Tom Sandoval came to America’s Got Talent seeking redemption.
He was open with the judges about the Vanderpump Rules cheating scandal that earned him the title (in the New York Times) of the “most hated man in America.”
But he was there to sing, and redemption he got, as the video of his AGT audition went viral, earning admiration from many fans. He also advanced to the next round of the show and received a standing ovation from the audience and the judges.
“I love your version of this song. Well done!” wrote one fan on X.
“He killed it!!!!! The entire band’s energy!!! Love, love, love!!” wrote another fan on the AGT’s YouTube page.
However, there was a blip: The reaction of AGT Judge Simon Cowell, who wasn’t fully impressed, and he let Sandoval know.
According to NBC, Sandoval’s surprise appearance on AGT with his band the Most Extras came after the former Traitors and Vanderpump Rules star was embroiled in national controversy after he was accused of cheating on his girlfriend of nine years with their friend, his co-star.
He sang the song Take on Me by A-ha.
“I made some bad choices and was involved in a really bad cheating scandal. I let down a lot of people. It pretty much destroyed my life. It was absurd how much coverage and how big it became,” he said on AGT. “I feel a lot of pressure. I just hope the audience and the Judges see who I am as a musician, rather than just somebody on a reality show.”
Sandoval spoke to NBC about his nerves going into the show.
“From what my understanding is, there was some interest in us going on there in the past, and then again, it came about more recently. Obviously, I was nervous about doing something like that because I didn’t know if there’d be a lot of backlash,” he said.
He was happy with the reaction, he told NBC.
Cowell had a mixed reaction, saying that Sandoval’s vocals “weren’t great,” according to NBC, but that didn’t stop Sandoval’s enthusiasm over the audition.
“It was scary, but it was also exhilarating, too. It was just really good to put ourselves out there, and how awesome it was that Mel B. was so into it,” Sandoval said to NBC. “First of all, congratulations to her for getting married! But the fact that she said something about us performing at her wedding? Which, I mean, obviously, we’d love to do. We’d be honored. And then seeing that big smile on Simon Cowell’s face? I mean, that to me was everything, you know?”
