Tom Sandoval auditions for ‘America’s Got Talent’ judges with his band

America’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell recognized Tom Sandoval immediately when he walked on stage to audition for the show. Not only is Cowell a friend of Sandoval’s former employer, Lisa Vanderpump, but he was also tipped off by the production team.

“I think I know who you are,” Cowell said confidently, as Sandoval, decked out in a sparkly emerald green blazer, and his band, the Most Extras, prepared to cover A-ha’s 1980s hit “Take on Me.”

At that point, most audience members did, too. The reality TV villain was a cast member on Vanderpump Rules from its premiere in 2011 until 2024, and in 2023 he was the star of a real-life scandal dubbed Scandoval after he had an affair with his costar Raquel Leviss while dating her close friend Ariana Madix. Even people who didn’t watch the Bravo series were sucked into the monumental drama, which ended Sandoval’s nine-year relationship with Madix.

Sandoval told the judges that he turned to music for this very reason.

“With being on a reality show, it’s very much about your personal life and, a couple years ago, I was involved in a scandal and I was labeled as the most hated man in American by The New York Times,” he said. “I mean, it was really, really rough, and I was in a very dark place. I felt as though I had nothing in my life, and this band was the only thing that kept me going.”

Sandoval also appeared on season 2 of Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, which premiered in September 2023, and on season 3 of The Traitors, which premiered in January.

But music is what he wants to do now, he said, after waving goodbye to his longtime TV home in December after the network announced that it would swap out the cast for the upcoming season of Vanderpump.

“I would like nothing more for us than to tour the world, to just be like the ultimate cover band,” Sandoval said. “Party band.”

He also noted that his current girlfriend, Victoria Lee Robinson, was there to support him.

Cowell was open to hearing the reality star out, declaring, “Let’s get America to like you.”

Before he began, America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandel quietly told fellow judge Sofia Vergara, “He slept with his girlfriend’s best friend.”

Cowell was having none of it. “Do you know how not interested I am in any of that stuff?” he asked.

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In a voiceover that played over footage of his group walking out to perform, Sandoval summed up his feelings on his heavily publicized relationship drama.

“A couple years ago, I made some really bad choices and was involved in a very bad cheating scandal, and I let down a lot of people,” he said. “It pretty much destroyed my life. It was absurd how much coverage [it got] and how big it became. Ever since then, it’s like everything that I do is completely criticized. I feel a lot of pressure. I just hope the audience and the judges see who I am as a musician versus just somebody on a reality show.”

Lucky for him, some audience members were fans of his many high notes, and Cowell hinted what his reaction would be when he smiled during Sandoval’s audition. All four judges will have a chance to weigh in on the performance and determine if he’ll move on to the next round on the show’s next full episode on June 22.

America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.