Heavy/Getty Tom Sandoval.
Tom Sandoval is not looking forward to the upcoming season of “Vanderpump Rules.”
Nine months after his shocking cheating scandal with former co-star Raquel Leviss was exposed, the Bravo star admitted he’s dreading reliving some of the moments that took place during the filming of the follow-up season.
Leviss did not return to “Vanderpump Rules” for season 11, which premieres in January 2024 on Bravo.
Here’s what you need to know:
Tom Sandoval Said He Doesn’t Know What Will Happen When ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Returns in January 2024
Sandoval’s ex, Ariana Madix, received a lot of fan support after his affair with Leviss was made public. But in November 2023, Madix replied to an Instagram post that predicted that viewers will “hate” her and develop “a soft spot” for Sandoval in the new season. “Certainly wouldn’t be surprised if the audience swings that way,” the “Dancing With the Stars” contestant commented of the possibility of fans turning against her.
But Sandoval doesn’t seem so sure. While speaking with Us Weekly in November 2023, he admitted he doesn’t “know what’s going to happen” when the new season drops. “I hope that people can remember who I’ve been throughout over a decade of the show — who I’ve been most of the time,” he told the outlet.
“I’m glad the season’s done filming, but there’s that ‘not ever wanting it to air’ feeling too,” the bar owner added. “I know once the season starts airing and I see things, it’s like it always is. We relive things when filming ‘Vanderpump Rules,’ like, three times in the moment when we’re filming it, when we’re talking about it in our interview bites and then, when we watch it, we do press. So, I’m hoping that it doesn’t come back as bad.”
Sandoval Admitted He Hopes People Will See Him in a Different Light Next Season
Heavy/NBCUniversalThe cast of “Vanderpump Rules.”
Sandoval joined the Fox reality show “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” following his scandal. He looked at it almost as a penance. But was it enough?
According to People magazine, in one episode he said, “I had an affair, and it just blew up. People were messaging me paragraphs of just like vicious, like, so visceral, like, hatred.”
“Before this whole scandal, I would meet people who had probably seen me on ‘Vanderpump Rules.’ And they’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s so cool,’” he added. “And then now, people think I’m a complete narcissist, creeper vibes.”
Sandoval detailed some of the other reactions he received to Scandoval. He told The Messenger that when the scandal first broke, he woke up to “crazy stories about me from my gardeners, cousins, nephews, and all these people that I’ve never met in my life.”
“At one point there was some guy saying I got his girlfriend pregnant. It was daily,” he added.
Sandoval decided to “get away” and do “Special Forces” to keep take focus off of the scandal. He added that he hopes the move will help people see him in a different light when “Vanderpump Rules” returns. “I do hope so,” he said. “I mean, it was definitely a way of people seeing me in a much different scenario.”
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