In 2024, he had been dubbed <\/a>the \u201cmost hated man in America<\/a>\u201d after it emerged during season 10 of Vanderpump Rules that he cheated on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix with her then-best friend, Rachel Leviss. Both the cast and fans of the hit Bravo show rallied around Madix amid the infidelity scandal, dubbed \u201cScandoval,\u201d while Sandoval was pilloried.<\/a><\/p>\n When he was first approached about auditioning for AGT, Sandoval suspected he\u2019d be in for more of the same. \u201cIt was something that my buddy Jason had brought to my attention,\u201d Sandoval tells The Independent. \u201cI immediately did not want to do it. I felt like it would create a lot of negative backlash, setting myself up to get trolled.\u201d <\/p>\n Speaking while visiting family in St. Louis, Missouri, Sandoval reveals he was also worried about the sheer terror of being on the AGT stage in front of judges like Simon Cowell<\/a> and Howie Mandel. <\/a>Ultimately, though, he says he decided to do it for the sake of his band.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were with me through one of the hardest times in my life,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd to go to them and say, \u2018Hey, I don\u2019t want to do it \u2018cause I\u2019m worried about backlash\u2019 \u2014 It would have broken my heart to do that. So I was like, you know what? These guys have been there for me, and I want to do this for them and for us.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n ‘Vanderpump Rules’ alum Tom Sandoval says music \u2018has always been in my life\u2019 (NBC\/America’s Got Talent)<\/p>\n Sandoval and his band, The Most Extras, performed A-ha\u2019s \u201cTake on Me\u201d during the first round of auditions and ended up receiving four \u201cyes\u201d votes from the judges. The audience danced along, many with mouths agape, trying to reconcile that in front of them was the same man they watched for over a decade on Vanderpump Rules<\/a>. <\/p>\n While Bravo <\/a>is an undeniable part of his history, Sandoval says he\u2019s keen to move on from it. On August 19, the second round of AGT auditions begins on NBC, and he\u2019s brimming with excitement about taking the stage once more. <\/p>\n The Traitors star<\/a> traces his musical journey back to his childhood, when he began playing trumpet in the fourth grade. He joined a marching band before quitting sports to appear in a production of the cult favorite musical Little Shop of Horrors. <\/p>\n More recently, he taught himself to play guitar and is now taking voice lessons as he fronts a band for the first time. He\u2019s been in bands before, but they never worked out. \u201cIt was always original music,\u201d he says. \u201cI would put so much time, so much passion and money and effort into getting this band to the next level, and then it would fall apart. It was just so heartbreaking that I didn\u2019t play music for quite a while.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Sandoval was dubbed the \u2018most hated man in America\u2019 over his televised cheating scandal (Getty)<\/p>\n Eventually, he found his way to The Most Extras, a nine-person covers band, but he isn\u2019t ruling out a return to creating original music again. Vanderpump Rules fans might remember \u201cTouch in Public\u201d, the 2015 single from Charles McMansion, a duo Sandoval formed with the late actor Isaac Kappy. <\/p>\n For now, though, he is leaning into the joys of appealing to a broad audience with songs everyone can sing along to. He says he has \u201clearned some hard lessons\u201d during his time touring with his new bandmates, recalling their van getting stuck in the mud during their first tour and needing to be hauled out by a stranger, lugging equipment up multiple flights of stairs to get to a rehearsal room in New York, and the ceiling falling during another small gig.<\/p>\n After their AGT debut, Simon Cowell told them, \u201cNot everyone comes on this show to get a record deal. Sometimes it\u2019s about being true to who you are.\u201d Sandoval echoes that sentiment during our conversation. \u201cI feel like this is something that really is true to me,\u201d he explains.\u2029\u201cIt\u2019s something I love. Music has always been in my life. My dad was a DJ, and I grew up listening to great music. It just really inspired me.\u201d<\/p>\n When we spoke, Sandoval had not yet decided which song his band would perform during the second round of auditions. He did say that he\u2019d been attending vocal lessons and was eager to come \u201cfull circle in another talent show; a much, much bigger one in fact, the biggest stage we\u2019ve ever been on.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"'Vanderpump](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/MixCollage-23-Jun-2025-03-45-PM-2379.jpeg\")
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