Tom Schwartz got sucked into the Scandoval nonsense by proxy of his friendship with Tom Sandoval. Also, by proxy of the knowledge that his best friend was cheating on Ariana Madix with Raquel Leviss. That and the fact that he did nothing but sit on the information.
As a result, Schwartz endured a heck of a lot at the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion. He popped Xanax on camera and did yoga during a break in filming. Having to answer for all that Scandoval, in addition to having his ex-wife, Katie Maloney, calling him out must have done a number on Schwartz’s nerves.
There’s no better way to deal with a stressful situation than to take yourself out of it entirely. Throw in a plane ticket to Australia and you’re golden.
Schwartz wanted to get out of his “little bubble”
Schwartz literally fled Los Angeles after filming wrapped for the reunion and found himself in Coober Pedy, Australia, to film Stars on Mars. The reality competition show features twelve contestants working together in physical labor and mental strategy games. One member is eliminated per episode, and the remaining contestants continue to live on set in the spaceship simulator.
Schwartz exclusively told Rolling Stone that the alternate reality aspect was very appealing.
Tom said, “I heard a soft pitch for it and they had me at Mars.“ He added, “I was looking for an escape. I know you have to be wary of escapism but there were a lot of things going on in my life, things were slightly chaotic, and after they gave me a soft pitch I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”
The experience was a needed change of pace. The Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner admitted, that “too much of the comfort zone is dangerous.”
“For me, it was a welcome retreat,” he explained. “I’ve been looking to get out of my little bubble that I’ve been in. We all have problems and this past year-and-a-half to two years, I happen to have had a lot of them all at once. You know, when it rains it pours. So it was a nice little sabbatical.”
Schwartz admittedly struggled the past season on Vanderpump Rules. His brother received a testicular cancer diagnosis. In addition, Schwartz’s father struggled with catastrophic blood clots.
Time for a break?
“I hope I don’t seem overly self-indulgent or neurotic because I’m not that guy. It’s just the past few years really got me,” Schwartz said of his limited ability to deal with the combination of dilemmas. “It was a combination of so many things happening with my family, you know, my dad almost dying multiple times, my brother getting cancer, my divorce.”
Participating in Stars on Mars was, therefore, therapeutic. And an avenue to re-assess priorities.
“I was able to step outside of my little bubble and be like, ‘You know what? I’m so grateful. I’m so lucky for all the opportunities I’ve been given and everything I’ve got to experience thus far in life,” Schwartz recalled. “And I have so many great friends and family and I’m full of love and gratitude.”
Finally, Schwartz revealed the full extent that Scandoval affected him and the need to get away from it all.
“For the past three months, it’s like my life has become mired in someone else’s life,” Schwartz explained. “We don’t have to dissect that but it’s been strange. Scandoval swept the nation and, you know, I don’t mean to sound insensitive because there was human cost and these are my friends, but it just was like, [being in Australia] I could step outside myself looking at it. It was just a very strange experience.”
Raquel has also fled the scene. She is reportedly still at the mental health facility that she checked into after the reunion was filmed.
TELL US – ARE YOU INTERESTED TO WATCH SCHWARTZ ON STARS ON MARS? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HIS NEED TO FLEE LA? DO YOU HAVE ANY SYMPATHY FOR SCHWARTZ KNOWING THE FULL EXTENT OF HIS FAMILY’S HEALTH ISSUES?
