Meanwhile, fans flooded Sandoval’s bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s, with negative reviews on Yelp. And Sandoval posted not one but two rather ham-fisted notes app apologies on Instagram. (Only the second one mentioned Madix.) Leviss soon followed suit. People Magazine reports may have even filed a restraining order against Shay.
Major publications like New York magazine and The New York Times published in-depth explainers on the whole sordid affair. But I knew the story had truly crossed over into mainstream cultural consciousness when I got a text from my boyfriend, the person in my life who is least likely to care about anything reality-TV related, on Tuesday afternoon: “What are your thoughts on Rachel from ‘Vanderpump’ or the Scandoval?”
It turns out I do have thoughts — less about the news itself and more about why it has become such a thing. After all, people cheat all the time. Reality television is defined by its ability to stoke mess and capitalize on interpersonal drama. So what is it about Scandoval that has piqued such widespread, fevered public interest?
The answer is threefold: the vast amount of information available, the relatively simplistic morality of this particular scandal, and the ways in which cultural consumers use reality television to adjudicate our own moral codes — specifically when it comes to relationships.
Tom Sandoval has been on “Vanderpump Rules” since its first episode aired on Jan. 7, 2013 — at the time it was just a little “Real Housewives” spinoff about a group of young adult strivers working hard at Beverly Hills Housewife Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR restaurant, and playing much harder. At the time, Sandoval was in a tumultuous on-and-off relationship with fellow SUR employee Kristen Doute; Madix was a guest star. By the end of season 2, Madix and Sandoval confirmed they were dating, and Madix was promoted to series regular for season 3. Leviss didn’t join the show until season 5, when she began dating…
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