Vanderpump Rules Season 11 Episode 4 Recap: Most Shocking Moments

Summary

• Tom’s rift with the friend group worsens as his efforts to fit in fall short and Ariana refuses to engage with him.
• James hosted a barbecue where tensions flared between Katie, Ariana, and Schwartz, leading to skipped Tahoe trip.
• Lisa asked Scheana and Lala to support Tom, creating confusion and discomfort among them about her unusual request.

Vanderpump Rules season 11 episode 4 saw the cast getting ready for Lisa Vanderpump’s Lake Tahoe restaurant opening, with the tension between the Tom Sandoval side and the Ariana Madix side of the friend group escalating. After the fallout of Scandoval pushed Tom away from the rest of the friend group, aside from Tom Schwartz, things have changed drastically for the cast of Vanderpump Rules season 11. While things have been changing rapidly, Tom has been doing his best to stay relevant to the friend group. Ariana isn’t interested in speaking to Tom, but other Vanderpump Rules stars could be.

Tom and Ariana’s relationship crumbled after it was discovered that Tom had cheated on his partner of nearly a decade with Raquel Leviss, their close personal friend and the former fiancée of James Kennedy. With Vanderpump Rules season 11’s cast moving away from Tom after the scandal broke, the tensions between them have never been higher. As they attempt to make things slightly more palatable, Tom has been doing his best to reintegrate with the cast despite having nothing kind to say about them. While he’s trying to build a bridge, the rest of the cast seems hesitant to accept.

James & Ally Got Ready To Host Their First Get Together

Almost The Entire Cast Was Invited

James and his new girlfriend Ally Lewber have been doing well together in their newly purchased home, and the pair decided to throw a barbecue to have their friends over for the first time. Inviting nearly the entire Vanderpump Rules season 11 cast, James was somewhat nervous about the dynamics of the group all together. While Tom wasn’t going to be at his party, Schwartz would be attending and the dynamic between him, Katie, and Ariana wasn’t great after their confrontation. James and Ally were hopeful things would run smoothly but were aware of how quickly things could go awry.

Katie And Ariana Weren’t Interested In Schwartz’s Tahoe Trip

The Women Had To Deal With Something About Her

Before heading to James and Ally’s barbecue, Katie and Ariana met up at her place to choose their outfits and discuss the impending event. They rehashed what had gone down between them and Schwartz at See You Next Tuesday, explaining that neither of them felt comfortable with the way Katie’s ex had proceeded in the conversation. While he may have had a point that Ariana was making decisions for everyone, Ariana didn’t like the way he’d defended Tom in the process. Both agreed they had bigger things to deal with at Something About Her, so they’d be skipping Lake Tahoe.

Lisa Asked Scheana And Lala To Take It Easy On Sandoval

They Weren’t Happy About The Request

Prior to James and Ally’s barbecue, Scheana Shay and Lala Kent headed to Lisa’s house for a conversation neither of them saw coming. Lisa sat both women down and asked them to try and take some of the heat off of Tom, even though they weren’t happy about it. While Lisa had her own reasons for asking, both Scheana and Lala were confused about the request. Lisa was feeling the way she had leading up to her brother’s death, which was directly due to his mental health issues.

Tom Schwartz Found It Tough To Engage With Ariana & Katie

He Spoke To Lala At James’ Barbecue

Schwartz went to James and Ally’s party even though he wasn’t exactly feeling welcome by his fellow Vanderpump Rules season 11 castmates. After the tension at See You Next Tuesday, James was hopeful that the cast could come together for a celebration. Schwartz was also hopeful that he could make amends, but it was clear that things weren’t going to be easy with Ariana or Katie. Schwartz, instead, set his sights on chatting with Lala, who spoke to him openly abut her not wanting Tom to use him and apologized for snapping at him during the night out.

Tom And Billie Lee Opened Up After A Cold Plunge

He Revealed He Hasn’t Heard From Raquel In Three Weeks

Elsewhere, Tom and Billie Lee went for a spa treatment that left them both feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable. The pair did a cold plunge, which Tom struggled with, and then spent some time relaxing and chatting about what’s been happening. Tom, who’s been having a hard time with Raquel being away, shared that he hadn’t heard from her in the last three weeks. Though he was still holding out hope, it was clear that Tom was having a difficult time feeling alone with Raquel gone and his friends leaving him behind.

Ariana Shared She Didn’t Want Anyone Interacting With Tom

Her Issues With Sandoval Were Too Much For Benefit Of The Doubt

At James and Ally’s barbecue, Scheana and Lala shared with Katie and Ariana that Lisa had asked them to be a bit kinder to Tom. While Scheana had a hard time with the boundary Ariana put forth, she explained that she wouldn’t cross Ariana’s line of being friends with Tom. Ariana shared that she felt Tom was being manipulative with Lisa, angling to get everyone back in his good graces. While Scheana and Lala had a tough time with the sentiment, they both shared that they’re firmly on team Ariana.

James & Lala Connected Over Their Shared Sobriety

They’ve Had Issues In The Past

After the party, James and Lala met up to talk, as Lala wanted to let him know he should feel comfortable sharing about his sobriety with her. Lala, who has been sober for 5 years, let James know that he could share anything with her and she would keep it to herself. The pair have had an interesting relationship through the years, but it’s clear that their affection for each other holds strong. James was happy to have someone he could rely on in the group.

Schwartz Asked Tom To Tone His Attitude Down

He Invited His Friend To Lake Tahoe

After the party, Tom visited Schwartz at his apartment and the pair talked about how things had been going with the group overall. Schwartz extended the invitation to Lisa’s restaurant opening in Lake Tahoe, but explained that he wouldn’t be the only person in attendance. Schwartz shared that both Scheana and Lala would be coming, and when Tom got upset, Schwartz asked him to tone down his attitude about the women. Schwartz was hopeful that Tom could let things go so they could start to rebuild some semblance of a relationship.

Scheana, Lala, And Ally All Felt Odd About Tahoe

They Decided To Go Anyway

Meeting up for dinner with Ally and James, Scheana and her husband Brock Davies shared that they were feeling skeptical about going to Lake Tahoe with Tom in attendance. Ally explained she felt strange about it too, though Tom had never done anything to her personally. Scheana shared Lala was feeling hesitant, too, but to support Lisa and ensure things went a bit more smoothly for the group as a whole, they decided to venture out on the Vanderpump Rules vacation.

Vanderpump Rules

airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST, then streams the following day on Peacock.