We were sad after we initially learned about Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney‘s split, but watching their divorce play out on the new season of Vanderpump Rules might be even more heartbreaking. Especially during the Feb. 15 episode, when Katie came face to face with the bar that led to the demise of her marriage with Tom.
When the episode started, Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval were seen racing to get Schwartz and Sandy’s ready for its soft opening. They had to hire staff, hang decor and shop for a vintage sofa for the entryway — all in a matter of hours before a Daily Mail-hosted party would bring dozens of people into the bar for the first time ever. This was a big deal for them. And it was a big deal for Katie, too.
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During a spray tanning appointment with Lala Kent, Katie said she felt slightly awkward about going to her ex’s bar opening, but Lala told her not to worry. Lala told Katie that she can now enjoy the bar without holding resentment towards it for how it affected her relationship with Tom. Katie wasn’t so sure about that — they may not be together anymore, but she revealed Tom is still asking her to do favors for him, like watching their dog, while he does stuff for the bar. So Katie had mixed feelings about going to the opening. Nevertheless, she still went.
Katie spent a lot of time with Ariana Madix during the event, but towards the end, Tom Schwartz asked her to sit down with him for a chat. After taking a shot together, Katie told Tom that the bar has “really good vibes” and she told him that he worked “really hard” on it all, so he should be proud of himself. He appreciated her compliments, but he said “no amount of success could ever replace” what he lost because of it. He said he got “sucked into a parallel universe” while working on the bar and should’ve been there for her when she needed him.
“It nearly broke you, and it nearly broke me, [and] it broke us, kind of,” Katie told him before she asked, “Was it worth it?” Tom immediately became flustered and said he didn’t know how to answer that. But Katie reminded him that he “chose a lot” over her, including the bar. “You never chose me,” she said as her eyes started tearing up.
Katie told Tom that she ignored a lot of red flags along the way, letting things be okay that weren’t okay. He — with tears in his eyes, too — then apologized by saying “sorry” and admitting that he’s “trying to move forward” and be more “self aware”.
In his private confessional, Tom then recalled a scene from The Notebook, and wondered whether he should’ve “fought for” Katie like Noah fought for Allie, but in the end, he felt it would have just “prolonged” her pain and kept her from finding “happiness”.
Back in the booth with Katie, Tom said he often asks himself whether it was all “worth it”, but he still doesn’t know the answer to that.
Want more? New episodes of Vanderpump Rules air Wednesdays at 9pm on Bravo.