Mounting evidence that ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Scandoval was staged
cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, 37, with her ex-best friend, Raquel Leviss, 28. But some hardcore “Vanderpump Rules” fans are skeptical about whether the whole thing is authentic. “They needed something to get shaken up, to get people’s interest back,” podcaster Lara Schoenhals told Insider, adding that it’s “suspicious” that this happened when viewership of the show was on the decline. Hollie Bohorquez, host of the “Vanderpump Rules Party” podcast, told the outlet, “I personally feel like they were mapping this out.” As evidence, she noted the oddity of cast members giving podcast interviews teasing “explosive” developments ahead. She also uncovered a filming permit in front of a cast member’s building after the season had already wrapped.“So before Scandoval even broke, they had the filming permits in place to record with when cameras went back,” she said. Bravo has previously stated that the season has not been re-edited to reflect the discovery of the affair. Sarah Cee, co-host of “Vanderpump Rules Party” podcast, said that the show’s producers “had to have known or had very strong inklings,” because the affair seems like too seamless of a ready-made subplot in the season.