If you were online in March 2023, you remember where you were when the "Scandoval" news broke. It was a cultural earthquake. Honestly, it didn’t just break the internet; it shattered the reality of everyone who had watched Vanderpump Rules for a decade. But as the dust settled and we moved into 2024 and 2025, the messy details of the Tom and Raquel timeline became much more complicated than a simple "he cheated."
We're talking about a seven-month betrayal that happened right under Ariana Madix's nose. It involved matching jewelry, secret trips to St. Louis, and a lot of lying to cameras.
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Where It Actually Started (The 2022 Shift)
For a long time, the official story was that things stayed platonic until late summer. But if you look at the evidence that came out during the Season 10 reunion and later legal filings, the boundaries were blurring way earlier.
In April 2022, Raquel (now going by her birth name, Rachel) was spotted at Coachella wearing a lightning bolt necklace. This eventually became the "symbol" of her and Tom Sandoval’s secret connection. Around this same time, rumors swirled that she had made out with "a Tom" at the festival. Most people assumed it was Tom Schwartz. Later, fans started to suspect it was actually Sandoval.
By August 2022, the "friendship" officially crossed the line.
This is the dark part of the timeline. Ariana Madix’s beloved dog, Charlotte, passed away on August 2. While Ariana was grieving, Sandoval and Raquel reportedly had their first sexual encounter. This happened at the Mondrian Hotel after a "Guys' Night" that Raquel famously crashed.
It’s heavy.
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Fall 2022: The "Open Secret" Phase
The months between September and December 2022 were basically a masterclass in gaslighting. Sandoval and Raquel were everywhere together, but they used Tom Schwartz as a human shield.
- September 2022: They were seen together at the Life is Beautiful festival. Raquel was even pictured sitting on Sandoval's shoulders.
- October 2022: BravoCon happened. Raquel wore a "TomTom" hoodie to support the guys, which looked like a cute friend move at the time. In reality, they were deep in the affair. Sandoval even dressed up as Raquel for Halloween that year.
- December 2022: This is when it got really bold. Sandoval took Raquel to his hometown of St. Louis to meet his family. He told Ariana he was just going home for a visit.
Imagine that level of compartmentalization. You're bringing the "other woman" to meet your mom while your partner of nine years is at home thinking everything is fine.
The 2023 Explosion
Everything stayed buried until March 1, 2023.
Ariana was at one of Sandoval’s "Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras" shows. His phone fell out of his pocket. She picked it up and found a screen recording of a FaceTime call between him and Raquel. It was graphic. It was undeniable.
The breakup happened instantly. Within 48 hours, the world knew.
The timeline then moved into the "Reunion Era." Rachel entered a mental health facility shortly after filming the Season 10 reunion in late March. While she was there, she reportedly cut ties with Sandoval, though he famously tried to send her letters and even called her during filming for Season 11.
The Legal Aftermath and 2026 Update
By the time 2024 rolled around, the drama moved from the screen to the courtroom. Rachel filed a lawsuit against Sandoval and Madix, alleging "revenge porn" and eavesdropping regarding that FaceTime video.
But the biggest update for those following the Tom and Raquel timeline actually just happened in January 2026.
After years of fighting over their shared $2 million Los Angeles home, Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval finally reached a settlement on January 13, 2026. For three years, they were stuck in a legal "partition by sale" battle. Ariana wanted to sell and move on; Tom wanted to buy her out but at a price she didn't agree with.
The court docs show the dismissal is "conditional," meaning Tom has until February 5, 2026, to finish the terms of the settlement. If he doesn't, they go to trial on February 17.
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What Most People Get Wrong
A big misconception is that they "tried to make it work" after the scandal. They didn't.
Rachel spent months in a treatment facility and eventually started her own podcast, Rachel Goes Rogue, to tell her side. She's been very vocal about how Sandoval "preyed" on her vulnerability after her breakup with James Kennedy.
Sandoval, on the other hand, went on a "redemption tour" that... well, it didn't really work. He appeared on Special Forces and The Traitors (Season 3), usually playing the villain role he's now stuck with.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're still tracking this saga, here is what you need to keep an eye on:
- The February 2026 Deadline: Watch the court registries around February 5th. This will confirm if the house is finally sold and if Ariana is officially free from the financial tie to Sandoval.
- Rachel's Legal Status: Her lawsuit against the two is still a major factor in how they can speak about each other publicly.
- VPR Future: With the cast fractured, the show's "reboot" or hiatus status often hinges on whether these people can even stand to be in the same room.
The reality is that the affair lasted seven months, but the legal and emotional fallout has lasted over three years. It’s a reminder that in reality TV, the cameras stop rolling, but the lawyers keep billing.