Tom Schwartz Is 'Optimistic' for 'High-Stakes' New 'VPR' Season but Doesn't 'Know What to Expect' (Exclusive)

After a "heavy" reunion this spring, the 'Vanderpump Rules' star is ready to film season 11 — but he also admits he's "taking things day by day" as the Scandoval drama continues to reverberate among the cast

Anyone would be weighed down by the scandal and sadness that Tom Schwartz has encountered in the last 18 months, but the Bravolebrity tells PEOPLE he is surprisingly "lighter on my feet" than ever.

The Vanderpump Rules star was caught in a torrent of drama this spring when his friend and business partner Tom Sandoval was revealed to be carrying on a months-long secret affair with costar Raquel Leviss behind the back of Sandoval's then-girlfriend Ariana Madix (who, herself, is the friend and business partner of Schwartz's ex-wife Katie Maloney).

But Schwartz, who just finished a run on Stars on Mars, is ready to step back in front of cameras for a new season of VPR.

"Maybe I'm still kind of basking in the afterglow of that whole experience," he says of the Fox reality show. "I feel more optimistic. I feel myself again, and I just feel better equipped to handle whatever life throws at me."

Related: Tom Schwartz Needed 'Transformative' Time Away from 'VPR' Scandoval: 'I Lost Control of My Life' (Exclusive)

"Suffice it to say, I'll probably be yearning for the camaraderie I had on Mars," he says of the Stars on Mars, which featured celebrities Tallulah Willis, Marshawn Lynch, Porsha Williams Guobadia,  Ariel Winter, Natasha Leggero and Adam Rippon.

Heading into season 11 of Vanderpump Rules, Schwartz predicts, "The team spirit might not be like it was on the Red Planet. I don't know what it's going to look like. I will say I'm excited and grateful that we have a new season. ... I don't know what to expect, honestly, but I know it's going to be a good season. I'll say that."

Related: Tom Schwartz Calls Scandoval 'a Terrifying Monster That's Taken on a Life of Its Own'

Following a fraught reunion, which saw Madix "unleash" on Sandoval and Leviss for their betrayal, Schwartz teases, "There's a lot of high-stakes things happening right now, and I'm excited to get cameras up again."

And while Sandoval, 40, and Leviss, 28, took the brunt of the VPR cast's anger during a "very heavy" reunion, the TomTom bar co-owner acknowledges he is "clearly a flawed dude" who is "not proud of a lot of the things I've said and done" over the years.

But Schwartz tells PEOPLE, "I feel more me" after taking a step away from his life in Los Angeles — even if only for a few weeks.

"I think I'm done with my self-pity, my wallowing," he says. "And yeah, I feel like I'm ready to grab life by its horns."

He pauses to admit, "That's corny."

Related: Tom Schwartz Blasted Off for 'Stars on Mars' in the Thick of the Scandoval: 'I Needed a Break from Reality'

Telling PEOPLE he has "a fresh perspective," Schwartz continues, "I guess the word is, I feel like I recalibrated. I feel like I just lost my way. I lost my way a little bit. I really did, lost my way and now I'm found." He does make clear, though, "It's not like I have it all together. I'm a constant work in progress, let's be honest."

Still, Schwartz says, "I feel more optimistic heading into this next year and excited. I'm excited. I feel giddy again, a little lighter on my feet. I guess [I want] just to be a little more balanced moving forward."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Vanderpump Rules can be streamed in full on Peacock, and Stars on Mars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.