Tom Sandoval appeared on Vanderpump Rules for eleven seasons, but his reputation took a severe hit when he was labeled reality TV’s biggest villain, and even “The Most Hated Man in America,” after cheating on his long-term girlfriend, Ariana Madix with their friend and co-star Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
Though the scandal, dubbed “Scandoval,” broke over two years ago, Tom’s name is still closely tied to the controversy. However, Tom wants to move away from this villainous narrative and focus on his music with his band, Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras. Fans first saw Tom pursue a career in music on VPR, but it’s now one of his main passions. He’s since returned to reality TV with a surprising audition on American’s Got Talent.
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Tom Sandoval’s Latest Reality TV Move Was Auditioning For America’s Got Talent
Tom Sandoval is ready to leave his Vanderpump Rules past behind as he sets his sights on a rising music career with his coverband, Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras.
Tom and his band auditioned for the latest season of America’s Got Talent, (which will air on June 24 on NBC), showcasing their skills in front of a live audience and four judges — Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara, Mel B, and Howie Mandel.
The singing competition show released a full clip of Tom and his band’s cover performance of A-ha’s popular hit “Take On Me.” Before Tom hit the stage, a production crew member approached Simon and asked if he knew of Tom. “Yes,” Simon shared before adding that Lisa Vanderpump is his “old friend.”
Tom was then seen backstage and could be heard reflecting on his scandalous past on VPR, “A couple years ago, I made some very bad choices and I was involved in a cheating scandal.”
He continued, “I let down a lot of people and it pretty much destroyed my life. It was absurd how much coverage and how big it became. Ever since then, everything I do is completely criticized. I feel a lot of pressure. I just hope the audience and the judges see who I am as a musician versus just somebody on a reality show.”
Hitting the stage with his band, Tom shared with the audience, “You might know me from a reality TV show called Vanderpump Rules. It was eleven seasons.”
“I just want us to be the ultimate coverband,” Tom told the AGT judges.
When Tom and his nine-person band first took the stage, Sofia looked unconvinced. But it didn’t take long for the audience to get on their feet, especially once Tom nailed the song’s soaring high notes, earning not just applause but a rare smile from Simon. Soon after, Mel B and Sofia were visibly enjoying themselves, clearly impressed by Tom and his band’s ability to put on a high-energy performance.
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Tom Will Appear On House Of Villains Season 3
While Tom may want to move on from Scandoval, it seems he’s embracing every reality TV opportunity that comes his way, even if it means leaning into his villain reputation once again. He was recently announced as a cast member for the upcoming third season of House of Villains.
The competition series brings together reality TV’s most notorious villains, placing then under one roof to outwit, putplay, and manipulate one another through a series of challenges all for a shot at winning a cash prize and the title of America’s Ultimate Supervillain. It’s an interesting move for Tom, especially considering his pervious desire to distance himself from his scandalous past.
The cast of House of Villains Season 3 include:
- Paul Abrahamian (Big Brother)
- Kate Chastain (Below Deck)
- Jackie Christie (Basketball Wives)
- Tyson Apostol (Survivor winner)
- Drita D’Avanzo (Mob Wives)
- Johnny Middlebrooks (Love Island)
- Plane Jane (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
- Christine Quinn (Selling Sunset)
- Ashley Mitchell (The Challenge two-time winner)
- Tom Sandoval (Vanderpump Rules)
- Tiffany “New York” Pollard (Flavor of Love)
Speaking on KTLA 5 about his appearance on House of Villains Season 3, which has already wrapped up filming, Tom called it a “great experience.”
“It’s kind of like a Big Brother but not as long, and obviously we go outdoors and things like that, but it was so much fun, such a great experience,” Tom shared, adding that he did watch previous seasons to prepare.
When asked if being a villain was “an accurate depiction” of himself, Tom expressed, “I mean, really, it’s up to their interpretation. I mean, I definitely had my moments, but I don’t consider myself a villain.”
Tom Sandoval also appeared on The Traitors Season 3, which might have helped the reality star on House of Villains.
The conversation then shifted to his music career. Tom spoke about his band going on multiple tours across the U.S. and their experience on AGT.
“It’s not something I wanted to do for myself, but something I wanted to do for my band,” the reality star said when asked why he auditioned for the talent show. “Any opportunity I can to showcase them and what people and musicians they are, I’m going to do it for them,” he added.
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Why Tom Was Once Known As “The Most Hated Man In America”
Tom was dubbed “The Most Hated Man in America” by the New York Times when he cheated on his partner of nearly 10 years, Ariana Madix, with their friend and co-star Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. The scandal and its aftermath aired on later seasons of Vanderpump Rules.
It’s now been over two years since the scandal made headlines, but it’s continued to follow Tom. Meanwhile, Ariana’s career skyrocketed as she landed several brand deals, starred on Broadway and now hosts one of the most popular streaming reality TV shows, Love Island USA.
When appearing on AGT, Tom was asked by Simon why he wanted to move away from reality TV and focus on music. One of those reasons was to finally set himself apart from a scandal that has continued to haunt him.
“With being on a reality TV show, it’s very much about your personal life, and a couple of years ago, I was involved in a scandal and I was labeled as “The Most Hated Man in America” by the New York Times. It was really, really rough and I was in a very, very dark place. I felt as though I had nothing in my life and this band was the only thing that kept me going.”
Before Tom began to sing “Take On Me,” cameras panned to the judges’ table where Sofia could be heard asking Howie, “What was the scandal?” With Howie telling her, “He slept with his girlfriend’s best friend.” However, Simon wanted to hear nothing of it, interjecting with, “You know how not interested I am in any of that stuff.”
Fans can watch Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras perform on America’s Got Talent and see if they make it to the next round on Tuesday, June 24th, at 9 p.m. on NBC.
