Tom Sandoval tries to rewrite his scandalous past on ‘AGT’ — and Simon Cowell’s reaction says it all
'America's Got Talent' witnessed a stunning performance by 'America's most hated Man' Tom Sandoval during season 20 auditions. The 'Vanderpump Rules' villainous alum marked a thunderous comeback after being caught up in a 'cheating scandal' for almost two years. "A couple of 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; it pretty much destroyed my life. It was absurd how much coverage and how big it became," he confessed during the introductory clip before the act.
"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," he added, sounding remorseful. AGT updated a snippet of his audition on Instagram with the caption, “The infamous Tom Sandoval steps back into the spotlight on the AGT stage,” and sure enough, fans gave a negative reaction to the Bravo star's appearance on the show. "He’s not bad at all… he’s very entertaining, just seems perfect for weddings and bar mitzvahs, not for a real stage, in my opinion," a fan sarcastically remarked. "Cringe," a viewer reacted. A few of the fans thought Sandoval's performance redeemed his broken image. "I actually really like this…everyone needs extra chances. No one is perfect," an online user praised.
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"Tom fighting for his life to stay relevant while Ariana slays on our TVs weekly," another fan wrote in jest. Coming back to 'Scandoval's' AGT audition, the star reflected on his journey from reality to music when judge Simon Cowell questioned him about the potential switch. "With being on a reality TV show, it's very much about your personal life, and a couple of years ago, I was involved in a scandal, and I was labeled as the most hated man in America by the New York Times. I mean it. It was rough, and I was in a very, very dark place. I felt as though I had nothing in my life, and this band was the only thing that kept me going," he revealed.
Meanwhile, Sofía Vergara remained clueless about Sandoval's past, and Howie Mandel filled her in with a taunting remark, "He slept with his girlfriend's best friend." Cowell didn't seem interested in the gossip and reacted. "You know how not interested I am in any of that stuff." After which Sandoval wowed the judges and the audience with a powerful rendition of A-ha's 1985 hit track 'Take On Me' with his band 'The Most Extra's'. The 'Pump Rules' alum had revealed earlier in the audition that his current girlfriend, Victoria Lee Robinson, was present in the audience to support him.
The main result of Sandoval's performance has been reserved till the airing of the June 22 episode. Meanwhile, fans in the YouTube comment section expressed surprise over his transformation. "Simon's reaction says it all. It was good," a fan predicted. "This was badass!!! It actually gave me goosebumps. The band is amazing...and Tom should have been doing this a long time ago. He's incredible!" a netizen gushed. "No matter the outcome on the show, this was a great opportunity for Tom and the band. This will bring more people to their shows," a viewer noted.
