Raquel Leviss Isn't the Vanderpump Rules Villain, She's the Anti-Villain

Raquel Leviss has entered her villain era. But if you really analyze it (and what Vanderpump Rules fan hasn't spent hours down that Reddit rabbit hole), we should probably start calling it her anti-villain era. 

Sure, the Bravolebrity broke up one of reality TV's longest relationships, antagonized the entire female cast in Season 10, and continuously fails to take responsibility for her actions. Dig deeper into the Scandoval of it all though, and the affair that's shaken every fan to their core was inevitable. 

For those who need a brief refresher, the entire internet is mad at Leviss for her affair with Pump co-star Tom Sandoval. (Rightfully so, viewers are equally — if not more — peeved at the TomTom personality.)

Sandoval had been in a relationship with fan favorite Ariana Madix for nearly a decade, but the couple broke up in early March after Madix (and the rest of the world) discovered Sandoval and Leviss' bombshell, months-long affair off camera. Even ickier is that as the pre-filmed, Season 10 unfolded on-camera, Madix was a staunch Leviss supporter and friend. She had Leviss' back even while dealing with personal tragedies, like losing her grandmother and putting down her sick dog.

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The culmination of that discovery unfolds in the May 17 season finale, which Bravo cobbled together after news of the affair broke. The network also went back and re-edited episodes leading up the finale, dropping Easter eggs and hints of the affair to craft the big reveals and subsequent fallout.

Looking back, viewers aren't really surprised by Sandoval's actions. He's had 10 seasons of sleaze-ball moves to prove he's not the Number 1 guy. Madix was the one thing that kept him grounded throughout all of it. But Leviss' downfall has been something to witness.

When she joined in Season 5 as James Kennedy's 22-year-old, beauty pageant girlfriend, she wasn't beloved. But her sweet disposition balanced Kennedy's brash personality and made her tolerable. Likeable, even. Someone you rooted for when she said yes to a sober Kennedy's Raquella-themed proposal (which Sandoval suspiciously sank real money into). And someone you admired when she stood up for herself after years of verbal abuse and called off the engagement right before the Season 9 reunion show.

Fast forward to Season 10 and Leviss — now 28 — has been going through a self-reckoning. She's had to film with Kennedy and his new live-in girlfriend Ally Lewber, knowing he moved on just five weeks after their five-year relationship ended. That's a gut punch no matter who you are, and would make anyone question their self-worth.

To someone like Leviss, who has spent years perfecting her beauty pageant persona and seeking approval for her looks and demeanor, it's devastating. Especially now that she's aged out of the pageant circuit and is facing big existential questions. 

It's a relatable situation for anyone who has completed a major chapter of their life or called off a formative relationship. Leviss was going through both when her biggest bully, Lala Kent, admitted she had cheated with Kennedy early on in his relationship with Leviss.

At that point, none of the other female cast members gave the admission the levity it probably deserved. Since Leviss called off the engagement prior to learning the news, she was expected to soldier on and forget about it. The scenes in Vegas with Kent, Katie Maloney, and Kristina Kelly only proved that. So Leviss left that trip early and ran right into the arms of the one person who validated her: Tom Sandoval. 

With Sandoval, Leviss had the male attention she's been trained to pursue in order to feel validated and worthy. She had someone to make her forget about Kennedy and his new girlfriend. And she had someone making her feel special as she figured out what she's actually going to do with her life. 

Does that make the affair defensible? Of course not. Part of the reason so many viewers are furious with Leviss is that by pursuing a relationship with Sandoval, she hurt the one woman who rose above all the mean girl behavior and had Leviss' back. It's been painful to watch Madix's confessionals and constant defense of a woman who, as it turns out, slept with her boyfriend in her car while she was mourning her dead dog. That's some misguided, main character energy right there. But it also makes sense. 

All season long Leviss has dated guys either out of competition or because they have shown an interest in her. Making out with Oliver Saunders in Vegas? Well, Kent was also interested, and Leviss needed to prove she's still got it. Going on dates with SUR manager Peter Madrigal? She wasn't interested, but Leviss knew Kennedy would hear about it. Making out with Tom Schwartz after his not-yet ex-wife Katie Maloney asked her not to? Maloney was mean to her in Vegas and Schwartz was into it, so why not?

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Sure, there are some fan theories that these men were all to detract from Leviss and Sandoval hooking up. Others believe she was trying to make Sandoval jealous so that he would break up with Madix. But let's not forget that this is also the first season Leviss did single, and she was expected to bring it for the cameras without the drama of James Kennedy to back her up. Reality TV is still a business, after all, and Leviss is fighting for a paycheck like everyone else. Her confrontations, confessionals, and apologies were well-timed, if not frustratingly hypocritical (look no further than Leviss' reactions to learning that Saunders was still married for proof). 

It's clear that at some point, Leviss validated the affair to herself. In the penultimate episode she confronted Madix about her sex life with Sandoval, and almost seemed to be urging Madix to break up with him. It was like she was parroting all the private conversations she'd had with Sandoval about how the relationship was over, in hopes of securing her happy ending without becoming the villain. 

Correction: anti-villain. Because isn't that the epitome of an anti-villain, someone who does the wrong things for understandable reasons? Leviss has proved that if there's a decision to be made, she'll make the wrong choice every single time. But she's not the first woman society has taught to attach her self-worth to a man while hurting and competing with the females in her corner.

The hope though is that with a little self-reflection, therapy and time away from the cameras, Leviss can learn from her mistakes and prove to young women everywhere that there's so much more to life than living for the male gaze. 

The season finale of Vanderpump Rules airs Wednesday, May 17 at 9/8c on Bravo.