Scheana Shay says she's 'struggling' with her friendship with Ariana Madix

Because season 11 of Vanderpump Rules was filmed a year ago, the cast is shown still in the depths of the aftermath of the "Scandoval" cheating scandal, which has made for a season of seriously intense TV -- and it's not just drama between exes Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.

In a preview for episode 7 of season 11 (below), Scheana Shay is shown opening up about the fact that she feels like she's "struggling" in her friendship with Ariana Madix and says that one of Ariana's most recent career moves felt like "kind of a punch to the gut" that has left her feeling conflicted.

Scheana Shay says she's grieving her friendship with Tom Sandoval

In a previous episode of Vanderpump Rules, an emotional moment at Lake Tahoe left Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney criticizing Scheana Shay for seemingly being too sympathetic to Tom Sandoval on the after show.

Scheana Shay spent much of the trip to Lake Tahoe crying about the lost friendship between herself and Tom Sandoval as she feels like she's been forced to take a side in their breakup and, like many fans of the show, has been on Ariana Madix's side.

According to Scheana, it was Tom Sandoval's betrayal and ruining their friendship as well as fracturing so many other relationships within their friend group that had her breaking down during their conversation in the March 5 episode. She said, "I was mad at him for what he did to Ariana, I was mad at him for what he did to this group, I was mad at him for the things he said about me, I was mad at him that he used to be a person I could go to, who I trusted, who I knew always had my back, but now, like, who the f--k are you? I lost it."

The new preview shows Scheana reflecting on her Tahoe tears

In the preview, Scheana Shay is shown visiting Lisa Vanderpump and explaining what's been on her mind recently, most notably how losing her friendship with Tom Sandoval has had a major impact on her emotions.

"I'm going through stages of grief with Sandoval," she tells Lisa in the preview and says that Lake Tahoe was "the most emotionally draining day" she's had while part of the Vanderpump Rules cast.

When asked if she's upset about losing a friend in Tom Sandoval, Scheana says yes and says that she doesn't feel like she can talk to Ariana about those feelings because Ariana shuts down the conversation immediately.

"I've done everything I can to be ride or die for Ariana, but is it not enough still? I'm afraid to express how I feel because it's not been about me. It's never been about me; It's only about her. So, I'm struggling with having any conversation with her lately because I feel like I'm not valid in my feelings," Scheana says in the preview.

Scheana Shay calls Ariana Madix's Broadway debut a "punch to the gut"

In 2024, Ariana Madix became the latest Bravolebrity to make her Broadway debut. This has been a happy time for Ariana Madix and on opening night of the show, Scheana Shay and Lala Kent were there to support her.

But, it seems like Scheana has some conflicted feelings on Ariana's career moves -- most notably the fact that Ariana was cast on Dancing with the Stars before she joined the cast of Chicago in 2024.

In the preview, she talks about the fact that while of course she's happy for her friend, it's a bittersweet and complicated kind of happiness. As Lisa points out to Scheana during their conversation, Scheana had previously said that one of her goals was to be cast on the dancing competition show and Scheana admits that she had been dancing and practicing in case she was given a shot on the show.

Scheana says that while she's happy for Ariana being cast on the show, it's a happiness that also has a tinge of sadness because it was what she had wanted for herself and unfortunately, didn't get the opportunity to compete.

"I mean, she has come such a long way from being my backup dancer," Scheana says in the preview clip about Ariana's growing dance skills.