Tom Sandoval was an OG cast member of Vanderpump Rules. However, his most shocking moment came in Season 10, when his girlfriend of nearly 10 years, Ariana Madix, discovered that he had a secret affair with their friend and co-star Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
As a result of the shocking affair, rightfully named, “Scandoval,” Tom was labeled reality TV’s villain and even one of the most hated men in America. In Season 11, Tom found himself asking for forgiveness from his co-stars and even trying to apologize to Ariana, but she refused to film with him. The situation tore apart the VPR friend group and, ultimately, the show did a complete overhaul of its cast for the upcoming season.
So, with Tom no longer appearing on VPR, what has he been up to as Scandoval is finally dying down?
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Tom Sandoval Has Been Touring The U.S. With His Cover Band
Ariana Madix found out about Tom Sandoval’s affair with Rachel Leviss while she was at one of Tom’s shows with his band, Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras, in March 2023. Although their relationship was doomed after she learned of his cheating ways, Tom used his music as a way to deal with the aftermath of his actions.
Talking to TMZ that May, he shared that despite finding himself in “some really dark places at times,” rocking out with his band “really helped me get through it.”
In an episode of the Vanderpump Rules After Show in May 2024, Tom shared that touring with his band: “saved me, in a lot of ways.”
“I had to do things I felt like I could have control over because I didn’t have very much control over everything.”
Tom and his band were on tour following the scandal, but he admitted that it was “the best thing that could’ve happened.” Although VPR fans despised him, he shared that he could “reconnect with fans, with people, [and] humanize myself, one city at a time. But also, it gave me a gauge as to how people really were.”
However, that didn’t mean that Tom didn’t see Team Ariana fans at his performances. While speaking on the After Show, he shared that people in the crowds would hold up signs that read “cheater” and even James Kennedy’s famous saying, “worm with a mustache.” It didn’t deter Tom, though.
‘”We would initially start off our show with a slower-building song, and we had to change it to a big, in-your-face kick-in-the-f-cking-doors song to make sure that nobody started any kind of chants or anything,” he recalled. “Honestly, we brought out such positive energy that a lot of people came to be a certain way and ended up just having a blast. Like, by the end, people would be like, ‘I had a good time.”
Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras have been touring across the U.S. since they formed in 2021. Made up of the reality star and eight other members, they cover hit songs like A-ha’s “Take On Me” and Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4.”
In September, the band toured the U.S. for their “Fall Season of Love” tour, which stopped in cities like Fresno, New York City, and ended in Boston. However, it appears that the band added more dates in December and the new year.
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Tom Found Himself In A New Relationship After His Scandalous Affair 
Almost a year after Scandoval, Tom found himself in a new relationship with Victoria Lee Robinson. In February, the two went Instagram official with a photo showing them cuddling at Tom and Tom Schwartz’s bar Schwartz & Sandy’s. That same month, when he appeared as a guest on the Billie & The Kid podcast, the reality star revealed that his “addiction of the week” was Victoria:
“My addiction of the week is definitely my friend, Victoria. She’s super awesome, she’s one of the sweetest people.”
While appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Tom Schwartz shared that he had met Victoria and approved of the model “on all levels.”
“I have chilled with her. She is absolutely lovely. Obviously, devastatingly good-looking.” He added that she was “super successful, and she is, very charming.”
In October, things were getting serious for the couple when Tom shared that the two were moving in together on his Everybody Loves Tom podcast. However, in December, things seemed rocky when Victoria shared a cryptic Instagram Story that suggested Tom may have cheated on her. But, in an update, the model stated on the social media platform that she had made a mistake. “I would like to sincerely apologize for my previous post. I had a true misjudgment in a situation. Tom did not do anything.”
The pair seemed to be back on track when Tom shared on Instagram that he and Victoria spent the holidays with his family in Missouri.
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He’s Starring In Other Reality Shows
In the Fall of 2023, Tom was cast in the second season of Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. The show features a cast of celebrities from the entertainment industry to the sports world, who try and survive grueling training exercises that test their physical and mental strength. During his time on the show, Tom opened up about his affair.
Tom revealed that he wanted a new start following the aftermath of the affair. He also went on the show to punish himself for his actions. “I feel like, with everything going on, I have a fire in me that is just raging, and it could be my biggest strength that can get me through selection, or it could be the downfall of me.”
Tom was disqualified after 8 episodes after interrogators didn’t like his white nail polish and felt that he was “overdramatic” during his run.
Tom participated in Season 10 of
The Masked Singer
as the “Diver” but was unmasked in Episode 2.
Tom returns to reality TV on January 1, 2025, with The Traitors Season 3. It seems fitting for Tom, who was once known as reality TV’s biggest villain, to join the hit show. It’s not yet known if Tom will act as a “Traitor” or a “Faithful.”
Speaking to People about being a part of the cast, Tom divulged, “Traitors was awesome. It was so intense.”
Tom will also be competing alongside Britney Spears’ ex-husband, Sam Asghari, RHONJ’s Dolores Catania, Survivor’s “Boston” Rob, and Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause.
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Tom Co-Owns A Restaurant With Co-Star Tom Schwartz
Tom has also been busy running his restaurant, TomTom, in West Hollywood, which he co-owns with his Vanderpump Rules’ co-star, Tom Schwartz. VPR fans watched as TomTom opened its doors in 2018 with Lisa Vanderpump at the forefront. However, after Scandoval broke, Lisa shared that the situation was “complicated,” but that he would still remain a partner in the restaurant.
“There’s a lot of backlash, and I don’t [quite] think the punishment fits the crime when it’s the whole world against you. I think it was a lot for him to deal with. So, I was there to try and facilitate some kind of cohesion,” Lisa told Us Weekly.
Unfortunately, when both Tom’s decided to launch their own bar called Schwartz & Sandy’s, the reality stars faced several challenges as a result of Sandoval’s affair. Opening its doors in 2022, the restaurant and lounge received harsh reviews on Yelp, with Sandoval having to share a post on Instagram pleading with people to stop posting negative reviews because of his cheating. In fact, Schwartz shared on WWHL, that people “people were vandalizing our spot.”
In January, Schwartz revealed on The Viall Files podcast that his co-star took “a step back” from Schwartz & Sandy’s, but was acting as “a silent partner.” In November, both Toms revealed that they were closing down their lounge for good.
- Release Date
- January 7, 2013
- Main Genre
- Reality
- Cast
- Scheana Shay , Lisa Vanderpump , Katie Maloney , Tom Sandoval , Tom Schwartz , Ariana Madix , James Kennedy , Lala Kent
- Seasons
- 10
- Streaming Service(s)
- Bravo , E! , Peacock
