It’s been two years since the shocking reveal of Scandoval on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules. Tom Sandoval went from a beloved cast member to the biggest villain of them all after it was revealed that he had been cheating on his long term girlfriend with her friend.
Now, after being ripped apart both on the show and online, Sandoval has returned to reality TV as a contestant on Peacock’s The Traitors. His past persona continues to haunt him, but something else has emerged as well. Fans online have begun to show love for Sandoval’s over the top personality and wacky behavior. Viewers are torn between forgiving Sandoval and hating him forever.
Is the new love warranted? Does Tom Sandoval really deserve absolution for his Vanderpump sins?
Vanderpump Rules
Vanderpump Rules premiered on Bravo TV in 2013. The show, which follows the lives of employees at Real Housewives Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant, Sur, became an instant hit. Cheating, petty fights, drink tossing, and over-the-top insults are just some of the things you can expect from the series.
Tom Sandoval, one of the show’s original cast members, has gone through quite the journey since its first season. At the start, Sandoval was a bartender at Sur and dating server Kristen Doute. The two had been together for a while until it was revealed that Kristen had slept with another Sur bartender, Jax Taylor, TWICE. Not only was Jax also in a relationship, but he was Sandoval’s best friend.
After delivering one of the most iconic moments on the show — Tom hitting Jax while calling him a sociopath — Sandoval and Doute broke up. He then began dating Ariana Madix, a bartender at another one of Lisa’s restaurants. The pair would go on to date for over nine years, up until the show’s tenth season.
Scandoval
In Vanderpump’s tenth season, it was revealed that Sandoval had been in a secret relationship with Ariana’s friend, Raquel Leviss. Raquel had been on the show for a few seasons after she began dating another cast member, James Kennedy. The couple split after getting engaged, and soon the affair with Sandoval started.
The pair slept together multiple times, including once when Ariana was away for her grandmother’s funeral. The reveal was a shock to not only viewers, but cast members as well. Only Tom’s closest friend, Tom Schwartz, knew before the affair became public.
Obviously, not many people were “Team Tom” after the season aired. The scandal was soon dubbed “Scandoval,” and everyone rallied around Ariana. Sandoval went from being in the most stable couple on the show to being at the center of its most notorious scandal.
Although an attempt was made to patch up Sandoval’s image in Vanderpump’s eleventh season, it was clear viewers were on Ariana’s side. After watching her struggle with her body image, the loss of her father, and depression, fans were outraged at Sandoval’s behavior and carelessness. The scandal became so big and messy that Bravo decided to fire everyone off the show and bring in a whole new cast for the twelfth season.
The Traitors
Now, Sandoval has returned as a player on season three of Peacock’s The Traitors. The show brings in celebrities to compete in a Mafia style game where there are “Traitors” and “Faithfuls.” Those who are chosen as “Traitors” must kill off the “Faithfuls” and stay unfounded while the “Faithfuls” must figure out who the “Traitors” are. There’s a cash prize for the side that wins, so all kinds of betrayls and drama ensue.
At first, fans were annoyed at Sandoval’s inclusion, but once the show started airing, people changed their tune. Instead of finding him evil, viewers found him foolish. The initial response was to laugh at Sandoval’s over-the-top reactions and idiotic demeanor.
A user on Reddit writes, “I swear Tom runs around believing that you actually die if you get eliminated from the show which is why he is so stressed and disheveled at all times.” Another user responded by writing, “it makes me laugh EVERY TIME someone says that he actually thinks someone is running around the castle legitimately murdering people. it just is so believable and jives perfectly with how he acts.”
More viewers chimed in to laugh at Sandoval. One Reddit user writes, “Being humiliated on this show is his everlasting karma, everytime he say anything it cracks me up because he’s so wrong.” Another writes, “Do we think he is aware of how stupid he looks or is he really that dumb and is oblivious to the bad edit?”
Clearly, the response to Sandoval wasn’t positive, but as more episodes came out, more people began to find his idiotic behavior endearing.
From Humiliating to Endearing
Compilation videos of Sandoval on The Traitors soon began popping up on TikTok. Clips of him singing, stressing out, and overreacting garnered a lot of attention, and a lot of mixed reactions.
One creator on TikTok, @agirlwithh0rns, posted this compilation of Sandoval:
The comments were surprisingly positive, with many people saying that they love Sandoval on the show. One user writes, “He cracks me UP on this show!!!” Another user writes, “Lmao I think he is hilarious.” Many other comments like these appear on every compilation or clip posted, with only a few people voicing dislike for him.
One creator on TikTok, @alexarger, even began documenting her boyfriend’s love for Sandoval.
She posted this TikTok of her boyfriend:
Some people in the comments were warning Alex not to tell her boyfriend about Scandoval, while others joined in to say that they too loved Sandoval. The video gained lots of attention, even getting a response from Tom himself.
A few weeks later, Alex announced that Sandoval’s current girlfriend had reached out and invited them to dinner. People were excited to see the two meet, despite all the horrible things Sandoval has done.
It seems as though going on The Traitors was the right move for Sandoval. Although there were a lot of people laughing at him, plenty of people were laughing with him.
Does Tom Sandoval Deserve a Redo?
So, does going on The Traitors and acting like an endearing idiot negate all that Tom Sandoval has done?
The short answer is NO!
Although there are some people who find Sandoval likeable, it’s hard to forget the trauma and heartbreak he put Ariana Madix through. He not only belittled her before and after their breakup, but he was having a FULL ON AFFAIR with her friend when she was at her lowest.
So no, Tom Sandoval does not deserve a redemption arc, not after what he did to someone he was with for nine years. Although, if we’re comparing post Vanderpump success, Ariana is the clear winner. She’s been the host of Love Island: US, starred on Broadway, and released a very popular cocktail book, Single AF.
If she can leave Tom Sandoval behind and thrive, I think it’s time we do the same.
