Scheananigans with Scheana Shay - Raquel Leviss on Being Single & VPR Season 10!

Episode Date: July 8, 2022

This week, Scheana is joined by Raquel Leviss to discuss what she's been up to since the last time she was on the podcast! Raquel talks about moving into a new apartment, what the dating scene has been like and competing in "Miss California USA.” Which Bravolebrity did she go on a date with and who set her up? How does she like living alone? What’s in store for Raquel on VPR Season 10? Tune in to find out!  Follow us: @scheana @scheananigans   Go to www.elvie.com/shay to get your hands on the Elvie Stride   Produced by Dear Media    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. Y'all, I am so excited. Something I have been working on for so long is finally here. I have launched my very own eyelash line. It's called Viva Verano, means long live summer. I have the cutest packaging, all rainbow as an ode to my rainbow baby who has the best lashes in the game. We have three styles, summer, moon, and honey, something for everyone. You can check them out now at Viva Verano Lashes on Instagram or go to vivaveronolashes.com. Hi, I'm Eileen Kelly and I'm the host of Going Mental. After struggling with these incredible highs of a booming career and then the unbelievable lows of losing my mental health,

I voluntarily admitted myself to a psychiatric hospital. I ended up staying over five months, learning not only how to better manage my symptoms, but also just get my life back on track. So I'm here to say that no matter where you are, you're not alone. On my show, Going Mental, I'm going to be talking to guests about their own mental health journeys, as well as talking to professionals. New episodes every Thursday, and you can find Going Mental on Dear Media anywhere you listen to podcasts. mental all of the time. From Vanderpump Rules to Motherhood and everywhere in between, it's time to catch up with Sheena Shea. This is Shenanigans.

And now, here's your up with Sheena Shea. This is Shenanigans. And now, here's your host, Sheena Shea. Hello, everyone. We are back in studio here in West Hollywood at Dear Media, getting into some shenanigans for the fourth time. This might be like close to a record of someone on my podcast. Oh, are you serious? I was going to say it's a record for me. It's a record for you doing a podcast. I know Nima was one of the ones who held like the most appearances on shenanigans. But I don't know,

it might be for you might be up there. Wow. And for those of you who don't know that beautiful voice, it's Miss Raquel Levis. Hi. So yeah, I was thinking back. I'm like, okay, you did it once when we were in Palm Springs, like in the pandemic. And then we did ours at the beginning of the year after your breakup. We did another that we just dragged you into in a drinking and podcasting. Yeah, you tricked me into that one. And now here we are doing it like the right way. This is official. Like this is the most official I've ever done a podcast ever.

Wow. Well, no, besides when I went to BravoCon, or not BravoCon, sorry. Besides when we went to New York for Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live. Yeah. They would have us like go into like the studios. Do your little press stuff. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, thanks for being here. I have so many things I want to talk to you about. But yeah, I just wanted to point out that number four. So thank you for being here again. Last time when we did our drinking and podcasting, it was like end of April-ish. But I think it was post Coachella, pre stagecoach. And we were talking a little bit about dating and some things upcoming. So I just wanted to catch up with you from April to now and see what's going on in the world of

Raquel. Because obviously I know, but for the listeners. So stagecoach, we saw you there. Uh-huh. There was someone you posted a video with or like a photo and you cropped off. And fans were circling being like, wait, who is this guy? Is Raquel dating? So, what can you tell us about the mystery man who was cut out of the photo? It's actually really funny. We were at the Shein installation and it was super cute. They had like this whole like barn set up, but it was like disco party and they had a bull in the middle that was all disco balls. And so I was in line to take

a video riding the bull. And when I was in line, this guy came up to me and he was like, I'm a fan blah blah blah like can I please take a picture with you and I'm like yeah sure and he tagged me in it and I didn't really like think anything of it until I saw the photo later and I was like oh my god this is actually a really great photo he's cute and I was like I don't want people to think I'm like with anyone though so it was a good photo of both of us. Yeah. Like, okay, I'll just like crop him out.

And sorry. Sorry, dude. Yeah. I had some people message me and they're like thinking it was a different guy who I guess you actually do know. And I don't know if he was at stagecoach or whatever it was. I was like, I don't know. Let me do some digging and I'll find out.

But yeah, so there was nothing to that one. No. Was this your first stage coach? My first stage coach was my first festival ever. I went with Paige, my friend, my best friend from high school. And I never listened to country music before. But she's like, I'm going to this music festival. You should come. So I was listening to like Luke Bryan and all the people that were performing. Not really a big country person, but I had a really fun time. Yeah. And that was my first festival. And then after that, like discovered Coachella and obviously obsessed. But this is like the first time being an adult at stagecoach you know I feel like my first festival was stagecoach as well it was like 2007 or 8 and Carrie Underwood headlined so it went also the Eagles like a band that I grew up listening to yeah and I think that was my very

first festival oh my gosh yeah gosh. Yeah. No, I remember Florida Georgia Line. Yeah. Was performing and I'm like now a huge fan of them. Yeah. So that's good. And we're a huge fan of festivals now. All thanks to Stagecoach. What would you say is your favorite festival out of the bunch? Stagecoach. Yeah. No, not Stagecoach. Coachella. Coachella. I always like my dyslexia is crazy. I always mix them up. I mean, they're a week apart and they're in the same place. The same same root word or whatever. Yeah. Stagecoach. Coachella. Yeah, I get it. Yeah. Yeah. Coachella. OK. What about Life is Beautiful? I love Life is Beautiful, too. See, I feel like I like Life

is Beautiful more. Do you? I really want to go to Lightning in a Bottle. Yeah. And then I've always wanted to do Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza. Yes, Lollapalooza. I think there's one in like the UK. Is Splash House a festival? So here's the thing with Splash House. They call it a festival.

So here's the thing with Splash House. They call it a festival, but all it is is three pool parties at hotels in Palm Springs. To me, that's not a festival, quote unquote. Like it's pool parties, but it's Brock's favorite festival. And we went and he got COVID. So I was like, well, at least you got COVID doing what you love at your favorite festival. Yeah. So you are no longer at our house in Hollywood. And I have to tell you, being there the last couple days, it feels so weird. Like I'm just waiting for Graham to start barking or for you to walk out of your room. And it's so weird being there because all of last year when we lived there, I mean, we were there full time. We had the baby. And then in January, when, you know, you needed a place, we're like, we'll go back down to San Diego for a couple of months and just give you the apartment. So it's felt very much like your apartment for the last six months. Yeah. And I think the original plan was for me to only stay there

for a month or two to get myself back under my feet. But like, I just felt so it started to feel a little homey and I was getting used to my own little routine. And it's been so nice to be able to live there. Yeah. But I'm happy to be out of Hollywood now. I moved to North Hollywood. Yeah. And I have a cute little studio apartment. I'm in the process of furnishing it right now. Very excited about that. I love that new beginning. Yeah. Yeah. It was just this morning. It was so lonely there without you. It's like we had my daughter at my mom's house and then Brock this morning left to go be there with her so I could come and do the podcast. And I was like, I'm just here by myself. Like, what do I do? I don't know what to do by myself now that I have a baby because she keeps me so busy. And then I'm like, now I have no baby and no Raquel. You're like my other daughter. because she keeps me so busy. And then I'm like, now I have no baby and no Raquel. You're like my other daughter. I know. I feel like Brock, you and Brock adopted me. We did. Wait, where were we? Oh, in Vegas. Yeah. And we convinced someone that I was your mom. And I'm like, come on. I first of all, I know I don't look that old. I made a joke. We were at Vanderpump Paris. Yes. And you were

trying to figure out something on Instagram and you couldn't figure it out. And I'm like, Raquel, are you 27 or are you 52? And the server's like, are you 52? I go, oh, no, I'm 48. And he's like, wow, keep doing what you're doing. You look great. And he goes, is this your daughter? Yeah, it's my daughter. And he's like, oh, wow. Like I see the resemblance. I'm like, what, OK. Yeah. Yeah. But that's interesting. I think that was his own issue, honestly. Yeah, definitely. So you moved out. You were in North Hollywood. Yeah. So this is the first time that now you're really like on your own own post breakup, because even though the apartment in Hollywood was yours for the last six months, we still popped in and out a few times a month or you would come down to San Diego. And

how does it feel just being in your own own space? It feels great because this is actually the first time I've been living on my own ever. Yeah. Because in college I had roommates all throughout college. And then after I graduated, I moved down to L.A. So this is the first time actually being by myself. And it's it's great. Yeah. I feel like this is like, I don't know, I'm really embracing the single life. I love it. I'm so excited to just see more of this. Let's let's talk about single life. Okay, let's get into it. Raquel. So obviously, we know, I know who you've been talking to. But for the listeners, you don't have to say who but I just want to know like, what's the best date you've been on this year? Is there anyone you are interested in pursuing more than casually? Is there anyone

you've went on a date with and you're like, absolutely not red flag never again, like, kind of walk us through the last few months of single Raquel? Oh, man. Okay. Um, I had a cute date in New York. Mm hmm. Can we say with who? I don't know. I mean, if you saw my Instagram, you were wedding dates. Yeah, we were wedding dates. I guess it's not a secret. Yeah, I had a cute date with Nima.

Yeah. Yeah. Who I set you up with. It's funny because I saw someone, I don't know if it was online or it was a question that came in or Watch What Happens Live or whatever it was. But someone was like, oh, it was. It was Watch What Happens Live when Lala was on. And they asked if I was upset that you were talking to Nima because I had dated him. And Lala didn't even know anything about it.

And I was like, I'm the one who set this up. So yeah, no, I ship it. I'm not upset at all. Yeah. So you guys had a cute date. We went to a wedding together. Yeah. Talk about a first date. Yeah, right. That was actually our first date, which is kind of bizarre. Like his I guess he was telling his friends about the whole situation and they were like, are you sure you want to invite her on this like date? This is your first day as a wedding date. Yeah. It's like, I think it'll be fine. Yeah. And it was like it was so fun. Actually, the first time like we actually interacted was at your podcast. The live podcast show. Yeah. And I thought that suitor number three was Nima. That's right. Yeah. And the whole time I was kind of like having an anxiety attack

because like one of the questions was, if you were to cook something at home for me, what would you make? Yeah. And the guy said lobster. And I was like, what, you're gonna boil a lobster in front of me and then like, cook it up? Like, that sounds horrible. Yeah. What else did he say? He was just like, very much about like, boys and puberty, going through puberty, puberty, and that's a hard time in their life. Yeah, it was his answers. It just if it was I can't imagine what was going through your mind. And if you guys weren't in New York,

if you didn't see my live show, you can sign up for my Patreon and you can watch the entire live show and see exactly what Raquel's talking about. So the guy who was in the it was the first chair. We had two guys up there and then a girl and the first guy we had two guys up there and then a girl and the first guy his answers were just not what nema would answer whatsoever but you just thought their voices

like we've been talking but like we've been voice memoing each other so i know his voice and his voice sounded like that and there was yeah i i was just like, Okay, and then Brock at the very end was like, fuck, marry, kill. And I was like, great, really? Now I have to kill Nima. Yeah. And as soon as I looked, it wasn't him. Thank God, because I'm going to a wedding with this guy tomorrow. Imagine how awkward that would have been. And I even know just because, you know, Nima is one of my best and closest guy friends. And I know that he was a little nervous, too. He's like, Sheena, but like, are you sure? Like you like what if we don't hit it off and then it's going to be fucking awkward. And then we're at this wedding all weekend. And he was like working himself up. I didn't even entertain it. I didn't even respond to his voice note. I was like, I'm not I'm not entertaining this. Yeah. After he was like, because the week before, like, I don't know, we were like talking in phases

and stuff. And the week before I was like, I don't know if I should go. I was really like about to pull the plug on it. Yeah. But I was like, yeah, and I think he was feeling that energy. And I was like, no, everything's gonna be great. We're gonna have so much fun. And I was like, no, everything's going to be great. We're going to have so much fun. And I just stayed positively optimistic and we had the best time ever. But that's not the only person you've been talking to. So we're going to take a little break and get back into Raquel's dating life. Y'all, it is a new week and I'm so excited because that means I have a new meal delivery coming in from Green Chef. These meals I have been eating for, oh my gosh, like a year and a half now since I was pregnant. Brock and I make them together. They are so good, so fresh, easy to make, but literally you feel like an actual chef

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All the ingredients come straight to your door, leaving you with more time to savor the sunshine. Also with Green Chef, you're reducing your food waste by at least 25% versus grocery shopping. Green Chef is the number one meal kit for eating well with dinners that work for you and not the other way around. Like I said, they have something for everyone. So if you're looking to save time and be a chef at home, like Brock and I are, I say you go to greenchef.com slash Shea135 and use code Shea135 to get $135 off across five boxes, plus free shipping on your first box. Go to greenchef.com slash Shea135. Use code Shea135 to get $135 off across five boxes, plus free shipping on your first box. Green Chef is the number one meal kit for eating well. So from the East Coast to the West Coast, we saw you at Coachella with a very tall,

good looking man who people somehow mistaked for Schwartz. Yeah. And it's been multiple times, actually. Yeah. It happened again in Vegas. So Brock's friend, Joey, I was like, you guys need to meet. Like, you're walking down the aisle together at the wedding. So I want you to meet, hang out.

It might be a vibe, you know. Nima's on the East Coast. Joey's on the West Coast. But keep your options open. You know, you're 27. You're single for the first time in a long time. Let's just feel it out. And, you know, Joey might just be a festival buddy, like a best friend, but I don't know, maybe he's more than

that. So Coachella, you guys showed up and you're literally like matching. Your outfits couldn't have been more perfect together. But what I'm still struggling with is how people thought he was Schwartz. I'm not sure either. And did you make out with him at Coachella? No. So that's, I was like, I never even saw them make out. No, I didn't make out with Joey when Schwartz wasn't even there. So that was just made up. But then in Vegas this past weekend, one of the girls we were with, she goes,

oh, is that Tom? And I was like, Tom? She goes, yeah. She goes, wait, what's his last name again? I was like, Sandoval. And I'm like, oh, Schwartz. And she goes, yeah, he's hot in person. She goes, I mean, he's cute on the show, but he's hot. And I was like, that is not Schwartz. I'm like, so people probably thought that at Coachella. Probably because we were talking at the do lab and like we're we've we've been like Instagram friends or whatever. And you never know like when you meet somebody if you're actually going to hit it off or not.

And I feel like just because he has like he's ripped. Oh, my God. Yeah. I don't really know if he's my type or like if we're actually going to hit it off on more than just a superficial level. Right. But we had a great conversation hit it off on more than just a superficial level. Right. But we had a great conversation and it was super easy. And I obviously was like, OK, intrigued. Yeah. But we just left it at that and exchanged phone numbers at Coachella. And then it was fun getting to know

him a little bit more in Vegas. Yeah. So what is Raquel Levis going to do at the wedding when both suitors are invited guests? Oh my gosh, Sheena. Can I just tell you that James said to me, if I can't bring my girlfriend, Raquel can't bring a date to the wedding. And I was like, she doesn't have to. Her dates are already invited. All of my suitors are already going to be there. Yeah. Stay tuned. I mean, I have my own hotel room. I'm not staying with anybody.

No, that's true. Oh, this will be fun. I can't wait for the wedding shenanigans. So season 10 is approaching. Yeah. Single Raquel for the first time. What can the viewers and listeners expect to see? What are you most excited about? What are you nervous about going into the season single? Well, I guess most nervous, guess about just like interacting with James once again because it's going to be a different dynamic this time and we haven't hung out since the breakup so it's

definitely going to be a different kind of situation than I'm used to but also I feel like I've gotten really close to you and Ariana Brock and S Sandoval and even shorts. So it's it's going to be less stressful in that way, because I feel like I have genuine friendships, which is going to be fun to film. Yeah. And I don't know, I guess dating, which is going to be awkward on camera because, you know, it is awkward on camera. But actually I was gonna say but it's kind of fun no it's just awkward it's yeah yeah so that'll be interesting and then just like trying to embrace myself like you know yeah yeah because I feel like I've kind of like I don't know either paint a picture of what I want somebody to be and then try to help them become

that instead of just like being objective and seeing things for what they are and then also being objective with myself and like expectations that I have. So just a different approach than I've ever had going into filming. Yeah. Well, I'm so excited to just watch you blossom because you've grown so much. I mean, since I've known you, but even more so in the last seven months since the breakup, you're just a different person in the best way possible. And I'm so excited for everyone to get to see more of this Raquel because like you're thriving and it's so fun. It's so fun.

So don't be nervous. You know, you have your friends and yeah, it's gonna it's gonna be crazy. It's gonna be fun. I mean, we did run into James and his girlfriend at the I Heart Awards and she was super sweet. So at least we got that first, you know, meeting out of the way. Yeah. Semi privately on a red carpet, but without cameras that were filming us. Right. That's so weird. But, you know, it's gonna be like, oh, the housewarming party or something. And obviously we are all friends with both parties still.

So, yeah. Are you doing anything like mentally to prepare yourself for these soon to be encounters? But she is a mental health coach and she taught us breathing exercises, which helped me like just in that one hour session. I got so many amazing takeaways. What kind of vibrations to listen to in the morning when you wake up and what kind of vibrations to listen to when you fall asleep and throughout the night and how that can reset your day for the ultimate success. reset your day for the ultimate success. And I was like, okay, I feel like I need to be in contact with this girl. Yeah. And so we're having our first mental coaching session tomorrow. Okay. And I think I'm not really sure what to expect out of it, but I think that she offers the tools for you to be able to check in with yourself and make sure that you're okay and processing things. Okay. I guess that's kind of

what I'm expecting. Cause I know it is going to be very, it's going to be heavy on my heart. Yeah, for sure. Uh, yeah. And for my mind, too. It's a lot and it's important to, like, be strong in it. And. You know who you should also talk to for just some advice going into this season is Kristen. Because she has, you know, with everyone on the show, like people who have broken up or whatever, with me personally, they're not on the show anymore. You know, Shane, I got a divorce.

He's off the show. Robin, I broke up. He's off the show. Adam and I aren't talking anymore. Who I ran into, by the way, the other night. You did. He was trepassing and I was at an event. That's the way to run into someone.

That's amazing. But, you know, then we stopped talking. He quit, sir. So I don't know what it's like to go back into a season with an ex, someone you were engaged to. But, you know, with Tom and Kristen, with Kristen and James, I mean, she is, I feel like the only person who could really know what it feels like

to go into a new season with an ex, a toxic ex, a toxic relationship, a good ex, whatever. But, you know, just if you want a little advice. Yeah, I get that. I also think that my thought process is a little bit different than Kristen's. We're definitely different people. And the way that I don't I don't know, she was what I want to say to her and, you know, like how I want to treat her, which will probably look different than how Kristen treated me. For sure. Yeah. And I feel like if it was Kristen today, it would be different. She was in a very different place then. But what is one of the things vibration wise that this mental coach told you? Like, what do you what do you do like in the morning or night? Is there something that you can say that could maybe help the listeners as well that you've learned so far? So for the

breathing techniques, she says to inhale for four seconds and then exhale for six. Inhale for four. Exhale for six. Inhale for four. Exhale for six. Yeah. And you continue that. Yeah. It just calms you down for sure and like re-centers you. Sometimes I have to remind myself to breathe. Actually, that's one of the things that I do appreciate about Joey, because when we were in Vegas, the table that we were sat at had basically just like a glass wall. So we were very exposed. We were. Oh, my God. At the pool party. It was like on display at the zoo. And yes, we were in the cage. Joey was wearing leopard print too. So actually like all went together, but I was getting a little bit of social anxiety and he could tell he, he just like

stood next to me and between me and the glass window. And he was just like, are you good? Like, do you need to breathe? Yeah, I do. He's like, let me help you out. Like, let me teach you something. So he taught me his own breathing technique and it helped calm me down. And then I don't know. I had to explain to him a little bit about like my social anxiety. It doesn't make sense. It just like happened. But it does. And I mean, where we were sitting, we're at this pool party. We're to the left of the DJ. And although we're on a platform, there's a glass wall in front of us. And it was the ramp for everyone going to the bathroom, to the bar or to their table or to the pool. So every single person at Tao Beach is

walking past us and then they recognize us and then they just pull their camera out and I'm sitting there and I'm in a bathing suit. And like my stomach's not what it used to be, you know. And so then I'm getting self-conscious. And then you're sitting there just like same. Like can we move tables? I've been eating nothing but carbs after my pageants. My body isn't great, but like.

Your body is so good. But I know the feeling. Yeah. So I appreciate that. And like those are the things that I wouldn't expect. Yeah. From Joey. So.

Well, I want to get into some pageant stuff. But before we do that, we're just going to take another quick little break. All right, ladies, you've heard it here before, but I'm going to remind you again, because literally LV was a lifesaver for me when I was breastfeeding. When I was on the go and I didn't have a child that latched anymore, I needed to release immediately. I know you know what I'm talking about. It was every three hours, that pain where you're like, I need to pump now. And it's not always convenient to pump because you have to plug into a wall and go somewhere private. But with LV, you fit them in your bra. It goes under your clothes. No one ever even knows what you're doing because it's silent. You can just go about your day

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number one supporter because she came at all three nights of my pageant competition. I couldn't miss it. It was the third night. I'm like, I don't know if I can do it. But I'm like, no, then she's going to win and I'm not going to be there. So I have to go all three nights, even though you said the first two are most important. I was like, no, it's in Orange County. It was a trek, but we we made it happen. Yeah, I had to be there for you. And you did so good. And I was so proud of you. And even when you're like, I stumbled or that I'm like, I didn't see that. Like, yeah, you just looked perfect to me. So I can't believe you didn't make top five. I was very upset with the judges for that. But before we get into the actual Miss California pageant, take us back to when you were a kid and even your name.

Have we described where Raquel comes from on the show? I don't remember if we talked about that last season, but for the listeners, just a refresher of. We I definitely did talk about it. I'm not sure if they cut and edited part of my story, but we're not cutting this. So, OK, well, basically, my legal name is Rachel and I moved from San Pedro to Thousand Oaks in first grade. There was two other Rachels in my class and a Rachel in the grade above me. And I was like, I don't want to

be another Rachel. Like I want to be special. And in San Pedro, my, my early childhood home, there was two prima ballerinas that lived across the street named Catalina and Raquel. And of course I wanted to be a prima ballerina and dance in the Nutcracker. So I was like, Mom, I don't want to be Rachel. I want to be special. I want to be Raquel. And my mom always wanted to name to change her name to Reese. And her mom wouldn't let her.

Oh. So I think she had empathy for my situation. And she said, ask your teacher. If your teacher says that you can change your name, then you can go by Raquel. Yeah. So that's what I did. And it took a lot of balls for me at that time to even ask my teacher because I, you know, I'm so shy. And she said, yeah, you can go by Raquel. And I grew up from first grade all the way through high school with the same kids. So it just kind of stuck with me. I figured maybe I could change my name back to Rachel when I went to college. But I don't know. It just is such a Raquel. Yeah. It just felt suiting to me. And I

kind of like having two names because my family calls me Rachel. And whenever my mom calls me Raquel, it just feels so out of place. But it's the same thing. Like if you call me Rachel. And whenever my mom calls me Raquel, it just feels so out of place. But then it's the same thing. Like if you call me Rachel, it's just doesn't work. So yeah, I like it. Yeah. I'm done with it. I feel that way with Lala too. Cause like our moms are so close and she's always like Lauren. And then when I say Lala and her mom said Lala the other day, and then she kind of caught herself and was like, yeah, that was weird, too. Yeah. Yeah. So from Prima Ballerina to Pageant Queen, how old were you when you started doing pageants? And what was the first one you did? I think I was probably 15 or 16. I competed for Miss Hollywood. And I think I got first runner up as a teen. So fun. I remember. OK, so like the early days,

this is like when I was first learning about spray tans and stuff. And I was wearing this white gown. And I guess you're at the time I didn't know. But I found out at the pageant that you're supposed to shower before getting dressed the next day. So my spray tan was still like on me when I was competing. Oh, no. Yeah. So rookie move there. But wow, we've come a long way.

Right. Now we know how to take care of a spray tan. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So Miss Hollywood, 15, first runner up. And then from there, how did you go from Miss Hollywood at 15 to becoming Miss Malibu at 27? I won Miss Regional California, I think the year after Hollywood. And then that year I competed

for Miss California Teen USA, placed top 20. The following year I competed and I placed top 10. And that's when I made like my core pageant friend group. My teens and I like bonded. I still talk to a lot of those girls today. And the missus also like we looked up to them like idols. Jenny Ting was one of the missus that I looked up to and she idols. Jenny Ting was one of the misses that I looked up to. And she's getting married this fall as well. And I'm so excited for her wedding too. But it's crazy because as a miss now, the teens are looking up to you. And the teen that just won Miss California Teen USA, Cassidy.

Yeah. Cassidy Hill. She is adorable. And we just have been bonding from all of the events leading up to the pageant. So it was like bittersweet for me accepting the fact that I didn't win and like potentially we could have had an amazing reign together as sister queens. But it's fine. I think, you know, everything happens for a reason and it's okay. I'm accepting the fact that I didn't win. I'm happy that I placed top 15. That's an accomplishment in itself

at Miss California because it's one of the most competitive states to win. And I was just hoping to compete at Miss USA. I think that would have been really, I know. But like you said, doing this competition was a huge accomplishment. You did so well. You were Malibu Barbie for the costume. Your gown was gorgeous. Like so stunning in that your swimsuit. I mean, you crushed crushed it like I didn't even notice when you said there was that little stumble I had to go back and watch the video and I'm like oh I just thought you were stopping to pause and like no okay so this is what happened on finals night I was wearing my pink sparkly gown like ball gown pretty much and it has a thigh high slit. And the shoes that I was wearing were, I guess, a little bit too big for me. And because I wasn't wearing heels in rehearsal that day,

my feet weren't as swollen. So my shoe slipped out on the right foot and I like stepped on top of it like it completely came off my foot. So I had to stop and I was like, Oh, like I made a cute little like smile look like, huh? And I like slip my foot back into my shoe and you couldn't even tell because the slit was on the left side and the gown was pretty big anyway. Totally. And then I just continued. But from then on out, I felt like nervous that it was going to happen again. And that kind of threw me off because prelims, I felt like nervous that it was going to happen again. And that kind of threw me off because prelims I felt like, you know, like a princess. I was able to like twirl my dress and I feel like I killed it. Yeah. But then finals, I feel like I really missed the mark with that. So it's just kind of a bummer. Do you think that's something that the judges noticed? Like, do you think that

one little stumble is a reason you didn't make top five? I don't think the stumble is, but I think the confidence is because they're looking at how you're feeling on stage. And because of that stumble for me, like my confidence went from like a 10 to, you know, a one. And then I couldn't see you guys. I know we were screaming so loud but you're right I was like I've been here every night we've gotten these seats and so I just thought you know I know the ropes I've been here every day and then of course that day when we show up just before it starts it's like every seat is taken there's so many more people finals is the night that everyone goes yeah shit our table is taken yeah well that was uh I had to buy that table for you guys oh my god I still have to bend over it's fine it was worth it

because I feel like when I walked on stage for prelims yeah and I saw you guys on the right hand side I was like my family's here like yay it just gave me all the confidence in the world. Yeah. I feel like that was my favorite. That was my favorite moment. Yeah. So well, of course, I was so happy to support you. I hate that this had to be your last pageant, though. Like right when I come to your first pageant and then it's I know I really felt like if I could compete next year, I would learn from this experience and fix all the things that I could improve on. And then I would kill it for sure. But this was also my first time competing all by myself. Normally, my mom would be very involved in the gown selection and like

the registration, like all of the little things. And I did it all by myself this time. So I feel accomplished in that. That's huge. I'm so proud of you. So at 27, you just you age out of the system. There's just no no pageants for women over 20. Isn't there like a Mrs. like an MRS? Yeah, there is. So you can't do that? I can. Oh, so it's not necessarily over. No. Unless you want it to be. I just love the USA system. Yeah. And this has been like, I don't know. It's like a special connection. I've never computed in any other system before. I don't know. At this point, I'm retired. But yeah, retired at 27. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you did an amazing job. It's so incredible to watch you just walk that runway,

strut your stuff. Yeah, so fun. So what advice would you have for moms out there with daughters who want to be in pageants or for the girls who are doing pageants now? Like how do you become Miss Malibu? What are the steps you have to take? Lots of steps, lots of preparation. I highly recommend mothers encouraging their daughters to compete because it encourages you to be the best version of yourself and creates a healthy, competitive environment where you're the, the objective, right. Is not to focus on the other girls you're competing against, but to focus on self-improvement and self-development because that's when you can be like the most confident and the judges gravitate towards that. So that would be my biggest advice. There's coaches. Nia Sanchez is incredible. She really

helped me with preparing for my interview. And there's like runway coaches and, you know, and, you know, gown sponsors. It's all just like fun. It's very expensive too. Yeah. What do you think is the hardest part about competing? I think this competition, the hardest part was getting enough sleep.

I think that that kind of hindered my performance as well because we were rehearsing all day long. And then after the competition show, I obviously wanted to hang out with you guys. And it put me in a better headspace by doing that because I was able to kind of like decompress and reset. And I don't know, you guys always make me feel better. So yeah, it was necessary for me to do that. And then when I got back into the hotel room, I had to reorganize all of my bags and prepare for the next day. So that took some time. And then also as journaling and, you know, like I was so excited that I can't really sleep. Yeah. So I only got like three or four hours of sleep each night. And it would be probably better if you got more sleep. Right. But I did prepare in the way that I brought my own food with me, like pre-planned meals and like

eggs, her boiled eggs for the morning because they weren't even feeding us breakfast. So wow. Don't feed the models. Yeah. Bring your own food for sure. Bring your own snacks. Yeah, definitely. So what is next for Raquel? I know you had talked about grad school, working with kids. Obviously, we've got, you know, another season coming up. But outside of that, what what's next for you? Where do you see the next few years? It's been kind of crazy for me because I feel like with this breakup, I kind of had to reassess my entire situation and the direction that I want to go in my life. So my therapist has been helping me with that. But I, I love the entertainment industry and I love fashion and design. So perhaps like starting my own clothing line or something along those lines. That would be really

fun. Just something more of like a creative outlet is what I think I want to do. But also, obviously, I love working with kids too. And occupational therapy is definitely something that I still want to pursue. It's just like right now in this moment, it doesn't excite me as much as other things do. Yeah. For sure. Well, stay tuned. Trying to live my life and you're doing a great job. Well, we will be here for you every step of the way. Thank you for coming back on shenanigans. I know podcasts are in the list of your least favorite things to do. So I really appreciate it. And you just always being so open. And yeah, I just can't wait to see what is next for Raquel. Yeah. All right. Well, thank you guys so much for listening. We'll be back next week. Bye.

All right. Well, thank you guys so much for listening. We'll be back next week. Bye. Thanks for listening to Shenanigans with Sheena Shea. Download new episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Outro Music