Fans of “Vanderpump Rules” are well aware that Tom Sandoval has always considered himself a musician. But now on “America’s Got Talent” Season 20, the reality TV regular is getting a chance to prove that to everyone else — including Simon Cowell.
Tom Sandoval and The Most Extras auditioned in Episode 4 of the NBC competition series on Tuesday with a cover of “Take On Me” by A-ha, ultimately receiving four ‘Yes’ votes from the “American Idol” alum and his fellow judges Howie Mandel, Mel B and Sofía Vergara.
“I definitely, definitely had some reservations about going on there, because you’re obviously highly scrutinized. I mean, you’re auditioning amongst so much talent, so many talented acts, so I had my reservations. I also knew that, you know, it sets you up to be trolled,” the singer told TheWrap on Friday. “But, obviously, this is a huge opportunity for the band and for all my band members who have been there for me through the hardest times of my life. I really wanted to do it for them and I’m so, so glad I did.”
“With shows I’ve done in the past — like ‘Special Forces’ or ‘Masked Singer’ or anything like that — you’re putting yourself to the test, so the more you do things like that, the more accomplished you feel. Obviously, ‘America’s Got Talent’ is definitely the biggest and scariest stage that we’ve ever performed on,” he continued. “I loved watching Simon with that big grin on his face about halfway through. And then obviously, you know, Simon said something about, like, you know, vocals could be better. And, I mean, I understand that. That guy has seen insanely talented singers sing. So, of course I’m gonna get criticism from Simon, and I appreciate that.”
Another show Sandoval will soon be seen on his Season 3 of “House of Villains” once it makes its way from E! to Peacock in 2026. However, despite the name, the “VPR” star admitted he doesn’t actually see himself as a villain.
“I had some reservations about doing that show as well, just because it’s called ‘House of Villains.’ They had asked me before to do it the previous season and I turned it down. I don’t really see myself as a villain. I see myself as somebody who made some bad choices in the past, but overall, I don’t really see myself as a villain — and I definitely don’t live my life that way,” he explained. “It’s going to be a very different season. I gotta say, ‘House of Villains’ might be, so far, my favorite experience, it was really cool. It’s definitely going to be different than previous seasons, so I’m really excited. I think it had an amazing cast and it’s just so interesting to see people really interact from all different walks of life.”
And after spending more than a decade on television screens thanks to his hit Bravo series, Sandoval understands what it’s like to see how you’re edited only once the show is actually airing.
“You kind of find out when it comes out. You can get sort of clued in on what they’re following along with when you do your confessionals, but for the most part, you’re finding out when it airs,” he said of “The Traitors” Season 3. “They definitely left a lot of things out. I mean, I had a plan to secure the win, but it just it fell through. I was missing some commitment from people.”
“There was a part where I basically figured out that Carolyn and Danielle were the Traitors. So I went to Dylan earlier that morning, and I told him, I said, ‘Hey, this is the last night that they can recruit a Traitor, so we actually need to get a Faithful out, because otherwise, you or me or anybody could be a Traitor and we’d have to start back at square one,’” Sandoval continued. “So that whole plan never came about. But overall, you know, as long as it’s funny and fun, I don’t care.”
Unfortunately for longtime fans of “VPR,” Bravo has recast the series for Season 12 — meaning none of the original main cast will be returning, apart from matriarch Lisa Vanderpump.
“I do think it’s going to be really hard to capture what we had. I wish them all the best of luck. I feel like we had an amazing cast and it’s gonna be tough shoes to fill. I wish Lisa the best of luck and we’ll just see when it comes out,” Sandoval said. But what about a move over to “The Valley?”
“I mean, I’m down to, like, make an appearance. I haven’t talked to production or anything. I’m definitely not going to be a main cast, nor do I really want to be a main cast member on that show. I really like doing these competition reality shows,” he shared. “To me, the focus is so much more healthier, in my opinion, for me personally. But if I’m going to go on there, it’s because somebody’s having a party or an event, whatever. Just kind of drop by and say, ‘What’s up?’ I’m always down to do something like that, but that’s something that’ll happen in the moment.”
Of course, as a reality television veteran, it’s impossible for “Love Island USA” not to be on his radar — especially considering the show’s very familiar host. Although, Sandoval says he has not watched recently.
“I really don’t. I watched previous seasons in the past, I watched the Ekin-Su season, but it’s just so many episodes. Their music soundtrack really, really helps that show,” he said. “You have two random people kissing for the first time after knowing them for two days, and you have Sam Smith singing ‘Stay With Me’ and an episode opening up with Kendrick Lamar, all these insane songs, it really raises the value in the stakes.”
But ultimately, Sandoval is just focused on getting as far as he can on “AGT” after that standing ovation.
“We’re really excited and pumped to move on to the next stage of the competition.
We’re already working on new stuff and sort of narrowing it down, because we do so many different genres of music, so many different eras — we’re not really limited to any sort of genre. So we’re just trying to figure out, like, what would be a nice different side of our band, a different route to go. We’re ready, we’re excited for those quarter finals,” he concluded. “I’m just really surprised and so grateful and so appreciative of how the response has been. It means the world to me, and I just want to say thank you to all the people that have been so positive and so loving and so supportive. I really, really appreciate it. It means the world to me. It really does.”
“America’s Got Talent” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC before streaming on Peacock.
The post Tom Sandoval Continues His Reality TV Redemption Tour With ‘AGT’ – and Still Doesn’t See Himself as a Villain appeared first on TheWrap.