A Vegas hookup, a territorial reaction, and a FaceTime that stirred the pot all over again
The Gabriella Sanon, Meredith Lambert, and Andre Mitchell situation was one of those “Vanderpump Villa” Season 3 storylines that never fully exploded but simmered underneath almost every Gabriella scene from Episode 1 onward. Here’s the full timeline of what happened and why it kept coming back up.
Who Is Andre Mitchell?
Andre was a cast member from “Vanderpump Villa” Seasons 1 and 2. He and Gabriella had a romantic connection during those seasons — enough of one that it was considered established history coming into Season 3. He did not return for Season 3, but his presence was felt almost immediately anyway.
What Happened in Vegas
Before filming began, the cast gathered for a Season 3 premiere party in Las Vegas. Meredith — who came into Season 3 as Alyssa Johnston‘s best friend and roommate — slept with Andre that night. On the balcony. She was, by her own and others’ accounts, very drunk. Hannah Fouch and Sam Terry both clocked it at the party and noted how gone she was.
Meredith did not quietly keep this to herself.
Secrets & Seductions Game on Episode 1 of ‘Vanderpump Villa’
Episode 1 featured a cast icebreaker game called Secrets and Seductions, where everyone wrote a secret on one side of a card and a spark they were hoping to ignite that summer on the other. Hagen pulled Meredith’s secret from the box and read it out loud to the group: “I f—ed Andre in Vegas.”
Meredith’s response was a barely sincere “sorry” delivered with a smile directly at Gabriella in front of everyone.
Gabriella pulled her aside immediately. Told her she found it very weird to come into her domain and announce in front of everyone that she had slept with someone Gabriella had previously had a romantic relationship with. Warned her, in no uncertain terms, that she should want to be someone Gabriella enjoyed having around. Meredith rolled her eyes walking away from the conversation.
In confessional, Gabriella said she felt like a clown. Meredith told the group she didn’t think Gabriella was happy with her, which — correct. Dom jumped in to say he thought Gabriella’s ego was a little inflated off the back of winning the bonus last season.
Why It Kept Coming Up
Meredith did not stop bringing up Andre. In Episode 3, Keviah Healy pulled her aside and told her that continuing to reference it every five minutes was coming off pick-me. Gabriella agreed, saying Meredith seemed to think it was clout — “like, he’s not here.” Both of them landed on the same word independently: weird. Meredith’s response was essentially that she didn’t care if people liked her, which did not help.
Meredith, in her own confessional, called Keviah the real pick-me and pointed out her fake colored contacts. So that went well.
The FaceTime
Just when the Andre situation seemed to have faded into the background, it came roaring back in Episode 4. Hannah, Chef, Dom, and Marciano FaceTimed Andre during some downtime. He used the opportunity to tell them that Gabriella had played him — that she had a boyfriend the entire time they were in Italy and had tried to make him look stupid and like he was the one running games. He said he would never speak to her again. Marciano told him he had just stirred the pot. Andre said: “Stir the pot, please.”
Dom told Keviah what Andre said. Keviah told Gabriella.
Gabriella’s response was essentially a shrug. She said she had a roster in Italy and he was one of them. It’s over, get over it. She did not seem particularly rattled by it.
What It Meant for Gabriella’s Season
The Andre thread was really the opening chapter of a larger story about how Gabriella was perceived this season versus how she perceived herself. She came in as the reigning bonus winner, territorial over her relationships and her status, and the very first episode handed the cast a reason to question whether the ego matched the reality. Meredith lit the match, Andre poured accelerant on it via FaceTime four episodes later, and the rest of the season let it burn quietly in the background while bigger fires — namely Hannah and Marciano — took up most of the oxygen.
Meredith, for her part, moved on fairly quickly. She hooked up with Chase from DadTok in Episode 7 and described it as her first experience with a dad, which she found fun. Andre was no longer mentioned.
All ten episodes of “Vanderpump Villa” Season 3 are streaming now on Hulu.
The ‘Vanderpump Villa’ Season 3 reunion airs April 30th. See what we know and watch the trailer here.
More ‘Vanderpump Villa’ Content
Catch up on everything leading into the reunion:
- What Are the “Vanderpump Villa” Cast Up to Now?
- Who’s on the Hot Seat at the “Vanderpump Villa” Reunion?
- The Wildest Moments From “Vanderpump Villa” Season 3
- Questions the “Vanderpump Villa” Reunion Needs to Answer
- Everything to Know Before the “Vanderpump Villa” Reunion
- Who Won the Bonuses In “Vanderpump Villa” Season 3?
For more “Vanderpump Villa” content, click here.
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