- The "Vanderpump Rules" finale aired tonight.
- We finally got to see Ariana Madix confront ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval over his affair.
Like millions of viewers, I've been gripped by the drama unfolding on "Vanderpump Rules."
But on tonight's finale, watching Ariana Madix unleash her fury at now-ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval was so thrilling it brought me to my feet.
Thirty-nine-year-old Sandoval's affair with 28-year-old cast member Rachel "Raquel" Leviss has been a reality TV scandal for the ages. The self-appointed arbiter of what's fair on the show, Sandoval's bad antics passed under the radar for years, especially after his coupling with Madix, 37.
Madix gave Sandoval an air of honorability we're now finding he didn't actually deserve. She always seemed a step above the rest — the lone rational voice in a chorus of bad decision-makers or outright narcissists, she was level-headed and rarely said a bad word about anyone, even if they happened to be sparring with her best friends or boyfriend during that day's drama. Whenever there was fighting on the show, she was typically the peacemaker, only wanting to support her loved ones and find support in return. Amid a sea of cracked personalities, she seemed the one cast member most viewers found likable and unproblematic.
So when Madix was burned by Sandoval's surprising affair, we were all burned alongside her.
Watching this season of "Vanderpump" would be boring if we weren't aware of the #Scandoval of it all. Leviss spending the night at Sandoval and Madix's house might seem tame; the conversation between Madix and Leviss about the former's sex life could be viewed as supportive; and a line from Madix where she said she not only "loves and trusts" Leviss but "loves and trusts" her boyfriend would be sweet, not cringe-inducing.
But we did know it happened, so our rage has been building all season long until we got the sweet, sweet moment of justice where Madix puts Sandoval in his place.
"I regret every moment that I stood up for you, defended you, supported you," Madix says. "You're worth nothing. And I want you to feel that deep in your soul. I want you to hear those words coming from the mouth of the woman that fucking stood by you and loved you and was ready to build the rest of my life around you. Hear my words and know that's how I feel about you."
It's not that female rage is new, it's just that never has it been this satisfying and deserved to watch in its full splendor.
During the pandemic, nearly half of the women in a Dating.com survey reported they were cheated on. It's so common that many people watching may see their own relationship reflected in Madix and Sandoval's. And for longtime viewers, it's been a frustrating 10 years as we've watched season after season of women being low- and high-key gaslit (at best) and emotionally abused (at worst) by the men of the show.
Well, it finally boiled over.
In the tangled history of "Vanderpump" land, women's outrage has often been sidelined. Castmate Katie Maloney was ridiculed all season for being upset that her soon-to-be-ex-husband was making out with someone in their friend group — despite them both agreeing off-camera that they wouldn't pursue shared acquaintances out of respect for one another. Lala Kent, another cast member, was told by the group she should have expected her fiancé Randall Emmett to cheat on her given that she was his unknowing mistress when he was married to his previous wife.
It's 2023 and women showing the full scope of their anger, unbothered by public perception, is still so rare. We can cry, we can be upset, but shouting and hurling insults is still viewed as unladylike or unhinged. But why shouldn't we be unhinged? What might have been relegated to Bravo-only reality drama has become international news because so many of us have been there before. And for millions watching, seeing a version of what they themselves may have gone through is cathartic.
"I regret ever loving you. Any last words before we never speak again?" Madix asks Sandoval on the show's finale. A true mic drop moment.
I expect more justified yelling at the upcoming three-part reunion that starts next Wednesday. Until then, I'll be wearing my Something About Her sweatshirt and screaming at whoever wrongs me.