Tom Sandoval Still Absent From Vanderpump Rules Set as Season 11 Enters Second Week of Filming

There was a time — not all that long ago, in fact — when the prospect of an eleventh season of Vanderpump Rules seemed very unlikely.

The show had lost several of its most popular cast members, and even diehard fans jumped ship after a ninth season in which a pickleball tournament was treated as an important storyline.

But on March 1 of this year, everything chaned.

That was the day the world learned that Tom Sandoval had carried on an affair with Raquel Leviss.

At the time, of course, Sandoval was in a nine-year relationship with fellow VPR cast member Ariana Madix.

Infidelity had been a part of the Pump-verse since day one, but never before had two cast members so brazenly betrayed a third.

Ratings for Vanderpump Rules went through the roof in the wake of the Scandoval, and Bravo execs were surely feeling optimistic when filming got underway on VPR Season 11 last week.

Unfortunately, nearly ten days into production, the show’s most buzzed-about cast members are still MIA.

Insiders say Leviss hasn’t filmed a single scene, and there are conflicting reports as to why that is.

Some say the former beauty queen is holding out for more money, while others insist that Raquel is still undergoing treatment for her mental health and doesn’t want to undermine the progress she’s made by running back into the breach.

As for Tom, he’s been away filming a different reality show.

Yes, according to a new report from TMZ, Sandoval is currently in New Zealand shooting the second season of Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

The show focuses on celebrities enduring “brutal conditions and impossible challenges” set by ex-Special Forces members.

We’re sure viewers will enjoy seeing Tom undergo torture at the hands of an angry former Marine, but at what cost?

Will Sandoval be absent from the early episodes of VPR Season 11?

And how is going AWOL in order to film a show for another network not a violation of his contract with Bravo?

Anyway, sources close to Tom have reportedly assured Vanderpump producers that he’ll begin filming as soon as he returns home to Los Angeles.

In the meantime, it seems that Sandoval’s ex is thoroughly enjoying his absence.

Witnesses say Ariana was recently spotted dancing at TomTom, the West Hollywood bar that Sandoval owns with fellow cast member Tom Schwartz.

According to onlookers, the crowd began chanting Ariana’s name in a show of support — and it all went down in front of a Bravo camera crew.

Sounds like Tom is in for a rough season!