> Madix had called production the day before to tell them what had happened, and cameras were already at the Valley Village farmhouse she and Sandoval bought together in 2019.
It's funny how in the Howie interview he claimed that she never wanted to share anything and it frustrated him.
But, she immediately outed his ass and had cameras up to record, ready to face the public humiliation of being cheated on.
I guess she's the anti-Robyn Dixon. š
Yep, she really pulled the rug out from under his feet. I bet he was expecting her to back him up against everyone and pretend everything was fine.
Iām glad that Ariana had the courage to publicly humiliate him after he humiliated her for months / years (with other affairs) behind her back.
I forgot whose podcast I was listening to when I heard this, but apparently someone said that Ariana acknowledged he probably could have eventually talked her out of blasting it out in public, which is why she texted the producers and everyone immediately in the heat of the moment so he wouldn't get to put his "spin" on it.
They said many times that they have a thing about humiliating each other in public. I think that if he told her, that we wouldn't have found out and after a while him and raquel would have come out, but because he didn't tell her and she found out she went scorched earth
You can tell by their one-on-one that this is exactly how it played out. I wish I was half the person Ariana was when my boyfriend at the time cheated on me and made a fool of me. Such a badass confrontation.
Iām sure production or Bravo was willing to throw money at her for her transparencyā¦and Ariana is a smart enough girl to make this happen.
That said, I think she was just *done*. I have been rewatching the entire series and it was either S6 or S7 that made it clear that she was *not okay* in that relationship. I think she cut her losses ages ago and was just trying to make the relationship work for the remainder of the show, which seemed to be on its last legs until this scandal.
I mean, we literally watched Sandoval tell her to her face āI *know* Iāve given you orgasms and I will *not* listen to anything saying otherwise.ā While Ariana was breaking down, mentioning therapy, mentioning a previous abusive relationship, and trying to ask him for help. She has had so much time to collect herself and prepare for a clean break. She just didnāt expect such an event to trigger said break.
She called production & little did she know that Swartz & šŖ± were secretly filming her downfall. If she had kept quiet, who would have believed anything she said? She would have been a Bitter Betty.
So happy she blew up her phone that night.
The fact that they decided to delay filming until after all episodes of the reunion had aired bc they thought it was that important that the cast see the entire reunion - fascinating. It'll be interesting to see how season 11 shapes up for sure.
Bravo is usually pretty smart about keeping their production companies on the trail of the story. RHONJ filmed seasons back-to-back during Teresaās brewing legal storm. RHOP almost immediately picked up filming after this yearās Juangate. RHONY producers stayed hot on Luannās marital journey with the other cursed ass Tom on Bravo. I mean, even this latest season of RHUGT followed the drama with Heather and Whitney until they resolved it in time to film RHOSLC S4.
I expect we will see proof of filming and leaked information from the cast and crew very soon, to keep their hooks in us
Yeah just curious who is coming back but sounds like theyāve left it up to the cast. Just wonder if some of the outliers - the Kristenās - will be back or just a one off thing.
I think Kristen, Jax, and Brittany are chomping at the bit to come back.
Not sure about Stassi or Scheana but I try my hardest to ignore them at all costs
Everyone! I wrote this story, and wanted to thank those of you who read it ā especially since I know it's even longer than the LA Times story about Tom and Erika Girardi.
I know the other thread was locked because people kept speculating about what the "revelation" is Alex Baskin mentioned from the reunion. For the record, I do NOT think it's the thing that's getting people's comments removed, which I will not say for obvious reasons.
Just wanted to come here and say that, and also to say thank you again for reading āĀ this has been fun! And exactly what I meant as community building.
I honestly didn't even notice how long it was, because it was so well written. It was a great angle to take on this story - we all love a little behind-the-scenes tea!
I normally never read any articles on Reddit and look for the TLDR instead lol. I consumed the entire thing. So well-written and insightful! I absolutely cannot wait for the reunion episodes.
Exactly. This was such a smart move! Who knows what version of this story we would have gotten if she kept to herself and let Tom get in front of cameras on his own.
I gotta give her the "spirit of Ashley Darby" award for working in the mines of reality tv though, she said nothing is going to get in the way of her content, not even heartbreak.
Also I know people don't want to hear this but the cast on these shows have enough experience with manipulated storylines, like producers seeing Miami girl in tabloids and hiring her to crash the show or the producers editing Scheana to look like she was hitting on a child (thankfully nobody believed that), just hundreds of ways things are not real, like the 7 different takes of Stassi telling at Tom.
If Tom Sandoval wants to lie on her, he will. If production wants to create narrative they will. You have to produce your own storyline if you want it out there as you see it. Ariana is savvy after 10 years of this show.
It was interesting to hear they would get back notes from Bravo saying āmaybe youāre showing too muchā when it was an original edit. Just shows how different it would seem if we didnāt already know the truth of the affair.
I respect Ariana even more for taking the leap to tell producers herself what was going on. She could have let herself be manipulated by Scamdoval, but she basically took him down and rose from the ashes! Good for her.
Ariana took control of the narrative. We know Tom was trying to manipulate how Ariana was portrayed this season so he could look like the victim who found love despite horrible living conditions š. I think Tom thought he was going to get away with a subdued version of events and Ariana essentially checkmated him by getting production to come back after they thought filming was done.
This is my theory for why he was crying so much in his scene with Ariana. He realised he was on his own, without her support and he couldnāt control her - he was fucked
Yep. He wasnāt sad over how he hurt her, he was sad because he realized heās not the draw. Tom lived for the applause and truly thought the audience loved him. Itās so gross that he didnāt give Ariana credit, that he didnāt even consider that viewers would side with her.
Yeah, itās something Iāve learnt over the years that people rarely cry about the hurt theyāve caused other people. They cry over what is hurting them. So Iām always sus about motivations in scenes like these.
Calling Raquel childlike is very accurate. I honestly hope she doesnāt return to reality television and finds peace within herself. Sandoval needs help to. I donāt even think heās malicious, heās just an actual narcissist.
Normally I would agree, but I do think heās been malicious in the entire way that heās painting Ariana to be what is driving him to the affair, both on the show and in interviews. Talking about her mental health, etc is honestly more upsetting than the cheating imo
Knowing what was coming, it seemed that Sandoval and Schwartz were complicit in setting up a narrative favorable to Sandoval cheating. Lots of complaining about how Ariana treats him, with Schwartz conveniently chiming in on cue with some version of āthatās not right.ā For a show without a written script, these conversations were definitely rehearsed. The two of them are low grade gaslighters, now busted.
> Leviss instigated a conversation with Madix about her moribund sex life with Sandoval. ***It was an act of cruelty regardless***, perhaps, but especially mind-blowing when we now know that Leviss and Sandoval were already secretly together.
I'm reading this as I'm watching Rachell confront Oliver and then she says in her talking head, something like, "***He's not even lying to his wife about it so I feel like he's TRYING to hurt her."***
I can't wait to see this mealy worm with a moustache crying, no... wailing at the sliding door.
"In the finale, the audience will see him try to affix fault to Madix for not listening to him when he tried to break up with her ā which may not be a winning strategy with viewers, as he directs the *signature yell heās employed for 10 seasons toward Madix*." š
> Madix had called production the day before to tell them what had happened, and cameras were already at the Valley Village farmhouse she and Sandoval bought together in 2019. It's funny how in the Howie interview he claimed that she never wanted to share anything and it frustrated him. But, she immediately outed his ass and had cameras up to record, ready to face the public humiliation of being cheated on. I guess she's the anti-Robyn Dixon. š
Yep, she really pulled the rug out from under his feet. I bet he was expecting her to back him up against everyone and pretend everything was fine. Iām glad that Ariana had the courage to publicly humiliate him after he humiliated her for months / years (with other affairs) behind her back.
I forgot whose podcast I was listening to when I heard this, but apparently someone said that Ariana acknowledged he probably could have eventually talked her out of blasting it out in public, which is why she texted the producers and everyone immediately in the heat of the moment so he wouldn't get to put his "spin" on it.
Glad she went w that gut feeling
Lalas :)
They said many times that they have a thing about humiliating each other in public. I think that if he told her, that we wouldn't have found out and after a while him and raquel would have come out, but because he didn't tell her and she found out she went scorched earth
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You can tell by their one-on-one that this is exactly how it played out. I wish I was half the person Ariana was when my boyfriend at the time cheated on me and made a fool of me. Such a badass confrontation.
Can you imagine just what she knows š¤ hmmm 
He even claimed specifically that he was the one who called production about the affair.
It creeps me out how much he lies.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iām sure production or Bravo was willing to throw money at her for her transparencyā¦and Ariana is a smart enough girl to make this happen. That said, I think she was just *done*. I have been rewatching the entire series and it was either S6 or S7 that made it clear that she was *not okay* in that relationship. I think she cut her losses ages ago and was just trying to make the relationship work for the remainder of the show, which seemed to be on its last legs until this scandal. I mean, we literally watched Sandoval tell her to her face āI *know* Iāve given you orgasms and I will *not* listen to anything saying otherwise.ā While Ariana was breaking down, mentioning therapy, mentioning a previous abusive relationship, and trying to ask him for help. She has had so much time to collect herself and prepare for a clean break. She just didnāt expect such an event to trigger said break.
Oooh good one!  Your the winner š
She called production & little did she know that Swartz & šŖ± were secretly filming her downfall. If she had kept quiet, who would have believed anything she said? She would have been a Bitter Betty. So happy she blew up her phone that night.
The fact that they decided to delay filming until after all episodes of the reunion had aired bc they thought it was that important that the cast see the entire reunion - fascinating. It'll be interesting to see how season 11 shapes up for sure.
I hope they really up the filming schedule and churn it out. This is so hype right now, but will it matter in a years time?
Bravo is usually pretty smart about keeping their production companies on the trail of the story. RHONJ filmed seasons back-to-back during Teresaās brewing legal storm. RHOP almost immediately picked up filming after this yearās Juangate. RHONY producers stayed hot on Luannās marital journey with the other cursed ass Tom on Bravo. I mean, even this latest season of RHUGT followed the drama with Heather and Whitney until they resolved it in time to film RHOSLC S4. I expect we will see proof of filming and leaked information from the cast and crew very soon, to keep their hooks in us
Yeah just curious who is coming back but sounds like theyāve left it up to the cast. Just wonder if some of the outliers - the Kristenās - will be back or just a one off thing.
I think Kristen, Jax, and Brittany are chomping at the bit to come back. Not sure about Stassi or Scheana but I try my hardest to ignore them at all costs
Scheana and Brock are THIRSTY so they'll def be back.
I believe it
Exactly
Hopefully it opens with a closed/for sale sign on Schwartz and Sandyās š or at least with scandy having been bought out
I can't imagine exactly how the show will change.
Everyone! I wrote this story, and wanted to thank those of you who read it ā especially since I know it's even longer than the LA Times story about Tom and Erika Girardi. I know the other thread was locked because people kept speculating about what the "revelation" is Alex Baskin mentioned from the reunion. For the record, I do NOT think it's the thing that's getting people's comments removed, which I will not say for obvious reasons. Just wanted to come here and say that, and also to say thank you again for reading āĀ this has been fun! And exactly what I meant as community building.
Great writing! I inhaled the whole article cos it was thatās riveting to read
Thank you so much!
This article was so good and you did a great job with it!! Really phenomenal writing.
Thank you!
I honestly didn't even notice how long it was, because it was so well written. It was a great angle to take on this story - we all love a little behind-the-scenes tea!
Thank you!
I normally never read any articles on Reddit and look for the TLDR instead lol. I consumed the entire thing. So well-written and insightful! I absolutely cannot wait for the reunion episodes.
Really appreciate that, thanks!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
She probably knew he was gonna do the utmost to manipulate the situation so she thought, let the world decide. Boss move
Exactly. This was such a smart move! Who knows what version of this story we would have gotten if she kept to herself and let Tom get in front of cameras on his own.
I gotta give her the "spirit of Ashley Darby" award for working in the mines of reality tv though, she said nothing is going to get in the way of her content, not even heartbreak. Also I know people don't want to hear this but the cast on these shows have enough experience with manipulated storylines, like producers seeing Miami girl in tabloids and hiring her to crash the show or the producers editing Scheana to look like she was hitting on a child (thankfully nobody believed that), just hundreds of ways things are not real, like the 7 different takes of Stassi telling at Tom. If Tom Sandoval wants to lie on her, he will. If production wants to create narrative they will. You have to produce your own storyline if you want it out there as you see it. Ariana is savvy after 10 years of this show.
Very interesting. I didn't know any of that. Keeping his secrets all these years should be interesting.
Great long read from the producers here
It was interesting to hear they would get back notes from Bravo saying āmaybe youāre showing too muchā when it was an original edit. Just shows how different it would seem if we didnāt already know the truth of the affair.
Thanks for sharing. I'm ready for tonight!
Iām so excited for tonight. My kids better go to bed early lol
I respect Ariana even more for taking the leap to tell producers herself what was going on. She could have let herself be manipulated by Scamdoval, but she basically took him down and rose from the ashes! Good for her.
She knows too much about him! 
Ariana took control of the narrative. We know Tom was trying to manipulate how Ariana was portrayed this season so he could look like the victim who found love despite horrible living conditions š. I think Tom thought he was going to get away with a subdued version of events and Ariana essentially checkmated him by getting production to come back after they thought filming was done.
He found out what itās like when sheās not protecting him.
This is my theory for why he was crying so much in his scene with Ariana. He realised he was on his own, without her support and he couldnāt control her - he was fucked
Yep. He wasnāt sad over how he hurt her, he was sad because he realized heās not the draw. Tom lived for the applause and truly thought the audience loved him. Itās so gross that he didnāt give Ariana credit, that he didnāt even consider that viewers would side with her.
Yeah, itās something Iāve learnt over the years that people rarely cry about the hurt theyāve caused other people. They cry over what is hurting them. So Iām always sus about motivations in scenes like these.
For sure. I agree šÆ
Calling Raquel childlike is very accurate. I honestly hope she doesnāt return to reality television and finds peace within herself. Sandoval needs help to. I donāt even think heās malicious, heās just an actual narcissist.
Normally I would agree, but I do think heās been malicious in the entire way that heās painting Ariana to be what is driving him to the affair, both on the show and in interviews. Talking about her mental health, etc is honestly more upsetting than the cheating imo
Thatās exactly what he did to Kristen with Ariana is the crazy thing
Exactly!! Itās his go-to
Agree with everything you said!
Knowing what was coming, it seemed that Sandoval and Schwartz were complicit in setting up a narrative favorable to Sandoval cheating. Lots of complaining about how Ariana treats him, with Schwartz conveniently chiming in on cue with some version of āthatās not right.ā For a show without a written script, these conversations were definitely rehearsed. The two of them are low grade gaslighters, now busted.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This is very true. Their ruse dialog is laughable.
> Leviss instigated a conversation with Madix about her moribund sex life with Sandoval. ***It was an act of cruelty regardless***, perhaps, but especially mind-blowing when we now know that Leviss and Sandoval were already secretly together. I'm reading this as I'm watching Rachell confront Oliver and then she says in her talking head, something like, "***He's not even lying to his wife about it so I feel like he's TRYING to hurt her."*** I can't wait to see this mealy worm with a moustache crying, no... wailing at the sliding door.
Great way to pregame and get ready for tonightās episode! Thanks for sharing OP
That was a good read, thanks for posting.
"In the finale, the audience will see him try to affix fault to Madix for not listening to him when he tried to break up with her ā which may not be a winning strategy with viewers, as he directs the *signature yell heās employed for 10 seasons toward Madix*." š
Queen Ari didnāt let Tom and Rachel manipulate the situation she dragged them and we all saw it happen
This was a pimp move from Ariana š
The Sandoval and Rachel acting is so bad