Raquel Leviss Refused to Return to ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Without a Big Raise Post-Scandoval

In some ways, having an affair with Tom Sandoval was the worst mistake that Raquel Leviss ever made.

She lost pretty much all of her friends, and in subreddits and comment threads across the internet, Raquel’s name quickly became synonymous with “homewrecker.”

Now, the future of Raquel — or Rachel, as she prefers to be called now — career in reality TV seems to be open.

All because she demanded what was rightfully hers!

Raquel Leviss Refused To Return To ‘Vanderpump Rules’

Filming for Vanderpump Rules Season 11 got underway on June 28, 2023 and most of the usual suspects were been spotted shooting scenes in and around West Hollywood.

But not Raquel.

By August, she had made the official announcement that she would not be returning to the show.

Raquel explained that money was the driving force behind her decision  to exit the show. In her view, she was by no means compensated fairly for what she brought to the show last season. 

“I haven’t seen a single penny,” she told Bethenny Frankel on her “ReWives” podcast. “It’s not fair. 

Prior to the Scandoval, the idea of the ditzy ex-beauty queen — a second tier character, at best — trying to negotiate a more lucrative contract would’ve been laughable.

But once the drama hit, Raquel became the show’s main attraction, and she didn’t see a dime for the time.

Raquel Admits She ‘Almost Went Back’ Despite No Raise

“It’s not fair,” Raquel added while talking to Bettheny. And I feel like a toddler saying, ‘It’s not fair.’ But it really isn’t.”

She went on: “I feel like I’ve been portrayed as the ultimate villain. My mistakes that I’ve made on camera live on forever. And you mentioned something about the addiction of doing reality TV and the way that they always dangle that carrot in front of you, like, ‘Well, you need to tell your side of the story otherwise it’s gonna be written for you.’ And that’s terrifying. So I almost went back, I know just because of that.”

It remains to be seen what will become of the Scandoval storyline in the next season of Vanderpump.

Vanderpump Rules season 11 premieres on January 30, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. The cast gathered for the premiere in Los Angeles two weeks before.

On the red carpet. matriarch of the whole affair Lisa Vanderpump admitted that she wished Raquel had reconsidered and returned.

“I think it would’ve behooved her to come back. I really do,” Vanderpump said to Page Six. “But maybe not the whole season because I think [the cast] were all pretty kind of reticent.”

‘Vanderpump Rules’ Was Almost Cancelled

It’s hard to believe given all the buzz that surrounds the show these days, when there was a time, Vanderpump appeared to be on its way out.

Many of the OG drama-stirrers like Stassi Schroeder and Jax Taylor had been fired following a messy race-related scandal, and the show’s lackluster ninth season did not inspire hope for the future.

As the tenth season premiered, even longtime fans were suggesting that it might be time to shutter this show like one of Lisa Vanderpump’s less-popular WeHo eateries.

But when news got out that Sandoval was cheating on Ariana Madix with Raquel everything changed literally overnight.

Suddenly two of the show’s most boring characters were at the center of TV’s biggest scandal.

And just as quickly, a series that appeared to be on its last legs was making headlines and inspiring talk of spinoffs.

It’s all because of Tom and Raquel — which is why many people think that Leviss was right in asking for more money.

While several outlets reported at contract dispute as the official cause of Raquel’s absence at the time, others proposed different possibilities.

At the time, the last anyone heard, Raquel was in a mental healthcare facility in Arizona, having checked in amid the mounting pressure of the Scandoval.

So it’s possible that Raquel has been absent because she’s practicing self-care during what must be a very stressful time in her life.

Either way, we hope she’ll reconsider going back at SUR.

We’ve become addicted to Vanderpump being good again, and Raquel is a large part of what makes it work.