AceShowbiz - Rachel Leviss muses on whether Tom Sandoval deliberately "masterminded" their cheating scandal. The 29-year-old beauty and Tom, 40, were both widely panned after it was revealed that they had a months-long affair - but Rachel now wonders whether Tom orchestrated their romance for the benefit of his career.

"The thought has crossed my mind, like did Tom mastermind this? He is known to self-produce, and all he has is ['Vanderpump Rules'], and the success of this show equals longevity in his career. He's over 40 now, and this is his life - this is his main income," she said on the "Rachel Goes Rogue" podcast.

Rachel recently claimed that Tom put her in "a really bad position" amid their cheating scandal. The former "Vanderpump Rules" star said on her podcast, "He knew that I wasn't a good liar and I expressed to him that I don't like lying."

"He put me in a really bad position with my friendships, and this placement of being on this international reality TV show [meant] that my reputation was on the line."

Tom split from Ariana Madix after news of the affair became public. And Rachel claimed that Tom lacks maturity in his decision-making. She said, "I think he could have gone about [our relationship and their break-up] in a much more mature way. But who knows if he's even capable of that."

Rachel quit "Vanderpump Rules" last year, and she thinks she's benefited from the move. She shared, "I can see the impact the show had on my decisions, the impact that my trauma and my connection with Tom had on those decisions, and my trust in him and betraying myself in that process. I've been able to see a lot clearer now. That's what I needed. I needed that space to gain that clarity."