Sophia Michaels
Tom Schwartz is “terrified” to start filming Season 11 of “Vanderpump Rules” following backlash over his role in Tom Sandoval’s affair with Raquel Leviss.
“I’m always slightly terrified when we started a new season. We’ve been through so much with this group and we’re a volatile crew,” Schwartz, 40, told Us Weekly on Friday.
“We’ve always been a volatile group of friends. I don’t think I’ve ever had an argument outside of this group, to be honest. We have a lot of history together and there’s been trials and tribulations, but it comes from a place of love.”
Despite being “scared” for cameras to start rolling again, Schwartz said he is “grateful” to even still be on the Bravo show.
While it appears the reality TV star is slated to return for his 11th season, executive producer Alex Baskin told Variety last month that the cast’s contract renegotiations were on pause.
The biggest issue was not only getting the current cast to re-sign but also getting them to agree to film together — without things getting too heated.
Sandoval’s months-long dalliance with Leviss, 28, was outed in March after Ariana Madix discovered a NSFW video of the former beauty pageant queen on her then-boyfriend’s cellphone.
News of the bombshell affair — dubbed Scandoval — took the internet by storm, with Madix receiving an influx of support.
Schwartz also came under fire at the time after admitting he knew about the affair but decided to keep it under wraps in support of his BFF.
Yet it appears the drama finally took a toll on their friendship as Schwartz admitted earlier this month he has been distancing himself from Sandoval.
“He made a big mess and he left it for us to clean up,” Schwartz said on “When Reality Hits with Jax and Brittany.” “It’s hard for me not to be resentful of him … I’m taking a break from Tom right now.”
This time around, Schwartz said he’ll “be a little more stoic” when it comes to handling the drama in the upcoming season.
During the Season 10 reunion, which was filmed just weeks after news of the affair broke, the entire “VPR” cast unleashed on the adulterous duo.
At one point, Madix said she “couldn’t think of two worse people” than “subhuman” Leviss and “rat” Sandoval.
Yet after the reunion, Leviss sat down for a one-on-one interview with producers to clear the air about several lies she and Sandoval maintained.
She confessed that they actually hooked up “multiple” times at co-star Scheana Shay’s wedding in late August — where she also kissed Schwartz.
On top of that, she revealed they hooked up at Sandoval’s shared home with Madix while she was out of town for her grandma’s funeral — despite vehemently denying it during the reunion taping.
For more Page Six reality TV updates
And it turns out, Leviss — who entered a mental health facility amid the backlash — has even more to say.
Sources recently told Page Six that Leviss “looks forward to sharing her story with the unfiltered truth when she comes out.”
While it’s unclear if she is planning on returning to the series, Leviss is doing her best to “grow from her mistakes” in the future.
