Vanderpump Rules stars Scheana Shay and Lala Kent strongly approve of Ariana Madix’s new romance with trainer Daniel Wai after the Scandoval. Ariana and Daniel first went public at the Coachella festival in April. Since then, the two have been spotted on dates in Los Angeles and in New York City, where Daniel lives.
Scheana and Lala gushed to E! News that Ariana has “the best energy” with her new man. Scheana, who hung out with the new couple at Coachella, said Daniel treats Ariana better than Tom Sandoval ever did. The “Good As Gold” singer said she’s never seen her BFF “light up the way she does when he gets around her, when she talks about him.” She gushed that it’s “really, really amazing to just see her so happy,” after the shocking betrayal by Sandoval and Ariana’s former friend, Raquel Leviss. Scheana and Lala expressed uncertainty for how season 11 will go with Sandoval and Raquel, who just broke up.
Lala Says Ariana’s New Love Gives Her Hope Post-Randall
Lala, who’s been unable to “bounce back from the betrayal” that caused her split from Randall Emmett, called the romance “inspiring.” The single mom said Ariana’s happiness with Daniel makes her think, “Wow, maybe there are good men that I can open myself up to.” And while Ariana seemed to move on fast, Lala claimed that, for some time before their breakup, “Sandoval, [was] sucking her dry, just depleting her of her energy, stifling her fire…it was really sad for me to watch.” Lala, who feuded with Sandoval for some time, claimed the toxic relationship negatively affected her friendship with Ariana.
When Vanderpump Rules season 10 first began, Lala was already expressing her hopes to get Ariana out of the relationship. And while Scheana was also friends with Sandoval, she had her own issues with the relationship dynamic, even fighting with Ariana about it in earlier seasons. Before the breakup, Lala also recalled that Ariana “had a meltdown” and refused to discuss Sandoval’s behavior on camera. That Ariana is now thriving with a friend-approved new relationship, and all the career boosts she’s had since the breakup, will be good for viewers to keep in mind as the show will now explore some of the worst times of her life.
This season was already rough for Ariana, who lost her beloved dog, Charlotte, and her grandmother, and could sense Sandoval pulling away. A clip from the finale revealed Sandoval and Raquel first had sex right after Ariana put Charlotte to sleep. In last week’s episode, Raquel probed Ariana about her relationship woes with Sandoval, a shocking move, considering the seven-month affair was well underway at this time. After the breakup, Sandoval publicly shamed Ariana’s depression in his Howie Mandel interview. On the show, he started putting Ariana down, and gushing over Raquel in comparison.
As awful as Sandoval and Raquel’s behavior was, it’s been very obvious Ariana won the Scandoval. And now even more so, since she has a happy new romance, while the relationship Sandoval and Raquel destroyed their reputations for, is already over. Ariana also had her chance to go after her ex and ex-friend in the reunion, which was teased in the three-part special’s explosive trailer.
Vanderpump Rules airs Wednesdays at 9pm EST on Bravo.
Source: E! News/Brett Malec & Kisha Forde, Lala Kent/Instagram
