Reality TV

Raquel Leviss' attempt to squash her beef with Scheana Shay is just a staged stunt for cameras during the reunion taping -- one that has NO impact on their legal battle ... at least that's how Scheana sees it!

Scheana’s lawyer, Neama Rahmani, tells TMZ ... “Rachel had Andy ‘serve’ Scheana with a document during the reunion, but the papers have no legal meaning."

He says the docs were a request to dismiss a complaint or a civil lawsuit -- but Raquel had already requested a permanent restraining order, "which is something completely different."

Rahmani says there's no way for Raquel to drop the current temporary restraining order ahead of next week's hearing, either ... and notes the docs handed to Scheana weren't filed with any court.

Bottom line for Scheana's camp is Raquel simply hammed it up for the sake of the cameras. Scheana's attorney says if Raquel really wanted to mend fences, she'd publicly confess Scheana never really attacked her in NYC, as she alleged in court to get the TRO.

As we reported, the 2 reality stars were separated during Thursday's taping ... each was in her trailer while the other was on set. Tom Sandoval and Raquel were spotted having a deep convo with each other outside the studio during Thursday's reunion.

It doesn't appear Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss have lost any feelings for each other despite some serious outside pressure ... sharing a deep convo during the show's reunion.

Check out the pics of Tom and Raquel -- both dressed in black like it's a funeral -- as they sit in the parking lot outside their dressing room trailers for Thursday's taping of the "Vanderpump Rules" reunion show.

Things look serious at times, but happy during others ... all while cameras roll.

Obviously, it's unclear what exactly they're talking about, but the show's special is supposed to get explosive -- as it's the first time Tom, Raquel and his ex, Ariana Madix are all coming face-to-face to talk about Tom's cheating with Raquel.

TMZ broke the story ... show producers also had to navigate the logistics of including Scheana Shay in the reunion as Raquel currently has a restraining order against Shay.

Remember, Raquel claims Scheana attacked her after learning of the cheating situation, dubbed "Scandoval," and the order demands Shay stay 100 yards away from Raquel. We're told Raquel and Scheana will be rotated in and out of the reunion set to avoid each other.

We covered all the latest developments in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast.

Ariana Madix is giving the sex toy company she recently cut a deal with something to scream about ... because we're told there's been a MASSIVE turnout in sign-ups for her big giveaway collab since she dropped the news.

A spokesperson for the adult-themed shop, Bellesa Boutique, tells TMZ ... in less than 24 hours since the "Vanderpump Rules" star announced her vibrator giveaway, the site's had tens of thousands of sign-ups!!!

We're told Bellesa's already given away 400 free vibrators as part of the collab, and the team's expecting to cross the 1K mark. The giveaway has most people walkin' away with a gift card that ranges from $30 to $75, with only a small number winning the free toy.

We covered the most recent Scandoval developments in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast.

Twitter's been loving every minute of this perfectly timed collab -- and Bellesa even jumped in on the fun with a hilarious meme about those "wronged by a Tom."

As we reported, Ariana made the giveaway announcement Thursday, saying you "gotta change up your vibe" sometimes -- cleverly referencing her breakup with Tom Sandoval after he cheated on her with Raquel Leviss.

The drama is unfolding on the set of the "Vanderpump Rules" reunion show ... the cast members arrived around 9:45 AM ahead of the highly-anticipated taping.

Tom Sandoval showed up to the San Fernando Valley set looking like he's going to a funeral -- dressed in all black -- which may be fitting, because he's likely to be buried for cheating on Ariana Madix with fellow cast member Raquel Leviss.

Ariana, fresh off her recent brand partnership with a sex toy company, is glowing ... she's rocking a yellow hoodie and matching sweats, and she just got her nails and hair done.

She definitely is sending Tom a signal ... her head-to-toe ensemble by Boys Lie includes graphics that read, "WE'RE SORRY THE NUMBER YOU ARE TRYING TO REACH HAS MOVED ON."

Lala Kent pulled up with a huge designer bag ... and we've also seen arrivals from Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay and Tom Schwartz.

Of course, it wouldn't be a "Vanderpump Rules" reunion taping without the big dogs ... Lisa Vanderpump's in the house, and she was met with a huge embrace from reunion moderator Andy Cohen.

No sign of Raquel yet ... remember, her restraining order against Scheana is complicating the reunion ... but she is in L.A., because we got her yesterday at LAX and a nail salon, and she was pretty chatty.

As we first told you, Raquel and Scheana have to be kept apart when they're both on set. When one of the women is filming with the rest of the cast, the other has to be sequestered in a hair and makeup trailer.

The seating chart is out too, and there are two versions. When Raquel is filming, she's sitting between the Toms and is five seats away from Ariana. When Scheana is on the set and Raquel's in her trailer, Scheana is seated at the end after Tom Schwartz.

The "Vanderpump Rules" crew has seemingly figured out the work-around for Raquel Leviss' restraining order against Scheana Shay for the reunion ... and it involves a BIG separation at all times.

A source close to production tells TMZ ... when Raquel is on set filming with the rest of the cast, Scheana will be sequestered in her hair and makeup trailer watching a live feed of what's happening on the stage. When It's Scheana's turn for the cameras, Raquel will then head to her trailer.

We're told the reunion hasn't started filming yet, but it's expected to go well into Thursday evening. Our sources tell us Andy Cohen already filmed solo one on one interviews Wednesday with Raquel, Tom Sandoval, and Ariana Madix -- which obviously should be super juicy.

Of course, the extra work to get both costars on the same set comes after Raquel got a temporary restraining order against Scheana after allegedly getting attacked by Scheana in NYC, causing a bruised eye and a cut on her face -- around the same time Tom and Raquel's affair went public.

As for the alleged assault, Scheana's attorney Neama Rahmani tells us, "This case is a fabrication by a known liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her. Scheana never punched Rachel [Raquel], period."

Gunter Nezhoda, famous for appearing on A&E's hit show "Storage Wars," is dead after losing his battle with cancer.

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda tells TMZ ... his father died Tuesday night in his sleep in Salt Lake City as a result of complications from lung cancer.

Rene says his dad was diagnosed in September, and the chemotherapy caused holes in his lungs. We're told Gunter recently flew to Utah for emergency surgery, but doctors determined there was nothing else they could do. His youngest son, Ricky, was by his side when he died.

Gunter appeared on seven episodes of "Storage Wars" from 2015 to 2019 ... we're told he filmed an episode with Rene for the upcoming 14th season.

In addition to his reality TV work, Gunter also acted in a handful of movies ... and he played bass with musicians like Kevin Dubrow, George Lynch, Michael Schenker, Pat Travers and Leslie West, just to name a few.

Gunter, who was born in Austria and grew up in Germany before moving to Las Vegas, was also a professional photographer, working with big-name companies like Ford, Microsoft and Big-O Tires. Some of his photos were published in magazines and advertisements.

Gunter was 67.

Jax Taylor is offering up his thoughts on Tom Sandoval's affair with Raquel Leviss ... saying he believes Tom's been cheating on Ariana Madix for years -- and Tom's famous business partner knew all about it.

The former "Vanderpump Rules" star spilled the tea with his wife Brittany Cartwright on Wednesday's "Watch What Happens Live" -- telling Andy Cohen he wasn't shocked at all when the Scandoval drama came to light. He also claims he was practically a witness for the infamous Miami incident years ago.

Fans of the show remember the long-standing rumor that Tom cheated on Ariana with a girl in Florida at the very beginning of their relationship ... and Jax says he was in the next room when it went down.

He's certain this has been a frequent thing with Tom, but still won't go into specifics on what he knows.

Jax also talks to Tom's business partner Tom Schwartz on the daily, and claims the guy knew about all of this, too -- swearing on his own child and even quoting what Schwartz told him.

Brittany and Jax go on to connect some dots from the past that seemed harmless at the moment ... stuff like going to the same parties together. Jax even recalls a time when Ariana told Tom her grandma wasn't doing well while he was at a party with Raquel, but he chose to stay instead of leave and comfort his GF.

For what it's worth, this is all coming from Jax -- someone who's known as the OG cheater on the Bravo series, and he seems to recognize that irony, too.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Ariana Madix knows how to keep herself satisfied following a messy split from her boyfriend ... because she signed a deal with a sex toy company.

Ariana made the announcement Thursday with a social media post, telling fans they can get a free vibrator by signing up for her giveaway.

The reality TV star is partnering with Bellesa Boutique ... and she says she's changing up her vibe following her breakup with Tom Sandoval.

As you know ... Ariana and Tom were together for a decade, until she recently found out he had been cheating on her with fellow cast member Raquel Leviss.

We haven't seen Ariana move on with any new romantic partners ... and with her new deal, she doesn't need to rush out to find a man for sex.

Raquel Leviss must not find the airport to be too conducive for conversation -- 'cause while she was mum there about the drama ... she sang like a canary at a nail shop.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star was greeted by a photog Wednesday outside of Blush Nail Bar in Valley Village, CA -- just outside of North Hollywood. She was sitting there all by her lonesome ... and was certainly ready to answer questions, unlike earlier in the morning.

Remember, she was caught on camera at LAX not too long before this ... and was radio silent on the cheating controversy, only giving courtesy nods and waves to paps.

Here, though, she's fully opening up about ... well, everything. It's interesting to hear her perspective -- the first time we're really getting her side of the story, and how things stand.

Check out the convo ... RL addresses everything from taking accountability for her actions -- which she says she's prepared to do at the reunion taping tomorrow -- to an attempted reconciliation between herself and Ariana Madix, which doesn't sound like it went well.

Of course, she's teasing the big reveal ... which will undoubtedly be aired on Bravo in the near future. But even with the obvious promo involved, she's quite transparent here.

Raquel touches on where things are with her and Tom Sandoval -- and one line of hers is revealing ... she says they're not labeling things and not sure if they'll stay together. At the moment she says they're on a "break" ... and they'll see where they go from here.

Another topic that's addressed ... the alleged attack from Scheana Shay, which Raq seems to be implying did in fact happen -- if the scar on her eyebrow is to be believed.

There's more Raquel dives into ... Tom Schwartz and his rumored knowledge about all this included. Give it a watch -- it's fascinating how much she actually spills on camera.

Ariana Madix seems to have moved on from all things Raquel Leviss, and instead is pretending to have wiped her from memory with a pretty major burn.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star was leaving Starbucks with her pal Logan in Studio City Tuesday ... and she was asked how she's feeling about the upcoming reunion. Clearly, Ariana's not thrilled about what's gone down, and her response reflects that pretty bluntly.

She's also asked if Raquel's hit her up yet with a personal apology for everything that's happened ... check out Ariana's ice-cold response.

Obviously things are nowhere near fixed -- you'll recall, the trailer for season 10's mid-season episodes showed just how explosive the "Scandoval" drama really is amongst the group. As we reported, the team at Bravo scrambled to capture the turmoil soon after Ariana dumped Tom.

"1000-Lb. Sisters" star Amy Slaton's hubby Michael Halterman is callin' it quits on their marriage -- he recently filed for divorce.

Michael filed last week in Union County, Kentucky, TMZ has confirmed ... starting the process to officially end their 6-year marriage.

Fans of the hit TLC series remember the couple eloped 2 years before their 2019 wedding, which was a highlight of the show -- Amy and Michael had been longtime lovers, and as kids, they grew up together.

Amy and her sister Tammy were gunning for weight loss surgery, with Amy getting medical approval -- and losing over 100 pounds -- with the goal of being able to have a kid with Michael, which eventually came to fruition.

A 6-month TMZ investigation raises serious questions ... was there a 5th plane targeted by hijackers on 9/11? The flight attendants and pilot aboard United Flight 23 believe they were indeed targeted, and they make their case tonight on FOX at 9 PM.

United 23, a 767 aircraft, was scheduled to depart JFK at 9 AM, bound for L.A. Six passengers aroused the suspicion of flight attendants for various reasons. Among them ... they were convinced one of the passengers was a man disguised as a woman.

The plane was near the runway, ready to take off, when JFK was abruptly closed after the World Trade Center was hit. It taxied back to the gate and the plane was fully evacuated and locked. Twenty minutes later, people on the ground saw 2 uniformed people running in the passenger cabin. Authorities came, unlocked the door, and found the hatch leading from the belly to the cabin was open ... something that alarmed the FBI.

The flight attendants were interviewed by the FBI and even taken to a lineup to see if they could identify the 4 passengers.

Box cutters were found in the first-class seat pockets on a 767 parked next to United 23 ... that plane was not scheduled for takeoff at the critical time. The pilot was informed and believes those box cutters were meant for his plane, and someone on the ground just confused the 2 planes.

In addition to the flight attendants and pilot, the documentary includes interviews with the United dispatcher, a member of the 9/11 Commission and others.

Joe Exotic is getting dragged for his recent presidential run announcement, but it ain't by Carole Baskin -- instead, it's by the party he says he's running with.

Angela McArdle, chair and spokesperson for the Libertarian Party, tells TMZ ... "We stand for personal and economic freedom, we are not a landing pad for former reality stars and D-list celebrities." Ouch.

She says the "Tiger King" star hasn't shown he has a full grasp on the ideas of the party, and even calls out his 2018 gubernatorial run as a Libertarian in Oklahoma -- saying that attempt was "just tigers and glitter."

She adds she's very sympathetic to people "being mistreated in prison," but notes that doesn't mean it's right to support someone who's made "poor choices."

Angela tells us, hypothetically, anyone can run for office as a Libertarian, and there isn't a whole lot the party can do to block it -- instead, she urges folks to send libertarian literature to Joe while he's locked away. In her words, "If he's going to be spouting about libertarianism, he might as well get educated about it."

Aside from understanding his party's platform, there's the not-so-small issue of candidate Joe's 20 remaining years on his prison sentence!

MTV's "The Challenge" star Nelson Thomas' GoFundMe is getting some serious support after his car crash, and some of the donations are coming from fellow reality stars.

The charity campaign quickly picked up steam after going live earlier this week -- and reality TV fans will definitely recognize some of the names chipping in with funds. Nurys Mateo and Tori Deal, who both starred on "The Challenge," dropped $1K each ... while Mark Long and Corey Lay from the series also ante'd up donations.

Outside of Nelson's 'Challenge' crew ... Nicholas Maccarone from "Big Brother" chipped in $250, "Wild 'N Out" star Justina Valentine gave $500, as did Maria Menounos.

Zak Longo from MTV's "Are You the One?" gave $5K ... moving the campaign closer to its $200k goal.

As we reported, Nelson was injured in a fiery crash in Austin, TX earlier this month. Minnesota Vikings receiver K.J. Osborn and a few others were able to rescue him from the wreckage.

Nelson ended up in pretty bad shape -- he showed some of his cuts and burns from his hospital bed, saying he's doing better but has a ways to go.

A United 767 scheduled to take off from JFK Airport on September 11, 2001, could have been the 5th plane targeted by hijackers ... this according to the flight attendants and the pilot on that plane. TMZ will present the story of United 23 Monday on FOX at 9 PM ET.

TMZ has conducted a 6-month investigation into United Flight 23 -- scheduled to leave JFK at 9 AM ... bound for Los Angeles. We interviewed 3 flight attendants, the pilot, the United dispatcher, a member of the 9/11 Commission and others about a series of suspicious activities on the plane ... suspicious enough for the FBI to get involved.

Four passengers in first class aroused suspicion shortly after they boarded. The flight attendants say one of the passengers was a man disguised as a woman. The purser [first class flight attendant] tells us those passengers did not eat meat, and there were only 2 fruit plates in the galley. She wanted to get more fruit plates so the passengers could eat, and it triggered a heated argument ... with one of the passengers insisting, "We do not want to eat. We don't need food. We want to take off ... We just want to go."

There were other reasons the flight attendants were suspicious of the 4 passengers in first, along with 2 others in business class.

The plane taxied to the runway and was close to taking off when the World Trade Center was hit and the airport shut down. United 23 went back to the gate and was evacuated -- the plane was empty and locked. Twenty minutes later, people on the ground saw 2 uniformed people running in United 23's passenger cabin. Authorities came a short time later, opened the door and found the hatch -- that led from the belly of the plane to the cabin -- was open.

The pilot believes those 2 people may have been there to remove weapons or other incriminating evidence. We don't know what was removed from Flight 23, but we do know someone put box cutters in the first-class seat pockets in the plane parked next to United 23 ... a plane that was not scheduled to take off at that time. The United 23 pilot believes those boxcutters were intended to be on his flight but someone confused the 2 planes.

The FBI interviewed the flight attendants later that day and even took them to a lineup at the Port Authority to see if they could ID the 4 passengers.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Ariana Madix has every reason to hide away and feel sorry for herself, but she's doing the exact opposite ... with a big smile and new hairstyle to show off.

Madix was spotted in Los Angeles Thursday, grinning from ear to ear and sporting a lighter hair color as she waved to cameras before meeting up with a friend.

It's not the first time we've seen Ariana since we broke the news of her split with Tom Sandoval after discovering he'd cheated with Raquel Leviss -- she was recently celebrating a friend's wedding down in Mexico ... but she does genuinely look happy in these pics.

Earlier this week, Ariana broke her silence publicly on the "Scandoval," thanking everyone for the "outpouring of love and support i have received from friends, family, and people i’ve never even met in the last two weeks."

She continued, "to say i have been devastated and broken is an understatement." Finally, issuing a warning with, "What doesn't kill me better run."

The show's cast is gearing up to film what's sure to be a wild reunion in the coming weeks, TMZ broke the story, Raquel recently opened up talks with show producers to figure out whether or not she'll participate in the reunion.