Post-Scandoval, Tom Sandoval hasn’t been one to bring much joy, with the recent season of Vanderpump Rules becoming so dour that the entire show is getting recast. Then came The Traitors. In his time as a Faithful on the show, Sandoval seemed to get punished for his past douchebaggery by his peers: He was ignored, he was denigrated, his top hat was covered in larvae. Vulture referred to him as receiving a “sad clown” edit. But the thing is … he was also really funny. A viciously dedicated Faithful, Sandoval worked his hardest to eradicate the castle of Traitors and pushed to get his voice heard even when he was wide off the mark. There was never a moment he wasn’t spinning a new theory or trying to convince his fellow players that another cast member (usually Dolores Catania) was a Traitor. Did it work? Mostly no, but it was fun as hell to watch, and it endeared an audience to Sandoval in a way that hasn’t happened since Scandoval turned the world against him. In the latest episode, he went out with a bang, bragging to camera about his successes and basking in his newfound glory. Good-bye, Faithful Tom, we’ll miss ya this time.
What was your goal when you showed up to the castle?
It was all about working hard, being sincere, having fun, and diving headfirst into the game. I’d watched the previous two seasons of the U.S. Traitors and I loved the show.
How did you define if you “did well?”
My goal was to be a strong contribution, whether with the money prize or in general helping out. I wanted to be a team player. I definitely did not want to be a Traitor at all.
Why not?
I didn’t want to play that game. I told Alan, “Look, I know there’re people here who want to be Traitors. It’s better for somebody who wants to be a Traitor to be a Traitor versus somebody who does not want to be a Traitor at all.” If I’d been asked to be a Traitor, I think I would’ve just gone home, because it wasn’t right for me, especially at that time. I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy myself.
You would have gone home?
I would rather be a sincere straight shooter and have more fun. When you’re a Traitor, it’s isolating. I wanted to have camaraderie and work with a bigger group versus four people. I didn’t want to have to sit there and lie and be manipulative. I wanted to wear my heart on my sleeve.
How did you approach entering the season differently from how you would approach a new season of ’Pump Rules?
I came in with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. We’re going to be doing mental and physical challenges. A season of Vanderpump Rules is very much about drama and personal life and personal relationships.
What was everybody’s initial response to you?
When we first rode to the castle, I was in the car with Dolores, Chrishell, and Jeremy, and we were all excited. I don’t watch a lot of reality TV or competition shows in general, so I was excited to hear where everybody’s coming from. We hit it off. Going to the castle, I obviously knew people would have some preconceived thoughts about me. No matter what has happened in the past in my personal life, I was looking forward to proving that I could be a good player.
It’s interesting to hear you say you hit it off with Chrishell and Dolores specifically.
We were talking about where we came from, a little bit about our lives and stuff like that. It was funny, Chrishell told me when we were in the car on the way to the castle, “Yeah I do follow Ariana on Instagram.” I was like “That’s great! A lot of my really good friends follow her on Instagram.” So when I did feel like she was acting strange when she took her blindfold off, I didn’t really expect that response from her, going from “I follow Ariana on Instagram” to now her and Ariana are friends and I’m coming after her for personal reasons. It felt like she was trying to ride the coattails of the scandal.
How did it feel when people didn’t listen to you?
If people have watched Vanderpump Rules, they have a sense of how I was a bit of an outsider in the past couple seasons. It might have affected the way they spoke or treated me. But for the most part, a lot of people were really cool and very open and accepting. Actually, Dolores and I hit it off, but eventually I thought she was a Traitor, so I went, “I feel bad doing this, but I feel like you’re a Traitor.”
What made you think she was a Traitor?
She didn’t seem to care about getting shields at all. She never seemed to be worried about getting murdered at night. A lot of people were running around the castle trying to talk to everybody, and she seemed to camp out in one spot during our social time. There were a couple times going into the roundtable where she just said, “Who we voting for? Okay cool.” She didn’t ever put herself out there or go after anybody. She kept saying “there’s this housewife conspiracy!” If I was a Housewife, the first thing I would do is murder another Housewife to take the suspicion off me, then play victim like everybody’s coming after the Housewives.
At one point at the roundtable, Dolores said she didn’t think you were a Traitor but that you were a “bad Faithful.” How did that feel?
The funny thing is that was what I initially said about Tony. She used what I said against me. I was kind of instrumental to Tony being banished. I watched him go into a room, sit down with Bob Harper, and be like, “Yeah, dude, no, I know you’re a Faithful.” Then I walked out of the room and he followed me and goes, “Yeah, so, Bob’s a Traitor, right?” I told Bob Harper this, and he was pissed and called out Tony. Then I told Tony, “Look, man, you’re going around lying, playing two sides of people. If you’re a Faithful, then you’re a bad Faithful.”
You were really excited after Boston Rob was banished because you felt “respected” for the first time. What was that like?
Boston Rob is one of the best gamers in history. I felt like, If I’m going to get murdered now, at least I helped get out one of the biggest gamers of all time.
How did your relationship with Carolyn develop?
Even though she was a Traitor, both of us experienced feeling like we weren’t heard or taken seriously. We were both loners. I never really had a clique and I didn’t really want to have a clique, because if you have a clique, you start to become oblivious. So, even though Dolores and I did hit it off in the beginning, I was like, “Look, I feel like you might be a Traitor,” even though I feel bad saying it. Carolyn even stuck up for me at the roundtable when I was going after Rob. She was like, “You guys need to listen to Tom. Nobody ever listens to him.” I really appreciated that.
Why do you think they didn’t listen to you?
I don’t know. I know Dylan was dead set against Rob being a Traitor, and there were other people as well.
It didn’t fit their narrative at the time?
Yeah.
How did you feel about your edit on the show?
A lot of people had conspiracy theories, and you can see them in the after-show. They definitely showed mine a lot more than others. Looking at myself as a character, it definitely looks like I’m completely oblivious and very adamant about my theories and clues. I thought it was funny. Whether people are laughing with me or at me, I was just excited to bring laughter to people.
It felt like you were excited to have redemption after the past season of Vanderpump. Is that fair?
At that point, I felt happy with the fact that I’d really contributed in the challenges. I pulled my weight. I had helped get a big Traitor out at the roundtable, and I had tried my hardest to figure things out and be sincere with people. I was happy.
Even just now, when you were describing why you didn’t want to be a Traitor, it felt like you were describing your own reputation post-Scandoval that you didn’t want to play into. Is that true?
I didn’t want to have to walk around and be constantly scheming and nervous and trying to play all these mind games. I wanted to be somebody who could relax, be sincere, and work with people to try to find Traitors. I wanted that camaraderie of all of us of working together with a big group.
Did you feel like you got that?
Yes, I do. Look, people love to give me shit about it, but I was just trying. I was so excited about the game.
Have you felt a different response from the audience from your time on The Traitors?
Yeah. It’s been nice to see people rooting for me.
People have described you as having a “sad clown” edit. Do you enjoy watching yourself in that way?
I love it. I think it’s so funny.
Why were you so sweaty?
First of all, when I got there I didn’t have my luggage for the first few days.
It was lost in Scotland?
I got back one suitcase one day, another suitcase another day. I didn’t have a lot of my stuff with me. I was at the mercy of wardrobe, and they did great, but they gave me probably the heaviest wool sweater I’ve ever worn. That thing was so thick. It was warm in the breakfast room, and I wasn’t feeling good. And so, it was hot. Dylan took his sweater off, too. I mean, they didn’t show it, but he was literally wearing a tank top at breakfast.
Did you see what Chrishell said on Watch What Happens Live?
I found that very gross and really effed up for her to say that I’m doing cocaine and cocaine is running through my veins. I thought we were cool. It was hot in there. I’m there to play a game. She was clearly there to put me down to make herself look better and ride the coattails of the scandal. Bringing that up at the roundtable was in really poor taste, and they cut out a lot of other things that she said to me.
What else would she say to you?
At the roundtable, she would put her shoulders up and be like, “I don’t even feel comfortable sitting this close to you.” It was pretty relentless. I was just there to play a game, and I felt like this was a safe environment to play. She would say things like, considering what I’ve done in my past, I have the capacity to do all this … I was like, Whoa, this girl obviously has an agenda. And it showed. I don’t feel like people are really remembering Chrishell for her gameplay; I feel like they’re remembering her because she went there to play dress up and really stick it to Tom Sandoval.
When you were eliminated, you seemed very happy with how you did.
I was as happy as I could be. Obviously, that’s a longer interview than what they show and I’m talking to a producer and they’re like, “We loved you on this show, and we think you did a great job!” A lot of what I said had to do with me feeling like I had respect from the production. Not just the players, but the production.
More ‘The Traitors’
- The Traitors Has a Glaring Flaw When It Comes to the Actual Game
- Dylan Efron Is Still Cool With Being Known As Zac’s Brother
- In Memoriam: The Traitors Season 3(’s Hats)