James Kennedy and Raquel Leviss clearly won’t be the Naomie Olindo and Craig Conover of the West Coast. The former betrothed couple haven’t seen each other since their December 2021 breakup, so there certainly haven’t been any hookups in Las Vegas. But will we see some friendly dynamics between the exes like Southern Charm’s former duo?
Certainly it’s been heartwarming to see Naomie and Craig seeking closure and being supportive friends to each other. But James is no charming southern gentleman. His erratic behavior is well documented on Vanderpump Rules, and there is anticipation to see how he and Raquel will act towards each other during filming.
Costar Scheana Shay asked Raquel to describe her feelings about working with James again. People reported on what was said during Scheana’s Scheananigans podcast this past Friday.
Raquel described feeling “nervous” to film Season 10 with James. She explained, ” It’s going to be a different dynamic this time. And we haven’t hung out since the breakup, so it’s definitely going to be a different kind of situation than I’m used to.”
To their credit, both parties acted civilly when they announced their split during the Season 9 reunion. James and Raquel issued joint Instagram statements ending their five-year relationship two days later.
Since she won’t be filming in the capacity of James’ partner, Raquel is instead focusing on relationships with other cast mates. “I’ve gotten really close to you and Ariana [Madix], Brock [Davies] and [Tom] Sandoval and even [Tom] Schwartz,” Raquel told Scheana. “So it’s gonna be less stressful in that way because I feel like I have genuine friendships, which is going to be fun to film.”
Raquel then teased dipping her toe in the dating scene saying, “that’ll be interesting.” Raquel most notably went on a date with former SUR manager, Peter Madrigal. She currently equates dating with a journey to “embrace myself.”
Part of the metamorphosis was a critical look at dating mistakes from the past. “I feel like I’ve either painted a picture of what I want somebody to be and then tried to help them become that instead of just being objective and seeing things for what they are,” Raquel explained. “Then also being objective with myself and expectations that I have – just a different approach than I’ve ever had going into filming.”