Ariana Madix Rips Into Schwartz for Trying to Bridge 'Gap' with Sandoval, Calling Out Her 'Ego'

On Tuesday's new hour of the Bravo reality show, LVP and her former employee sat down together to talk about the ongoing fallout from Scandoval -- specifically, how it's affected Sandoval's relationships with the whole group.

"It was months ago, but I feel we're still reeling from it," said Tom, after Lisa said the pile-ons from the cast were starting to feel like a bit much. "I don't think the punishment really befits the crime," she said, "maybe I would feel differently if Ariana wasn't living her best life. But she's kind of moved on."

Vanderpump said that while everyone may "always feel differently" about Sandoval after his affair on Ariana Madix with Rachel Leviss, she was concerned about his mental health after he confided in her about suicidal thoughts. "This is a personal trigger to me," said Lisa, who lost her own brother to suicide. "The thing that really worries me," she continued, "is he was so low, he actually said, 'I've had some really dark thoughts.'"

LVP said that her brother made similar comments to her "and then suddenly it's too late" -- before adding in a confessional that if anyone thinks she's "foolish" for reaching out to Sandoval, she'll happily take people thinking that "over the alternative."

She then urged Tom, "as a friend," to "try and help change this whole narrative" around Sandoval, as Schwartz admitted his BFF "doesn't make it easy." Vanderpump then suggested he invite the whole group -- including Sandoval -- to the opening of her new Wolf restaurant in Lake Tahoe. While she hoped the gang would take him up on the offer, she also said she'd totally understand if Ariana never wanted to hang out with her ex again.

"If he'd done that to me, I'd cut Ken's whatsits off and shove them up his ass," she exclaimed as their conversation came to an end.

Tom then made his way to SUR, where the rest of the cast was hanging out for the night.

While James Kennedy wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of spending more time with Sandoval, he felt he could at least try to coexist with him going forward. The same couldn't be said for everyone else.

"I don't want to be anywhere near you nor my ex," Madix said right off the bat.

After Schwartz pointed out that Ariana and Sandoval are still living under one roof, Ariana reminded him that she and her ex use a "mediator," so they don't actually have to interact with each other. "It's a complicated situation," Schwartz replied.

Lala Kent then chimed in, calling out Schwartz for standing by Sandoval and attempting to repair their friendship even though the affair had a negative affect on business at their Schwartz & Sandy's bar.

"After everything that happened and how he has treated you, what makes you feel the need to stand by his side?" Lala asked Schwartz, who replied, "We have a very beautiful friendship. And right now, it's strained. It sucks for me!"

Lala also noted one day he'd regret not ending their relationship sooner.

"Listen, I gave up on you a long time ago and my life is better for it. You're a lost cause," Madix then told Tom -- who hit back by telling her not to speak "on behalf of the whole group," adding, "You're not the queen of the group."

"Your ego's getting a little like, come on," he continued, as Madix threw up her hands in confusion, as Katie Maloney said everyone agreed with Ariana.

In a confessional, Madix said, "Schwartz is clearly confusing strength and boundaries with ego. I'm not making decisions for anyone else besides myself. If I don't want to be around my ex, I literally don't f--king have to."

"This isn't going to be a situation where you bridge some sort of gap and he comes back into the fold," Madix then defiantly told Schwartz. "This isn't my ego telling other people what to do and how to feel. No one destroyed [the group dynamic] but him."

As he expressed how he felt ganged up on, Katie said it was time to "release yourself from this f--king torture you've been under!"