Since The Traitors premiered, the reality show a lot of attention because Alan Cumming works so hard hosting it that he has gained many new fans. On top of Alan’s popularity, The Traitors has also been the focus of scandals, including a cheating allegation and the fact that fans were so disappointed by how Dan Gheesling played the game. Worse than that, many fans were shocked by the news Tom Sandoval would be part of The Traitors’ third season cast.
Previously hated following his Vanderpump Rules cheating scandal, Tom seemed to have nothing in common with The Traitors’ most memorable players. That is why many The Traitors fans have been shocked that Tom has become a surprise fan favorite player.
How Tom Sandoval Became The Traitors Shocking Fan Favorite Despite His Scandalous Reputation
When the cast for The Traitors Season Three was announced, there were a lot of names that people were very excited to see.
Competition shows fans were happy the cast included Bob The Drag Queen, Danielle Reyes, Tony Vlachos, Carolyn Wiger, “Boston” Rob Mariano, Britney Haynes, and Jeremy Collins. There were also people who were excited to see so many Real Housewives entering Alan Cumming’s castle.
On the other hand, it seemed like virtually nobody was happy to see that Tom Sandoval was going to compete during The Traitors Season Three. In fact, many The Traitors fans were initially outraged. With that in mind, it is staggering to see that Tom has become a fan favorite for many The Traitors viewers.
The top reason why Tom has become a surprise fan favorite for many The Traitors viewers is simple: his face.
How Many Reality Shows Has Tom Sandoval Starred In? | |
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Reality Show | Tenure |
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills | 2012-2014 |
Vanderpump Rules | 2015-2024 |
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test | 2023 |
The Masked Singer | 2023 |
The Traitors | 2025 |
Widely regarded as a physically attractive man, Tom’s face has long been popular with television viewers. However, The Traitors fans have grown to love Tom’s face because of his incredible reactions that have been seen during every episode.

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In the world, there are a lot of people who look angry when their facial expressions aren’t being dictated by their emotions. There is a commonly used term that has been popularized to describe people like that, they have “resting b**** face.”
In January 2025, Screen Rant published an article about how Tom Sandoval’s tenure on The Traitors had gone by that point. That article argued that Tom had a series of “hilarious missteps” during his The Traitors tenure which were “reality TV gold.”
Throughout the first several episodes of The Traitors, the show would regularly cut to footage of Tom reacting to what was happening around him. Based on his facial expressions from those reaction shots, it seemed like Tom might have a resting confused face.
Before The Traitors Season Three began, many people believed that Tom was one of the most hated figures in reality show history.
Reality Show Villains Fans Love To Hate, According to Screen Rant | |
---|---|
Reality Show Villain(s) | Rank |
Angela Deem | #10 |
Johnny Bananas | #9 |
Tom Sandoval | #8 |
Anfisa Arkhipchenko | #7 |
Farrah Abraham | #6 |
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag | #5 |
Omarosa Manigault Newman | #4 |
Tiffany “New York” Pollard | #3 |
Francesca Farago | #2 |
Big Ed Brown | #1 |
Despite his scandalous past, there are other reasons why Tom has become a fan favorite among The Traitors viewers.

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Another reason why Tom has become popular among The Traitors viewers is because he has been completely committed to the show. A perfect example of that is when the players had to get coins in the forest for a mission, Tom took off running like he was in a race. Not only that, Tom threw his hands up high in the air during every step he took while running.
Then, there was the moment when Tom saw his portrait on the wall and muttered that he looked “like an inmate” while sounding dejected. If that wasn’t enough, when Alan chose the Traitors, Tom ripped off his mask as soon as he was allowed to and intensely looked around the roundtable at everyone.
Those are only a few examples of the many things that has made Tom an amazing The Traitors presence. In case anyone is questioning how many The Traitors fans have been embracing Tom, many fans have been expressing their appreciation for him.
The Traitors Fans Have Been Explaining Why Tom Sandoval Is So Great On The Show
Since the show’s third season began, there have been many The Traitors viewers who’ve used social media to express how much they have enjoyed Tom Sandoval.
In January 2025, a fan on the r/TheTraitors subreddit created a post titled, “Tom Sandoval Casting Appreciation.” That post, which was upvoted by many fans of the popular reality show, argued why Tom had become a fantastic part of The Traitors.
“Tom is proving to be a valuable cast member. This season, a significant portion of the talk revolves around Tom. His goofy staredowns, frantic energy, and utter obliviousness stand in stark contrast to the dormant and unengaged players in the game. In this regard, I appreciate Tom for embracing the game he’s a part of.”
Still not through, the same fan went on to write about why they thought that The Traitors needs more players like Tom. “The show could benefit from more cast members like him who aren’t playing a meta game (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), but are genuinely trying to solve the mystery, identify the traitor, and adhere to the game’s intended rules.”

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Of course, one The Traitors viewer praising Tom isn’t that compelling, even if their post was upvoted a lot. With that in mind, it is fascinating to look at the responses to that post. The top most-upvoted response was from someone who wrote about enjoying every moment of Tom from The Traitors.
Tom is a hot mess, he’s totally into the game and I’m here for every moment.
That same response went on to argue that Tom could make it to the end of the season, despite his perceived confusion. “He’s actually a shoo in for the finals.. he has no clue what’s really going on.”
Perhaps the most telling response to the post came from someone who self-identified as a Bravo viewer who previously disliked Tom. Despite going into the show feeling that way, the person who wrote that response had been won over by Tom’s antics.
“I’m actually so entertained and I don’t want him to go, and Ive disliked him for so long as a Bravo fan, but he’s so fun to make fun of 😭 he thinks he’s a secret agent spy or something, especially after being on Special Forces and it’s just so funny. I love it”
It truly is amazing how much The Traitors has rehabbed Tom’s image for the show’s viewers.

The Traitors (US)
- Release Date
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January 12, 2023
- Showrunner
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Stephen Lambert
- Writers
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Lee Grant, Christine Rose