Credit: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images, Instagram
Tom Sandoval believes Raquel Leviss is struggling to take accountability for their affair and pointing fingers at others.
After being publicly dissed by his former mistress, who he sent birthday wishes to earlier this week, the Vanderpump Rules star, 40, spoke out against Raquel, 29, as he shared his hopes for Ariana Madix, 38, and her role on Dancing With the Stars and addressed his time on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
“I was involved in a big scandal. I really wanted to get away, get my mind off that, and to really push myself to see what I was capable of, to get myself to a more positive frame of mind and also to get away,” Sandoval told Entertainment Tonight of flying to New Zealand to film the second season of the FOX series. “It was a nice getaway, away from the phone, away from social media, news, all that stuff.”
During one scene, Sandoval was featured with a bloody nose.
“The whole country is pissed off at me,” he noted. “I had an affair and I want to take a beating.”
As for whether Scandoval was more challenging than Special Forces, Sandoval said, “Scandoval was a lot longer of a process but they were definitely apples and oranges.”
“I mean, this was definitely one of the toughest physical things I’ve ever done in my life. Mentally, they just push you far beyond your limits,” he shared.
At the end of Pump Rules season 10, Sandoval’s affair with Raquel was revealed. And at the reunion, his co-stars didn’t hold back as they shared their feelings about his betrayal of Ariana. Months later, season 11 has wrapped.
“Obviously there are still things that are being talked about and whatnot. But, you know, the worst of it is over which is nice,” Sandoval said of the new season, which he described as the “hardest” he’s filmed.
“[I was] just feeling very alone, very isolated. Obviously losing a friend, Rachel, it was tough. It was tough,” he noted.
Sandoval then shared that he’s five-months sober.
“I haven’t drank in like five months so there’s that. I just really am into sort of pushing myself and sort of trying to better myself. I just thought this was just such a great opportunity to really see what I was made of. To be around people that inspire me as well,” he revealed.
As Sandoval focuses on the upcoming premieres of Special Forces season two and Pump Rules season 11, Ariana is preparing for her DWTS debut, which Sandoval looks forward to seeing.
“I’m really excited for her,” he admitted. “I know she has been wanting to do this show for years. I think she’s going to do great. She’s a really hard worker. I think she’ll go far, hopefully.”
Also during the interview, Sandoval said of himself and Raquel, “We don’t really talk much.”
But according to an insider, they “haven’t talked in several months.”
While the timeline of Sandoval and Raquel’s relationship may be debated, Sandoval did reach out to Raquel on Monday before being blocked and told, “Bye.”
“Obviously, I think it’s a little immature and petty,” Sandoval told PEOPLE of the diss. “To post that you’re blocking seems a bit thirsty … I wanted to just send her some love, let her know that happy birthday.”
Although Sandoval said he didn’t intend to “cause any sort of negativity” and just “wanted to be nice,” he also pointed out that Raquel seems hesitant to take accountability for their affair.
“I just kind of feel bad for her, in a way. I don’t understand. I think she’s really struggling with taking accountability for her actions and just wants to point fingers and be mad at everybody else,” he shared. “There were two of us in this situation. We both screwed up.”
As for his communication with Raquel, Sandoval said his Instagram shoutout was the first time he’d reached out in a while but shared that he had been talking to her publicist “multiple times” amid filming on season 11.
“[I did] fill her in with what was happening and what was being said and really kind of kept them in the loop,” he said. “Even though I wasn’t speaking to Raquel or Rachel, I felt it would help her, whether she was coming back or not, but I don’t know.”
“It sucks. We never had any sort of closure. I had a conversation with her that ended very much in a way of, ‘All right, well, I’ll talk to you in the next few days,’ and that was it,” he added.
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test season two premieres on September 25 at 9/8c on FOX.