VPR Theory: Fans Think The Reunion Reveal Will Be A Hot Mic Bombshell

For several weeks, "Vanderpump Rules" fans have been buzzing about one huge thing: what is the enormous secret set to be revealed in the last five minutes of the Season 10 reunion? As if Scandoval wasn't a big enough bombshell, with news breaking in March of this year that cast members Tom Sandoval and Rachel "Raquel" Leviss" betrayed their friends and loved ones — especially Sandoval's girlfriend and Leviss' best friend Ariana Madix — by having a prolonged affair, producers have repeatedly teased that something will be uncovered at the very end of the reunion that could shake the "Vanderpump Rules" world forever. They've even said that, once current cast members see the reveal, which notably did not take place during the filmed reunion itself, they may decide not to return to film for Season 11.

Over on Reddit on a thread discussing reunion theories, u/fem_bot posited a pretty good one. "I think for sure it's a hot mic moment outside the trailer when [Sandoval] and [Leviss] are talking and think the cameras aren't on them." So what's behind this theory? As the Redditor wrote, one confessional during Season 10 specifically mentioned producers overhearing sensitive information... and they think it has everything to do with the next big "Vanderpump Rules" scandal.

After correctly noting that Bravo maestro Andy Cohen clearly doesn't know this secret during the reunion — or he would have, obviously, brought it up — and the fact that it couldn't have happened during Leviss' one-on-one interview with Cohen for the same reason, u/fem_bot brought up a moment that happened during an early confessional with cast member Lala Kent in Season 10 that seems way more significant now.

"There was that clip earlier in the season where Lala [Kent[ is talking to the cameraman and they explained that both camera people AND sound can hear what the mics picks up, and she was shocked by that," they wrote. "Why else would they put that in?" They then note that Leviss and Sandoval argued with producers during the second installment of the reunion, all but demanding that they get to talk in private during a lunch break, and that it's possible a hot mic could have picked up some enormous reveal during that time... and producers only noticed when they watched the footage later.

"It would explain how so few people involved in the show would know what it is," they concluded, and the comments in response are pretty impressed by u/fem_bot's detective work — and agree with the idea. So what could the hot mic moment be, specifically? One producer, Alex Baskin, shed some light on that the day before the Season 10 reunion aired.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in advance of the finale of the Season 10 reunion, Alex Baskin got as specific as he possibly could without directly spoiling the secret. "The twist post-reunion does involve Scandoval," he confirmed. "And it is a wrinkle to what was said at the reunion. So it is a coda, or in addition to what was said at the reunion."

According to Baskin, the reveal centers on one specific thing: the timeline of Leviss and Sandoval's affair. Since the news broke, they've both maintained that the affair went on for seven months before it was unconcered. So what does Baskin have to say about that? "I would say that the timeline evolves," Baskin teased.

He did rule out some major theories, including that Leviss is pregnant with Sandoval's child or that Leviss also had a dalliance with Sandoval's best friend and business partner Tom Schwartz — before Scandoval broke wide open, Season 10 put a huge focus on Leviss pursuing Schwartz, who had recently split from his wife and fellow cast member Katie Maloney. Baskin said he loves hearing the theories, but that from his perspective, fans will really be shocked by this reveal.

"This morning I watched the reunion again; I've seen it a thousand times," he said. "And the end impacted me again, even knowing everything I do. I think everything is so sensationalized and so extreme at this point that the theories are really fun, but this is a twist. It's a further development. And to me what it means is, this is hardly over. And that we're discovering new information."

Just in case you thought the Scandoval drama well died down after the reunion taped in late March, think again. Leviss and Sandoval released milquetoast statements apologizing for their behavior after the news broke, and just over a month after that, Sandoval appeared on, of all people, Howie Mandel's podcast. (For "Vanderpump Rules" fans listening to the episode, it became immediately clear that Mandel had never seen a single episode of the series.) Sandoval spent the entire interview blaming Madix for the affair, and then he shaved his awful mustache with Mandel's help — perhaps because, during the reunion, DJ James Kennedy repeatedly called him a "worm with a mustache." Since then, Sandoval has been touring with his "band," a vanity project he personally funds called Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras, which features him doing everything from bongo-drumming to Australian accents.

Not much has been heard from Leviss since all of this happened, and her representatives say that she checked herself into a voluntary mental health facility (rumors have swirled that she's at an expensive wellness retreat). Madix has maintained that Leviss has been sending letters to the home she still shares with Sandoval, despite news that the illicit couple had parted ways. As for Madix, she's thriving, thanks to multiple brand partnerships, a new fling with her trainer Daniel Wai, a spot on "Dancing with the Stars," a role in a Lifetime movie, an appearance on the all-time most-watched episode of "Watch What Happens Live," and an invitation to the 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner. 

Fans will finally learn the wild "Vanderpump Rules" secret during the third part of the finale on June 7, 2023.