Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval and his band, The Most Extras is back on America’s Got Talent tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Ahead of tonight’s live show, we sat down with Sandoval to discuss the pressures of the show and where his band is headed after.
https://youtu.be/-gGDc_ZwYIY
Tom Sandoval Understands He’s Under a Magnifying Glass on AGT
Since March 2023, Tom’s every move has been watched closely by Reality TV lovers. His scandal made national headlines, which in turn made him the latest culprit of cancel culture. Although the scandal is no longer national headlines, Sandoval understands that people still may not like him.
“I know there’s a lot of people out there that want to see me fail and not succeed,” he said. “That definitely wears on your mind and you’re going in there in front of judges who have seen some of the most talented people in the world and you feel that pressure, you feel that.”
When going into his America’s Got Talent audition, Tom saw the opportunity, like Traitors and The Masked Singer, as a way to “level up” his skills, due to the competition aspect.
In regard to his AGT audition, Tom admits that the response has been “really really great” and he’s been “pleasantly surprised and extremely grateful.”
When asked about the best things people have said, Tom candidly said “What I’ve loved is people saying ‘hey maybe not the biggest fan of Tom Sandoval but he killed it on that performance’ or ‘they did great’ to me is awesome, that means it’s undeniable, it proceeds peoples personal opinions of me.”
He’s especially excited for tonight’s performance, where he’ll once again take the stage with his band, The Most Extras, and play another cover song. He gushed while explaining that he’s looking forward to the group’s shocking performance, that’ll surely get people talking.
“There’s going to be some nice surprises and some drama and I love it,” Tom said. “That’s like the ultimate reward, winning a million dollars would be amazing and if and when I get close to that point I’ll start thinking about that and right now I’m just thinking about what’s right in front of me.”
Will AGT Help Him Redefine Him as a Public Figure?
Although response has been good to the group’s AGT audition, Tom is well aware that one mistake could make him appear on national headlines once again.
“Let’s put it this way, I’m not in the benefit of the doubt era of my life, so if I screw up in anyway it’s going to be everywhere,” he said. “It’s going to be celebrated… so there’s a lot of pressure.”
Instead of focusing on if AGT will redefine his legacy, he’s instead focused on making the most of the competition.
“This will be the experience of a lifetime,” he said. “It’s going to be something I will never ever forget and it will live on forever. I’m so grateful and I’m so thankful to have this opportunity, and I’m so glad that I did it, no matter what.”
At this point, Tom is no stranger to a competition show. He’s previously appeared on Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Test, The Masked Singer, Traitors, and even House of Villains. When comparing AGT to his previous shows, Tom pointed out that the audition process was new for him.
“The auditioning process is very nerve wracking and honestly when it was first brought to my attention I was like absolutely not I don’t want to do it,” he said. “You’re going up there, you’re going up in front of everyone, you’re in front of judges and…you’re going to get picked apart.”
Candidly, Tom admitted he was “really really excited to get a yes from Simon Cowell.”
Ahead of his live show performance, Tom is filled with gratitude for the competition as a whole, as well as the opportunity.
“It’s something that I wasn’t sure it would be this involved but I mean the experience has been incredible, incredible experience,” he said. “I’m so glad I did it.”
Words by:
Corey Cesare Corey Cesare is Talent Recap's Managing Editor and featured YouTube Host. She has a love of all things pop culture and an unhealthy obsession with celebrities. Corey earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Cinema/Screen Studies from the State University of New York at Oswego in 2021. She spends her spare time shooting astro, nature, and portrait photography, and coming up with movie ideas that she hopes to make into a film someday.
