Tom Sandoval Admitted He Had Zero ‘Relationship Goals’ With Ariana Madix Before Affair With Raquel Leviss

Tom Sandoval’s affair with Raquel Leviss took Vanderpump Rules fans by surprise, but looking back, there may have been some clues pointing to the demise of his relationship with Ariana Madix. Here’s what the Bravo star said about not having any relationship goals with his long-term girlfriend and how it fits into the timeline of his cheating scandal.

Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix | Amanda Edwards/Getty Images ‘Vanderpump Rules’ star Tom Sandoval cheated on his girlfriend of 9 years, Ariana Madix, with their fellow cast member Raquel Leviss 

On March 3, news broke that Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix broke up after nine years together due to his months-long affair with their Vanderpump Rules castmate, Raquel Leviss. Leviss was previously engaged to another cast member, James Kennedy. She is shown pursuing a romance with Sandoval’s best friend, Tom Schwartz, in season 10, which is currently airing.

Sandoval and Madix were the Bravo show’s longest-running relationship after Schwartz and Katie Maloney, who announced their divorce in 2022. 

The shocking split has many Vanderpump Rules fans combing through previous episodes of the show and cast interviews, searching for clues about the affair. Sandoval may have hinted that he was checked out of his relationship with Madix years before cheating with Leviss.

Tom Sandoval admitted he had zero ‘relationship goals’ with Ariana Madix shortly before his affair with Raquel Leviss

While the timeline of Sandoval and Leviss’ relationship is yet unknown, it has been widely reported that they started hooking up around June 2022 (per ET). But the trouble in Sandoval and Madix’s relationship may have started long before the affair. 

In a February 202 interview with Us Weekly, Sandoval said he had zero “relationship goals” with Madix after the couple had purchased a home together.

“I don’t really have any relationship goals,” he said. “I think maybe take a trip, just spend time with each other, do some fun activities, keep ourselves busy. Whenever we’re busy, whenever we’re working out, healthy, being proactive, it just tends to be a positive influence on our relationship.”

The bar owner gushed about his connection with his then-girlfriend, saying, “We have great debates, intelligent debates. We have a lot of respect for each other. It’s a positive thing.”

The ‘Vanderpump Rules’ star said he didn’t ‘know’ if he and his then-girlfriend would consider an open relationship

In his February 2020 interview with US Weekly, Sandoval was asked whether he and Madix would ever consider an open relationship. 

“I don’t know,” the Tom Sandoval and the MOST Extras singer responded.

Madix, on the other hand, seemed to have a firmer idea about their relationship dynamic. “We don’t have an open relationship. I’m really not that cool. Thought that was obvious,” Madix wrote on Jan. 9 in a since-deleted tweet (per Daily Mail).