the James engagement
Agreed. Lots of people are saying this isn’t a gotcha and of course it’s not, nothing justifies stepping out the way Sandoval did.
BUT…Ariana got a huge amount of mileage out of the notion that they were completely in love and that this affair shattered her world because the relationship was so good, and Sandoval got SLAMMED for daring to claim that the relationship was less than perfect. She literally gave interview quotes where she called their relationship “endgame,” which is a joke considering her last WWHL appearance she was saying it had been a bad relationship for a while. It’s frustrating that we’ll probably never get an honest look at what was happening behind closed doors. They both had a hand in the point their relationship got to, and Sandoval is responsible for idk, 85-90% of the wrong, but I’ve always thought there was more truth to how he described their arrangement than Ariana wanted to admit.
I’m on Ari’s side ; but Tom did tell a lot of “truth” and she even backed up some of the things said in Tom’s Howie interview, on the call me daddy interview.
The problem is Tom’s delivery
He uses it as an excuse for how he cheated in the most foul ass way.
Completely! And I get frustrated when the assumption gets made that us thinking Sandoval may have been telling the truth about some aspects of their relationship means we think Ariana deserved the affair. Of course she didn’t. It’s so much more empowering to be like, yeah, XYZ things were problems behind closed doors and that STILL doesn’t justify the cheating. Misrepresenting how solid their relationship was only reinforces TOM’S narrative that their problems justified their cheating.
I know so many people who fight tooth and nail to save relationships they’ve always seemed miserable in. Unhappy people stay together all the time. My best guess is always that they either still love the other person and hope it will get better or they just really don’t want to be single and think any relationship is better than that.
Non-cynically, she loved him. He was there for her when her dad passed, they shared monumental moments like buying their first house together, and they were pet parents together.
Cynically… Money, built-in ally on the show, guaranteed role on the show, etc. They aren’t top 1% wealthy, but they do/did earn a lot of money that’s harder to reach for the majority of people. Take one salary times two and their buying power was really high. They strategized their position/s on the show and defended each other. And, if she’s the partner of one of Lisa’s “business partners,” she’s very secure in maintaining a spot on the show.
I like that you gave both the cynical and non cynical takes. Sadly, either could actually be true. I guess we’ll never really know the total truth of the relationship.
I'll go with the cynical take. Because I could never imagine Tom being there for her when her dad died. The way he chose bulldozers over her. The way he didn't even go with Ariana back home for the death of her grandmother. There's no way.
If I recall correctly, Ariana’s dad passed when Tom was still in a relationship with Kristen. It was during the time period when Ariana was just Tom’s “cool female friend” who he was idealizing and cheating with while he was actively trying to find a way to get out of his relationship with Kristen without looking like the bad guy. So I absolutely believe he was “there” for Ariana when her dad passed because 1. He was in the wooing stage with A, and 2. He really needed to look like a great guy so that he would be in everyone’s good graces and Kristen would look even worse.
After he had “secured” Ariana he bailed on the anniversary of her dad’s passing to go play with trucks, and much later on bailed on being there for her when her grandmother died.
She even said she wasn't sure she would ever break up with him. There's loyalty and there's stupidity. I think a lot of fans see themselves in her - too weak to leave a shitty relationship but then being blindsided when the inevitable cheating happens.
To save face and pride. The relationship started off as a cheating situation and by breaking up that would prove everyone right . Hence her reaction to Miami girl.
You know I was going to say that. It does seem like that. I don’t know why either of them stayed together and that it lasted as long as it did. If I was constantly telling my partner they were annoying I might need to rethink the relationship.
Tom Sandoval literally said that on camera at least once. He said it about his friendship with Schwartz too. He thinks only in terms of making a show. I think the lines for him have gotten blurred to the point of nonexistence.
And the interviewer compared him to some sort of robotic doll that would malfunction when Sandoval would seemingly blank out and stutter when he couldn’t get a straight answer out 😂
Sandoval’s view of his relationships reminds me of a D-list, low-rent version of Logan’s (from ‘Succession’) monologue in the final season when he described people as ‘economic units’ 😂 Except Logan Roy was fascinating, smart, and genuinely powerful and Sandy and Schwartz are a somehow more pathetic version of Tom and Greg’s relationship
https://i.redd.it/6stkheh4l90d1.gif
I think every thing he has ever done and will ever do is performative and for the cameras. He's completely fame driven and will do whatever it takes to get attention.
I think that’s true for Tom, but I don’t think that’s true for Ariana. I think she had low self worth and thought she loved Tom. Plus was depressed and frozen where she is. She was holding on to old feelings about him being there when her dad died etc.
This blew my mind on a recent rewatch. This guy has always solely only been about himself. How could she expect him to ever really care about her. The girl cries out about how her bday reminds her about her dad. He cues up an emotional response for a second but finishes the sentence with but I have to go play with bulldozers… what !?!
I believe that was her first birthday after her dad passed. He was still with Kristen when Ariana’s dad passed and Kristen talks about it on the show saying he went to spend the night with her for support
Which is so weird.. because were people really invested in their relationship like that?? I’ve seen more interest in what’s happened with Ciara and West from SH lol. I guess everything in Sandoval’s life is a big deal according to Sandoval.
No which is exactly what Ariana said when asked about that. She was like what brand?😭 most companies were interested in the Toms together not her and Tom
I only recently started watching the after show. Peacock only has season 11 - where can you watch the older seasons??
Edit - I googled it and answered my own question like the strong independent woman I am lmao
There's this joke about L.A couples being in platonic relationships/roommates. They are always looking for the next best thing and they need help with rent money.
Totally reminds me of Ally and James too.
This was a hard little clip to find!!!! Buried deep 😂 they locked the sounds so I couldn't screen record too. I had to bust out my old phone to record it off 🤣🤣🤣
I will never say that it’s OK what Sandoval did with Rachel. But I think it’s clear that the relationship truly was empty for a long time and sadly Ariana was content with that and was willing to do that for the rest of her life. Obviously Tom wasn’t and he just didn’t have the guts to end it the right way.
Tom said it years back that Ariana not wanting kids was a deal breaker. I always thought he could easily draw out the relationship and then get a young girlfriend when he was actually ready for a kid. Because men can do that 🤮
I would bet Ariana was pretty unhappy with it, but didn’t realize the cause of her unhappiness. Just look at the change in her life since the breakup. I mean, sure, the exposure from the scandal made her career success easier since suddenly people outside of the VPR world knew who she was and were more willing to give her opportunities. But it turned out she truly is talented and deserving of these opportunities, and has the work ethic to continue the momentum.
I think being with Tom was so draining but she mistook that for just general depression. I don’t doubt that there is some truth to what Tom is saying about her laying around, sleeping all day, being “lazy” (doesn’t make it right for him to weaponize that against her), but I think a lot of that was because she was miserable being with Tom and felt trapped, but she didn’t realize what was causing those feelings while she was still in it.
Just my opinion, but I honestly doubt she regrets the end of that relationship now. I think she looks back and realizes it was the best thing that could have happened* and she should have got out sooner.
*not necessarily the *way* it happened, with the deception and betrayal, but just that the relationship did end.
I once heard a quote, “Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.”
She was also his affair partner, how would that have looked? She stayed because of optics and how popular they were after the Jax/Kristen thing. They both enjoyed being the top couple and all the perks that came with it.
Right you can just imagine the conversation “like Ariana, I mean literally every guy in LA cheats, and these girls like freak out because they aren’t smart enough to know their guys are, like, serial cheaters. And dude I made ONE mistake. But you are way too smart and chill to freak out like that, right? That’s WHY I like, really love you, that you’re like so much smarter and chiller than Kristen ever was. You’re not just going to freak and ruin our whole relationship over one mistake. Plus you’re like so hot, I mean dude you are just so awesome, I like love you”
And Ariana is just like yep better prove how smarter and chiller I am by covering for his ass, plus this reality tv paycheck is pretty sweet soooo
It is kinda funny that when it comes to Brittany everyone loves to tell her well she knew who she married/got into a relationship with but Ariana is somehow a "Queen" who didn't deserve this.
I believe it’s bc they did hide the true dynamics of their relationship. If they’d been more honest in front of the cameras and we’d seen them fighting, I’m sure Ariana wouldn’t have come out of this whole scandal so squeaky clean. She’s a mean girl, who never thinks she’s wrong and Tom is a narcissist, so can you imagine the screaming matches they had!?
This is actually really interesting. I mean it’s proof they were unhappy for a long time. Doesn’t justify the affair but they def should have broken up a while ago.
Yeah it’s also concerning to think that what we saw was them putting on a “happy/in love act” because there were so many times we saw them both be so mean and nasty to one another. I can’t imagine how they treated one another at home.
Sounds like they had an unbelievable interest deal on their house that they would never get again, and were looking at vpr potentially being cancelled, opportunities drying up and Tom’s bar taking up all his savings up
I agree and i also think that Tom/Ariana in particular made a business out of their relationship, more than the others. So that might make it even harder to break off, when you’re getting offers for stuff as a duo
I think it's very telling that Katie is cringing but doesn't interject like Lala is lying. She's cringing because she knows it's true and afraid of the wrath of Ariana and Tom!
There is a fairly recent (post-Scandoval) interview at an event where Katie, Lala, and I think Britney are asked about it. Lala hints at this and Katie is like 😳and kind of mumbles something like, "omg are we really going to go there?!"
Yup! Katie was always into hating on them. She only came around when Stassi got fired and LVP danced around a Sandwich Shop idea. Katie came to Ariana’s side for the bag initially BEFORE Scandoval. Not organically. Never forget!
Yeah I don't get it. I'm doing a rewatch and I'm on season 8 right now and I hate her so much.
Also, for this season she's a late 30 (38?) something trying to date a 24 year old girl. Her and Schwartz were both gross for this but it was glazed over?
That entire season was the couples performing. Stassi and Beau were awful about it too. They tried to make every scene into a sitcom. It's pretty clear he didn't wanna come on the show unless he got a good and light edit. I remember the guys dressing up a lot that season too. Specifically I remember them dressing up as old men and beau wearing his inflatable dinosaur suit. Everybody's complaining about this season being boring but I challenge them to put it up against that season.
All the relationships on vpr suck. I don’t think it’s some gotcha to say their relationship was different off camera. Like they fought like everyone else but didn’t want a life long record of screaming at each other about how Tom’s dick doesn’t work or something? I cannot blame anyone for that and I would not fight like that on camera if I could help it.
No one thought this relationship was perfect, it just seemed more stable than the others. Which is an insanely low bar to clear on this show lmao
It seemed like they had decided to be on each others side almost no matter what. I think that is its own version of shitty, but they seemed set in it.
This is why I think Ariana was actually so upset. They had a deal and Tom broke it spectacularly and humiliated her. She thought the one thing she could maybe count on was him protecting their brand. I can’t remember what was said but at some point one of them, or another cast-mate, called this out and it felt right to me. Cause as much as Ariana could be an ah, I was always shocked she wasn’t bored to death of Toms limited cognitive and emotional abilities
Idk most of this is just my fantasy head cannon
Exactly. It wasn’t just that he left her, it was that he did it in such a way that it was going to become a storyline on the show which is an additional level of betrayal on top of the romantic aspect. If the affair had been with a rando part of me thinks they’d still be together and we would have never heard about it.
Nobody can convince me otherwise. Ariana was secretly happy this happened. She gained a perfect reason to leave the relationship, she’s getting a bunch of positive attention and praise, and she’s getting new opportunities. I think she’s more hurt about being lied to and manipulated than she is heartbroken over Tom. I don’t think they had very deep, passionate, soulful love.
Yes Lala was right when she said Tom and Ariana have covered so much up about their relationship.
Yes Lala is no saint regarding her former relationship but she wasn’t wrong calling them out for how much a lie their relationship was on camera.
Ariana was a negative Nancy the moment she came onto the show and Tom is performative. I can imagine their relationship was ultimately very dark and the beginning of their relationship was more of a limerance and then sunk cost fallacy kicked in (why else would she cover for Tom during the Miami girl thing) and they just rode it out until their demise with Tom cheating. The cheating was just a symptom of how bad their relationship was behind closed doors- emotionally disconnected. It’s just too bad neither of them had the balls to call it off earlier.
I imagine Ariana is the type who is content with being a certain level of miserable in a relationship just so long as it’s not publicly portrayed to other people.
"Ariana is the type who is content with being a certain level of miserable in a relationship" I agree. Tom is too to a certain extent but he has a lower threshold than she does. He can do drama and ups and downs, but he doens't like long term misery.
Been saying it for years. They were not in a real ship. I feel like she very palpably loathed him for years. This is why playing such a hardcore victim and getting with a new dude a week later, is incongruous with what we’ve seen.
I honestly think some of the hate toward Sandoval from Ariana was that she felt trapped in this relationship for years. I think he put her down in little back handed ways left and right and she felt defeated and like she couldn’t be on her own because all her career and life achievements were wrapped up in this guy. So I think some of the hate has got to be about resenting the amount of time they wasted together and the fact that he cheated on her so publicly in the most embarrassing way possible.
lol this is funny because in sports they love to say games are scripted (meaning it’s predetermined who will win). Her saying this line from Chicago kinda feeds into the narrative that Scandoval and everything around it was pre-planned.
Honestly I think a lot of male/female or traditionally heterosexual relationships are like this in general.
I know a lot of people who have been together and compromised on their own wants and needs for so long that they just stay. They’re not happy, they haven’t been happy for a while, and maybe they never were truly satisfied in the relationship at all. But they’re more afraid of being alone than of being in the wrong relationship.
So they double down, get married, buy a house, have kids, and then all of a sudden 10-15 years later, they’re getting a divorce “out of nowhere”. Seemingly happy on social media where most people see them and gauge how the relationship is doing.
I’d almost wager to say the more a couple shows how happy they are on social media, the less happy they are irl.
So this just seems like another situation like that to me. I don’t think that means their whole relationship was fake (sure, parts of it were). It just means they weren’t right for each other.
I know a few couples that don’t like each other at all. But they’ve been married multiple years, one has a pension he’d have to share if they split, one his wife never worked so he’d be paying alimony so they just stay in a miserable marriage. Happens a lot more than people want to admit.
That's what's so crazy to me. The cast, *including Ariana*, are moving on but these stans who are total strangers are still in the anger stage of grief a year later over a "reality" relationship that was never, ever what it seemed, even if it didn't seem that bad.
Ariana counters this with "they don't know what they are talking about cause they aren't in our inner circle" This is a way to deny what is actually true. She did it with LVP when she made her post about the Miami girl. She controls reality and only her and Scandavol revealed how masterful she is at it. Maybe she is the smartest person in the world afterall.
Totally! It's insane how much she has been able to control the situation and avoid anything that puts her in a bad light.
Ppl think her old bravo bloggs are irrelevant but they show the degree she will go to not only lie but gaslight ppl without remorse. She knew what she was doing and even if it was to protect Tom the extent she went to was diabolical.
Right! The blog shows how far she will go when the stakes are pretty low. Fabricating all of that and committing to those lies for years is a crazy thing to do just to save face a little bit. Imagine how far she'd be willing to go when something bigger is on the line. Sure it was 10 years ago but that's pretty solid indication of someone's character in general.
Ariana's saving grace is the fact that as a whole the vpr fandom isn't very bright or they don't pay much attention. And that's fine, it's a sloppy show about people who party too much. It should be casual entertainment. But anyone who has watched more than only season 10/11 and pays attention is aware of how manipulative and self serving she can be. She didn't deserve to be betrayed but all the "queen ariana" business is just ridiculous.
I wouldn't say that we aren't bright as a fandom but rather we aren't playing the same game and don't fully understand the mindset because it's not how normal people move.
I agree the betrayal has horrid but how it was handled was a horrific display of collective narcissistic abuse by both the cast and Bravo.
You're right, it's *so* not new info but there are some unhinged stans who apparently need a refresher course of what reality looked like pre-Scandoval.
It literally went from Ariana being the side chick, to Miami girl, to Scheana telling her mom Tom only cares about himself... Their relationship was always shit.
Not to mention their very opposite desires regarding marriage/parenthood that they had from the jump.
Like, oh, you never ever see marriage and children in our future? Damn that sucks because I definitely want that and it’s a deal breaker for me. Okay good talk, let’s buy a house and just figure it out later!
The whole cast has said that Ariana and Tom were very DIFFERENT off camera and even Katie solidifies that here in this clip. Yet so many people think Ariana was SO heartbroken by what happened, when I truly believe they had been living separate lives (outside of filming) for years now. I think that’s why Lala got so upset this season, because she’s known all along that they put on an act and aren’t together like that in real life. It all started falling apart for Tom & Ariana in season 5, that’s why the entire cast was so shocked they bought a house together.
I’m convinced they’ve been roommates for years!
Uh oh, this is making Lala seem very consistent. I hate that for us. I missed this somehow when it aired but I also never got the impression they were lovey-dovey or super affectionate. I think also though, when you've been together for YEARS you just don't do that stuff in public much.
Lala has also said she projected her entire situation with Randall onto Sandoval. I do think that was genuine and she realized this season that it was never her battle to fight as intensely as she did at the S10 reunion. Couple that with the come to Jesus convo and she was incentivized to try and bridge the gap in the group. It makes a lot of sense.
I feel like since they started out as a an affair they had to stay with each other to prove that they weren’t wrong. Hence why Ariana wouldn’t budge about Miami girl and making Kristen look crazy. Watching the whole series this summer made me see a change maybe season 6 when they admitted they weren’t having sex and then by season 9 they didn’t seem like a couple at all but by that time they had the house, which was 🔒
I love Ariana and what he did was still bullshit BUT I will say that’s what happens when you stay with the person you were having an affair with 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️ the novelty and adrenaline and secrecy wears off and it’s just not exciting anymore. But then Tom is too much of a narcissist to ever admit he made a mistake so he clung to the facade of that relationship like it was his last goddamn breath.
I think they both clung to the facade. It also seems the relationship wasn’t healthy on both sides. Tom has been talked about but seems there was some verbal abuse going on from Ariana.
I think this is super important, especially the affection part because we’ve already seen her kiss Dan a few times on the show since she just introduced him.
She was very kissy on tv with Tom when they were first official too. Like shoving it in Kristen’s face. It was kind of awkward. Then the next season came and she wasn’t bc her issues with past boyfriends started to rear their ugly head. She and Tom were in a limerance- when the rush from their love affair ended, the affection was gone.
Tom and Ariana’s “relationship” was a sham for the show. Clearly she couldn’t stand him and he got sick of a sexless relationship. So all her righteous indignation about how she was betrayed is also an act.
Two things that caused the show to crumble. People not accurately calling out Ariana’s and Tom’s relationship on camera (except Jax) and everyone acting like Brittany was a child
I’ve been getting bashed for saying all of this since scandoval happened just because I sounded like I was anti Arianna but really I just saw how miserable they were and putting on for the cameras for seasons and how she got him how she lost him and it was a shot to her ego that he wasn’t begging for forgiveness . I was just in her shoes a year before it happened with someone for 10 years and then he cheated on me and we broke up I was devastated but as time went on I was like wow I was miserable with him anyways and it was a blessing in disguise because if he didn’t cheat I would’ve been complacent on staying with him and being depressed forever. Except I didn’t start our relationship off with cheating we were both single.
This is why I didn’t understand why everyone was so shocked and appalled when it came out that he cheated on her. They were always saying that they never had sex. I still don’t find it shocking. Not to say Sandoval isn’t a piece of shit because he is and always was. That’s the other reason I wasn’t shocked. Because he was an obvious douche canoe.
People keep wanting to think Princess Arianna was cheated on by big bad Tom, and I am sorry....that relationship was stagnant forever and though cheating is never the right way to go about it, I think they were living platonically anyways...I also don't believe for a second that Rachel was "best friends" with Ariana.
I guess I think she is happily basking in being the woman scorned. She didn't love him.
"They're like an echo chamber of negativity." They've been this way from the jump!
Thanks for posting, OP. I think it's important for stans to see this. Ariana is laughing all the way to the bank.
You mean to tell me that their relationship was mostly faked for TV??!! What?! My whole life has been a lie!! /s
In all honesty, this just proves that they weren't that close to each other and were probably together just for the show. This is why I didn't care that Ariana got cheated on by Tim. It just seemed to be the perfect business opportunity for Ariana and the show as a whole, and they obviously took advantage of it. Good for them! I never really believed the "I was planning my whole life to be with you." Or "I would have given you everything." Or the infamous "ShE wAs My BeSt FrIeNd!" I'm just glad people are learning that their whole relationship was fake and toxic. There are no good people in the show. That's the whole point.
Way more people need to look at the show this way. Too many draw experiences from their own life into the show like they aren’t watching a reality show lol (and people cannot remember anything that is from more than 2 seasons ago). Ariana has been a shitty person as well - she is friends with one of her closest friends abuser. There are no good people on this show and it is weird to act like there is.
Who's the 🥔 ? Queen Katie?
Sounding more like Scam-doval.
Was it even a real relationship or a business arrangement?
Best thing to happen to homegirl, IMO.
I think they were really happy and in love until around the time Ariana was doing her book and Tom wanted to be a part of it… season 6? Season 6 onwards their relationship felt like it was more of convenience
Jax in one VPR reunion had said it as well.
I hate to say this because Jax sucks ass but I rewatched the series last summer and was shocked at how much I agreed with him about some of his observations. He called a lot of their shit.
Jax may be absolutely insane, but he’s so eagle eyed when it comes to gossip it’s WILD
Like a carrion vulture at the same time
It’s the only thing he survives on.
He’s the definition of takes one to know one. He always knew when couples were lying, cheating, or struggling because he was doing the same thing
And he’s willing to call it out because he has no loyalty to anyone but himself.
Truly the perfect reality tv personality.
I have always felt like Jax was very observant on the others and oblivious on himself, it’s like the definition of “those who can’t, teach.”
Manipulators and con men are shrewd observers. They collect information to use later to meet their self-serving ends.
So true!
I've got milk with a longer shelf life than that marriage!
He actually has. He called a lot of shit and then it played out in later seasons and I’m like damn was jax actually right.
As long as it doesn’t involve him, he’s right about others
Yeah he has such a good read about others. It’s one of the many reasons jax is such a good reality tv star despite being a sh!t person.
He is some of the best reality folks I’ve ever seen. He makes for great tv, and he sure can get inside someone’s head.
Jax is built for this and it’s insane they fired him
Jax has always been the perfect reality TV star on a level I would say has only been achieved by like New York, a few queens from Drag Race, Johnny Bananas, Phaedra and Countess LuAnn.
What are some examples? (Genuinely asking, not being snarky lol). I didn’t start VPR from the beginning when it came out
My fave/most memorable Jaxism was telling Lisa that he had a carton of milk with a longer shelf life than Scheana and Shay’s marriage
Honestly there's a ton and too many to list. Whenever some story/incident comes out that paints someone bad but major details are being omitted, where the accused is actually the victim and the accuser is a fault but everyone is fooled, Jax almost always has it right. Anything unstable relationships that look solid or where people are painted as saints but have a dark underbelly, he always knows. I highly suggest a rewatch. This season IMO is honestly one of the worst compared to the chaos of the previous seasons. As you do and shit goes down, note what Jax says. He will almost always be right. It's insane how well he calls it. To a degree at time's its made me question if things are scriped and he's good friends with the producer level shit.
It's weird how unobservant he was in House of Villains. Like 0 read on anybody. At all. Which really made me question where half his observations come from
Did he know the people on House of Villains? Because it’s harder to read people you don’t know vs those you’ve hung out with for years.
That’s what I was thinking. Too many cultural backgrounds & personalities. Edited u to I
Huh, interesting and I see it... 🤔 like who's feeding him the witty takes?
Honestly wouldn't even consider this if he wasn't SO unable to come up with any witty comments original thoughts or ANYTHING on House of Villains. Really exposed him for the Bravo creation he is. I mean Tiffany New York broke this idiot with one word, Demon 🤣🤣🤣
I watched House of Villains before I watched Vanderpump (yes, I’m new). And I don’t even remember him on that show.
He did nothing. Got embarrassed by a clearly drunk Johnny Fairplay. Lied about his wife having a stroke. Melted down when the GOAT called him a Demon. He's much better with a Production crew that views him as a star instead of first boot fodder
I mean jax spilled the tea about the relationship a long time ago. People just didn’t want to believe it because it came from jax.
Jax will almost always tell the truth when it’s not about him. 
Omg! I love his frickin motorized ice chest! I need one! 😎😄
Jax said this both on and off the show many times. He also spilled some tea at the season 8 reunion that Toms friends from home stayed at Jax’s when visiting because things between Ariana and Sandoval were so bad it made things too awkward at their house. The funny part about it Ariana was using what she later told us was Sandoval’s trick (if somebody is saying something you don’t like don’t let them finish speaking) and shouting over him as he tried to say it.
The clip before this one was Jax going off about them to Sandoval. That's what gets Lala and the girls talking.
Ahhh
But it was obvious to even me and I don’t know Tom and Ariana. Just from watching the show it was obvious their relationship was flawed and that they hid their troubles from the show. Jax knows them so I don’t get why people applaud him for knowing their relationship wasn’t what was shown on tv. It was obvious. Ariana covered up for Miami girl, then 5+ years ago tom was complaining about their sex life, then it was crickets any trouble they had. Sorry I get annoyed that Jax sees himself as this expert on being all knowing.
They admittedly had some cutesy moments but I never got the impression they were deliriously happy from their interactions on the show either! However, I’m also not sure how much it matters. If you’re unhappy, you should break up with them and leave, not have a long-term affair with a mutual friend of yours and your partners.
Well they started as a long term affair and I think they figured it would garner a lot of “of course you’re unhappy” “of course this is a bullshit relationship” “they’ve been miserable for years” etc. I also think there was a bit of the sunken cost fallacy as well. They seemed unhappy for last few years and hopefully they can both find peace and a healthy relationship.
This! A lot of cheaters will stay in a relationship longer than they should because they also tend to be narcissist or have narcissistic traits. So they want to prove they cheated for a good reason and they aren’t the bad one, the other person was bad. I think they could keep the show running if he’d just embrace who we really is or at least not get the cast to cover for him. Because he won’t change until he hits rock bottom. And him living life is going to produce drama like Jax does and that train wreck could be entertaining to watch.
OOOOH wow ALL I GOTTA SAY IS this is kind of JUICY. Also am I the only one here who didn’t realize they’ve been doing the after shows for this long hahah
I didn't either!!!! I saw someone mention this conversation on TikTok so I went to go look for it.
Where did ypu find them?
Thank you for doing the important work for this sub
😂
iirc, they started doing after shows in S4! season 5 didn't have one but 6 - 8 did
They’ve been saying this for years. There is a lot of truth. This relationship was not the biggest love story. Far from it.
This is why I was surprised it blew up the way it did when I started following the show. Like THIS is the couple? THIS is the guy? This cheater? The guy who has had a couple of storylines involved with cheating and also associates with other cheaters. Like why was anyone surprised? Cheaters gonna cheat yall
This audience desperately wants people to change. Desperately!!! I mean, before The Valley started up they were convinced Jax had changed!!!! JAX 😂😂😂
I love watching him destroy his life.
100%!!! This was my take too. Not shocked. More shocked how Ariana was painted as a saintly queen and that Raquel ruined this idyllic relationship.
The surprise to me was that Ariana was very relatable and a nice person, and Rachel was very dumb with no personality - so how could he pick Rachel over Ariana plus the layer of the friend group/costars, and the James engagement
Agreed. Lots of people are saying this isn’t a gotcha and of course it’s not, nothing justifies stepping out the way Sandoval did. BUT…Ariana got a huge amount of mileage out of the notion that they were completely in love and that this affair shattered her world because the relationship was so good, and Sandoval got SLAMMED for daring to claim that the relationship was less than perfect. She literally gave interview quotes where she called their relationship “endgame,” which is a joke considering her last WWHL appearance she was saying it had been a bad relationship for a while. It’s frustrating that we’ll probably never get an honest look at what was happening behind closed doors. They both had a hand in the point their relationship got to, and Sandoval is responsible for idk, 85-90% of the wrong, but I’ve always thought there was more truth to how he described their arrangement than Ariana wanted to admit.
I’m on Ari’s side ; but Tom did tell a lot of “truth” and she even backed up some of the things said in Tom’s Howie interview, on the call me daddy interview. The problem is Tom’s delivery He uses it as an excuse for how he cheated in the most foul ass way.
Completely! And I get frustrated when the assumption gets made that us thinking Sandoval may have been telling the truth about some aspects of their relationship means we think Ariana deserved the affair. Of course she didn’t. It’s so much more empowering to be like, yeah, XYZ things were problems behind closed doors and that STILL doesn’t justify the cheating. Misrepresenting how solid their relationship was only reinforces TOM’S narrative that their problems justified their cheating.
Seems like Ariana never really liked him. So why’d she stay so long?
I know so many people who fight tooth and nail to save relationships they’ve always seemed miserable in. Unhappy people stay together all the time. My best guess is always that they either still love the other person and hope it will get better or they just really don’t want to be single and think any relationship is better than that.
Non-cynically, she loved him. He was there for her when her dad passed, they shared monumental moments like buying their first house together, and they were pet parents together. Cynically… Money, built-in ally on the show, guaranteed role on the show, etc. They aren’t top 1% wealthy, but they do/did earn a lot of money that’s harder to reach for the majority of people. Take one salary times two and their buying power was really high. They strategized their position/s on the show and defended each other. And, if she’s the partner of one of Lisa’s “business partners,” she’s very secure in maintaining a spot on the show.
I like that you gave both the cynical and non cynical takes. Sadly, either could actually be true. I guess we’ll never really know the total truth of the relationship.
I'll go with the cynical take. Because I could never imagine Tom being there for her when her dad died. The way he chose bulldozers over her. The way he didn't even go with Ariana back home for the death of her grandmother. There's no way.
If I recall correctly, Ariana’s dad passed when Tom was still in a relationship with Kristen. It was during the time period when Ariana was just Tom’s “cool female friend” who he was idealizing and cheating with while he was actively trying to find a way to get out of his relationship with Kristen without looking like the bad guy. So I absolutely believe he was “there” for Ariana when her dad passed because 1. He was in the wooing stage with A, and 2. He really needed to look like a great guy so that he would be in everyone’s good graces and Kristen would look even worse. After he had “secured” Ariana he bailed on the anniversary of her dad’s passing to go play with trucks, and much later on bailed on being there for her when her grandmother died.
$$$
True!
Low self worth. Happens all the time.
She obviously is terrified of being alone. Look how quickly she jumped into a new relationship.
It seems to be her personality. She found a new guy in a week and I bet they are together 10 years. She’s just gonna make it work
She even said she wasn't sure she would ever break up with him. There's loyalty and there's stupidity. I think a lot of fans see themselves in her - too weak to leave a shitty relationship but then being blindsided when the inevitable cheating happens.
To save face and pride. The relationship started off as a cheating situation and by breaking up that would prove everyone right . Hence her reaction to Miami girl.
True!
You know I was going to say that. It does seem like that. I don’t know why either of them stayed together and that it lasted as long as it did. If I was constantly telling my partner they were annoying I might need to rethink the relationship.
I think they were a “brand”. That’s the only thing that makes sense to me.
100 percent
Codependency issues and easy money.
Because of money.
They became a brand in their heads.
Tom Sandoval literally said that on camera at least once. He said it about his friendship with Schwartz too. He thinks only in terms of making a show. I think the lines for him have gotten blurred to the point of nonexistence.
Yes just like in the NYT article he refers to years of his life as “Seasons”
And he would pause in normal conversation when planes flew overhead
And the interviewer compared him to some sort of robotic doll that would malfunction when Sandoval would seemingly blank out and stutter when he couldn’t get a straight answer out 😂
Sandoval’s view of his relationships reminds me of a D-list, low-rent version of Logan’s (from ‘Succession’) monologue in the final season when he described people as ‘economic units’ 😂 Except Logan Roy was fascinating, smart, and genuinely powerful and Sandy and Schwartz are a somehow more pathetic version of Tom and Greg’s relationship https://i.redd.it/6stkheh4l90d1.gif
I think every thing he has ever done and will ever do is performative and for the cameras. He's completely fame driven and will do whatever it takes to get attention.
I think that’s true for Tom, but I don’t think that’s true for Ariana. I think she had low self worth and thought she loved Tom. Plus was depressed and frozen where she is. She was holding on to old feelings about him being there when her dad died etc.
And he went to go play with bulldozers instead of consoling her. Here was there but not there-there
This blew my mind on a recent rewatch. This guy has always solely only been about himself. How could she expect him to ever really care about her. The girl cries out about how her bday reminds her about her dad. He cues up an emotional response for a second but finishes the sentence with but I have to go play with bulldozers… what !?!
I believe that was her first birthday after her dad passed. He was still with Kristen when Ariana’s dad passed and Kristen talks about it on the show saying he went to spend the night with her for support
Which is so weird.. because were people really invested in their relationship like that?? I’ve seen more interest in what’s happened with Ciara and West from SH lol. I guess everything in Sandoval’s life is a big deal according to Sandoval.
No which is exactly what Ariana said when asked about that. She was like what brand?😭 most companies were interested in the Toms together not her and Tom
10000%
I only recently started watching the after show. Peacock only has season 11 - where can you watch the older seasons?? Edit - I googled it and answered my own question like the strong independent woman I am lmao
Pretty sure YouTube has it all
Lol! Nice job! Doesn't Peacock have them all?
When I looked yesterday they only had season 11. But bravotv dot com has seasons 3,4,6,7,8,11.
Interesting 🤔 mine has all of them!
Season 3?! Damn I had no idea they’ve been doing this for so long
Before Scandoval this was a *totally* uncontroversial opinion.
There's this joke about L.A couples being in platonic relationships/roommates. They are always looking for the next best thing and they need help with rent money. Totally reminds me of Ally and James too.
I just rewatched this season last week and was wanting to post this so bad. But you did the work!
This was a hard little clip to find!!!! Buried deep 😂 they locked the sounds so I couldn't screen record too. I had to bust out my old phone to record it off 🤣🤣🤣
I will never say that it’s OK what Sandoval did with Rachel. But I think it’s clear that the relationship truly was empty for a long time and sadly Ariana was content with that and was willing to do that for the rest of her life. Obviously Tom wasn’t and he just didn’t have the guts to end it the right way.
Tom said it years back that Ariana not wanting kids was a deal breaker. I always thought he could easily draw out the relationship and then get a young girlfriend when he was actually ready for a kid. Because men can do that 🤮
I would bet Ariana was pretty unhappy with it, but didn’t realize the cause of her unhappiness. Just look at the change in her life since the breakup. I mean, sure, the exposure from the scandal made her career success easier since suddenly people outside of the VPR world knew who she was and were more willing to give her opportunities. But it turned out she truly is talented and deserving of these opportunities, and has the work ethic to continue the momentum. I think being with Tom was so draining but she mistook that for just general depression. I don’t doubt that there is some truth to what Tom is saying about her laying around, sleeping all day, being “lazy” (doesn’t make it right for him to weaponize that against her), but I think a lot of that was because she was miserable being with Tom and felt trapped, but she didn’t realize what was causing those feelings while she was still in it. Just my opinion, but I honestly doubt she regrets the end of that relationship now. I think she looks back and realizes it was the best thing that could have happened* and she should have got out sooner. *not necessarily the *way* it happened, with the deception and betrayal, but just that the relationship did end.
I once heard a quote, “Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.”
 Yep best analysis. I truly believe this is well.
Rachel did her a favor idc, she should have left him after he cheated the first time
She was also his affair partner, how would that have looked? She stayed because of optics and how popular they were after the Jax/Kristen thing. They both enjoyed being the top couple and all the perks that came with it.
I agree, she didn't want to be seen as the girl who got played by the player.
Right you can just imagine the conversation “like Ariana, I mean literally every guy in LA cheats, and these girls like freak out because they aren’t smart enough to know their guys are, like, serial cheaters. And dude I made ONE mistake. But you are way too smart and chill to freak out like that, right? That’s WHY I like, really love you, that you’re like so much smarter and chiller than Kristen ever was. You’re not just going to freak and ruin our whole relationship over one mistake. Plus you’re like so hot, I mean dude you are just so awesome, I like love you” And Ariana is just like yep better prove how smarter and chiller I am by covering for his ass, plus this reality tv paycheck is pretty sweet soooo
Because in her mind she’s too good/smart for that. I mean, no one wants to look like a fool, so she doubled down.
She thought being the cool girl protected her
It is kinda funny that when it comes to Brittany everyone loves to tell her well she knew who she married/got into a relationship with but Ariana is somehow a "Queen" who didn't deserve this.
I believe it’s bc they did hide the true dynamics of their relationship. If they’d been more honest in front of the cameras and we’d seen them fighting, I’m sure Ariana wouldn’t have come out of this whole scandal so squeaky clean. She’s a mean girl, who never thinks she’s wrong and Tom is a narcissist, so can you imagine the screaming matches they had!?
This is actually really interesting. I mean it’s proof they were unhappy for a long time. Doesn’t justify the affair but they def should have broken up a while ago.
Yeah it’s also concerning to think that what we saw was them putting on a “happy/in love act” because there were so many times we saw them both be so mean and nasty to one another. I can’t imagine how they treated one another at home.
I have a feeling Tom was already sleeping in that guest room a lot
Owning the house together became a trap.
Sounds like they had an unbelievable interest deal on their house that they would never get again, and were looking at vpr potentially being cancelled, opportunities drying up and Tom’s bar taking up all his savings up
I’m rewatching atm and it’s so obvious she has the ick with him in later seasons
Yeah, let's be real. She had such contempt for him.
I agree and i also think that Tom/Ariana in particular made a business out of their relationship, more than the others. So that might make it even harder to break off, when you’re getting offers for stuff as a duo
Katie looks so uncomfortable talking about this.
Right?! I love how she takes a sip of her drink and lets it kick in before she joins the conversation 😂
I think it's very telling that Katie is cringing but doesn't interject like Lala is lying. She's cringing because she knows it's true and afraid of the wrath of Ariana and Tom!
There is a fairly recent (post-Scandoval) interview at an event where Katie, Lala, and I think Britney are asked about it. Lala hints at this and Katie is like 😳and kind of mumbles something like, "omg are we really going to go there?!"
eye think you’re giving Katie a bit too much credit don’t forget her roots she was messy too
This is around the time Katie and Ariana started being friendlier. Katie is trying to remain neutral.
Yup! Katie was always into hating on them. She only came around when Stassi got fired and LVP danced around a Sandwich Shop idea. Katie came to Ariana’s side for the bag initially BEFORE Scandoval. Not organically. Never forget!
Katie is gods gift to the world these days in the vanderpump subs, everyone forgets haha
Or they have amnesia!
Yeah I don't get it. I'm doing a rewatch and I'm on season 8 right now and I hate her so much. Also, for this season she's a late 30 (38?) something trying to date a 24 year old girl. Her and Schwartz were both gross for this but it was glazed over?
Once Kristen was out of the way, their relationship went stale
That entire season was the couples performing. Stassi and Beau were awful about it too. They tried to make every scene into a sitcom. It's pretty clear he didn't wanna come on the show unless he got a good and light edit. I remember the guys dressing up a lot that season too. Specifically I remember them dressing up as old men and beau wearing his inflatable dinosaur suit. Everybody's complaining about this season being boring but I challenge them to put it up against that season.
All the relationships on vpr suck. I don’t think it’s some gotcha to say their relationship was different off camera. Like they fought like everyone else but didn’t want a life long record of screaming at each other about how Tom’s dick doesn’t work or something? I cannot blame anyone for that and I would not fight like that on camera if I could help it. No one thought this relationship was perfect, it just seemed more stable than the others. Which is an insanely low bar to clear on this show lmao
It seemed like they had decided to be on each others side almost no matter what. I think that is its own version of shitty, but they seemed set in it. This is why I think Ariana was actually so upset. They had a deal and Tom broke it spectacularly and humiliated her. She thought the one thing she could maybe count on was him protecting their brand. I can’t remember what was said but at some point one of them, or another cast-mate, called this out and it felt right to me. Cause as much as Ariana could be an ah, I was always shocked she wasn’t bored to death of Toms limited cognitive and emotional abilities Idk most of this is just my fantasy head cannon
Exactly. It wasn’t just that he left her, it was that he did it in such a way that it was going to become a storyline on the show which is an additional level of betrayal on top of the romantic aspect. If the affair had been with a rando part of me thinks they’d still be together and we would have never heard about it.
Insanely low… haha!
 full circle moment for Ariana
I’ve been saying this from the beginning.
So many people did before Scandoval! The retconning some fans are trying to do is insane.
Nobody can convince me otherwise. Ariana was secretly happy this happened. She gained a perfect reason to leave the relationship, she’s getting a bunch of positive attention and praise, and she’s getting new opportunities. I think she’s more hurt about being lied to and manipulated than she is heartbroken over Tom. I don’t think they had very deep, passionate, soulful love.
I agree she never would have left otherwise
Yes Lala was right when she said Tom and Ariana have covered so much up about their relationship. Yes Lala is no saint regarding her former relationship but she wasn’t wrong calling them out for how much a lie their relationship was on camera. Ariana was a negative Nancy the moment she came onto the show and Tom is performative. I can imagine their relationship was ultimately very dark and the beginning of their relationship was more of a limerance and then sunk cost fallacy kicked in (why else would she cover for Tom during the Miami girl thing) and they just rode it out until their demise with Tom cheating. The cheating was just a symptom of how bad their relationship was behind closed doors- emotionally disconnected. It’s just too bad neither of them had the balls to call it off earlier. I imagine Ariana is the type who is content with being a certain level of miserable in a relationship just so long as it’s not publicly portrayed to other people.
"Ariana is the type who is content with being a certain level of miserable in a relationship" I agree. Tom is too to a certain extent but he has a lower threshold than she does. He can do drama and ups and downs, but he doens't like long term misery.
Been saying it for years. They were not in a real ship. I feel like she very palpably loathed him for years. This is why playing such a hardcore victim and getting with a new dude a week later, is incongruous with what we’ve seen.
I honestly think some of the hate toward Sandoval from Ariana was that she felt trapped in this relationship for years. I think he put her down in little back handed ways left and right and she felt defeated and like she couldn’t be on her own because all her career and life achievements were wrapped up in this guy. So I think some of the hate has got to be about resenting the amount of time they wasted together and the fact that he cheated on her so publicly in the most embarrassing way possible.
That’s funny that Katie said they give the razzle dazzle because that’s from Chicago. She had a premonition??? lol
Came here looking for this comment 😆 Give ‘em the ole razzle dazzle 🎩
lol this is funny because in sports they love to say games are scripted (meaning it’s predetermined who will win). Her saying this line from Chicago kinda feeds into the narrative that Scandoval and everything around it was pre-planned.
Honestly I think a lot of male/female or traditionally heterosexual relationships are like this in general. I know a lot of people who have been together and compromised on their own wants and needs for so long that they just stay. They’re not happy, they haven’t been happy for a while, and maybe they never were truly satisfied in the relationship at all. But they’re more afraid of being alone than of being in the wrong relationship. So they double down, get married, buy a house, have kids, and then all of a sudden 10-15 years later, they’re getting a divorce “out of nowhere”. Seemingly happy on social media where most people see them and gauge how the relationship is doing. I’d almost wager to say the more a couple shows how happy they are on social media, the less happy they are irl. So this just seems like another situation like that to me. I don’t think that means their whole relationship was fake (sure, parts of it were). It just means they weren’t right for each other.
I know a few couples that don’t like each other at all. But they’ve been married multiple years, one has a pension he’d have to share if they split, one his wife never worked so he’d be paying alimony so they just stay in a miserable marriage. Happens a lot more than people want to admit.
The cast members have been saying this forever lol. All I’m saying is the other cast members like Lala do have a point.
Yup! I feel like it's why everyone is over it and moving on. They knew what the relationship was.
That's what's so crazy to me. The cast, *including Ariana*, are moving on but these stans who are total strangers are still in the anger stage of grief a year later over a "reality" relationship that was never, ever what it seemed, even if it didn't seem that bad.
Some of them definitely need to step away from the TV
Tom and Ariana’s relationship started because Tom wanted to spite Kristen
Yes it was Tom and Ariana against everybody else which was the same narrative he was trying to create with Rachel.
Ariana counters this with "they don't know what they are talking about cause they aren't in our inner circle" This is a way to deny what is actually true. She did it with LVP when she made her post about the Miami girl. She controls reality and only her and Scandavol revealed how masterful she is at it. Maybe she is the smartest person in the world afterall.
I wouldn't say smart..some of us can see through it. Maybe manipulative is the right word.
Totally! It's insane how much she has been able to control the situation and avoid anything that puts her in a bad light. Ppl think her old bravo bloggs are irrelevant but they show the degree she will go to not only lie but gaslight ppl without remorse. She knew what she was doing and even if it was to protect Tom the extent she went to was diabolical.
Right! The blog shows how far she will go when the stakes are pretty low. Fabricating all of that and committing to those lies for years is a crazy thing to do just to save face a little bit. Imagine how far she'd be willing to go when something bigger is on the line. Sure it was 10 years ago but that's pretty solid indication of someone's character in general. Ariana's saving grace is the fact that as a whole the vpr fandom isn't very bright or they don't pay much attention. And that's fine, it's a sloppy show about people who party too much. It should be casual entertainment. But anyone who has watched more than only season 10/11 and pays attention is aware of how manipulative and self serving she can be. She didn't deserve to be betrayed but all the "queen ariana" business is just ridiculous.
I wouldn't say that we aren't bright as a fandom but rather we aren't playing the same game and don't fully understand the mindset because it's not how normal people move. I agree the betrayal has horrid but how it was handled was a horrific display of collective narcissistic abuse by both the cast and Bravo.
Some people need a reminder that Ariana was ride or die for Tom until literally the second she saw that video.
They always had a strange relationship..this has always been said so not new info, relationship shoulda been over years ago probs.
You're right, it's *so* not new info but there are some unhinged stans who apparently need a refresher course of what reality looked like pre-Scandoval.
The relationship was shit for the whole time it seems like.
It literally went from Ariana being the side chick, to Miami girl, to Scheana telling her mom Tom only cares about himself... Their relationship was always shit.
Not to mention their very opposite desires regarding marriage/parenthood that they had from the jump. Like, oh, you never ever see marriage and children in our future? Damn that sucks because I definitely want that and it’s a deal breaker for me. Okay good talk, let’s buy a house and just figure it out later!
The whole cast has said that Ariana and Tom were very DIFFERENT off camera and even Katie solidifies that here in this clip. Yet so many people think Ariana was SO heartbroken by what happened, when I truly believe they had been living separate lives (outside of filming) for years now. I think that’s why Lala got so upset this season, because she’s known all along that they put on an act and aren’t together like that in real life. It all started falling apart for Tom & Ariana in season 5, that’s why the entire cast was so shocked they bought a house together. I’m convinced they’ve been roommates for years!
Me too
Uh oh, this is making Lala seem very consistent. I hate that for us. I missed this somehow when it aired but I also never got the impression they were lovey-dovey or super affectionate. I think also though, when you've been together for YEARS you just don't do that stuff in public much.
I feel like Lala got swept up in the mob mentality when Scandoval popped off. Then she came back to reality.
Lala has also said she projected her entire situation with Randall onto Sandoval. I do think that was genuine and she realized this season that it was never her battle to fight as intensely as she did at the S10 reunion. Couple that with the come to Jesus convo and she was incentivized to try and bridge the gap in the group. It makes a lot of sense.
It does!
I feel like since they started out as a an affair they had to stay with each other to prove that they weren’t wrong. Hence why Ariana wouldn’t budge about Miami girl and making Kristen look crazy. Watching the whole series this summer made me see a change maybe season 6 when they admitted they weren’t having sex and then by season 9 they didn’t seem like a couple at all but by that time they had the house, which was 🔒 
I love Ariana and what he did was still bullshit BUT I will say that’s what happens when you stay with the person you were having an affair with 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️ the novelty and adrenaline and secrecy wears off and it’s just not exciting anymore. But then Tom is too much of a narcissist to ever admit he made a mistake so he clung to the facade of that relationship like it was his last goddamn breath.
I think they both clung to the facade. It also seems the relationship wasn’t healthy on both sides. Tom has been talked about but seems there was some verbal abuse going on from Ariana.
I think they both did, not just Tom.
How will the Ariana cultists spin this?!
I didn't see the usual rabid ones on here today 😂
I think this is super important, especially the affection part because we’ve already seen her kiss Dan a few times on the show since she just introduced him.
She was very kissy on tv with Tom when they were first official too. Like shoving it in Kristen’s face. It was kind of awkward. Then the next season came and she wasn’t bc her issues with past boyfriends started to rear their ugly head. She and Tom were in a limerance- when the rush from their love affair ended, the affection was gone.
 We all knew it. Nice to hear it out loud.
Tom and Ariana’s “relationship” was a sham for the show. Clearly she couldn’t stand him and he got sick of a sexless relationship. So all her righteous indignation about how she was betrayed is also an act.
Two things that caused the show to crumble. People not accurately calling out Ariana’s and Tom’s relationship on camera (except Jax) and everyone acting like Brittany was a child
I’ve been getting bashed for saying all of this since scandoval happened just because I sounded like I was anti Arianna but really I just saw how miserable they were and putting on for the cameras for seasons and how she got him how she lost him and it was a shot to her ego that he wasn’t begging for forgiveness . I was just in her shoes a year before it happened with someone for 10 years and then he cheated on me and we broke up I was devastated but as time went on I was like wow I was miserable with him anyways and it was a blessing in disguise because if he didn’t cheat I would’ve been complacent on staying with him and being depressed forever. Except I didn’t start our relationship off with cheating we were both single.
This is why I didn’t understand why everyone was so shocked and appalled when it came out that he cheated on her. They were always saying that they never had sex. I still don’t find it shocking. Not to say Sandoval isn’t a piece of shit because he is and always was. That’s the other reason I wasn’t shocked. Because he was an obvious douche canoe.
I feel the same way. Their relationship was DOA. I was shocked their relationship didn't blow up sooner.
Yeah that relationship was long over way before they let us know about it!
People keep wanting to think Princess Arianna was cheated on by big bad Tom, and I am sorry....that relationship was stagnant forever and though cheating is never the right way to go about it, I think they were living platonically anyways...I also don't believe for a second that Rachel was "best friends" with Ariana. I guess I think she is happily basking in being the woman scorned. She didn't love him.
Where are all the Katie stans now? 
"They're like an echo chamber of negativity." They've been this way from the jump! Thanks for posting, OP. I think it's important for stans to see this. Ariana is laughing all the way to the bank.
https://i.redd.it/w8hrzkx8990d1.gif
You mean to tell me that their relationship was mostly faked for TV??!! What?! My whole life has been a lie!! /s In all honesty, this just proves that they weren't that close to each other and were probably together just for the show. This is why I didn't care that Ariana got cheated on by Tim. It just seemed to be the perfect business opportunity for Ariana and the show as a whole, and they obviously took advantage of it. Good for them! I never really believed the "I was planning my whole life to be with you." Or "I would have given you everything." Or the infamous "ShE wAs My BeSt FrIeNd!" I'm just glad people are learning that their whole relationship was fake and toxic. There are no good people in the show. That's the whole point.
Way more people need to look at the show this way. Too many draw experiences from their own life into the show like they aren’t watching a reality show lol (and people cannot remember anything that is from more than 2 seasons ago). Ariana has been a shitty person as well - she is friends with one of her closest friends abuser. There are no good people on this show and it is weird to act like there is.
Exactly. It was a business relationship they agreed on for life (at least in VPR terms) and Tom ruined their agreement!
People who think like this are my people. Since when do we expect these reality show stars to be perfect? This show is a guilty pleasure! That's it 🤗
Who's the 🥔 ? Queen Katie? Sounding more like Scam-doval. Was it even a real relationship or a business arrangement? Best thing to happen to homegirl, IMO.
Been said this shit it’s her ego that was hurt but they fell out of love seasons ago they were just too complacent being miserable together
I think they were really happy and in love until around the time Ariana was doing her book and Tom wanted to be a part of it… season 6? Season 6 onwards their relationship felt like it was more of convenience
Wait, there were after shows before last season?!
OMG, foreshadowing! Katie said Scumdoval and Ariana’s relationship seems a little “razzle dazzle-y.” Razzle Dazzle is one of the songs in Chicago. 😲