Is Tom Sandoval probably the most hated traitor ever? Here’s what his castmates have stated about him
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The third season of The Traitors US is just weeks away, with an all-new cast of reality stars ready for their shot at the $250,000 prize.
An official trailer for the new season was released on Wednesday (December 18), giving fans a glimpse at the upcoming Emmy-winning Peacock series. In the clip, host Alan Cumming teases “murder, treachery, secrets and lies” as the contestants will “all stop at nothing for the ultimate prize.”
This season’s cast includes famous faces from the Survivor, Big Brother, Real Housewives, and The Bachelor franchises. Among the star-studded cast is Vanderpump Rules alum Tom Sandoval, who became infamous for his role in the jaw-dropping #Scandoval cheating scandal last year.
In March 2023, the 42-year-old bar owner was exposed for his months-long affair with fellow cast member Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, despite being in a relationship with Ariana Madix for nine years. Both the cast and fans of Vanderpump Rules rallied around Madix amid the infidelity scandal, while Sandoval received intense backlash.
Now, it seems that Sandoval hopes his appearance on The Traitors will rehabilitate his image in the eyes of fans. During the teaser, the restaurateur exclaimed in a confessional: “Finally people are taking me seriously.”
While it’s unclear whether Sandoval will be tapped as a Traitor or a Faithful during the competition show, it’s likely the reality star’s past indiscretions will play a role in how his castmates view him throughout the game.
Here’s what the Traitors season three cast has said about Tom Sandoval.
Chrishell Stause
The Selling Sunset star, 43, seemingly shaded Sandoval in November when the official cast portraits for season three were unveiled. In an Instagram post, Stause shared her own portrait and a teaser clip, as well as the official cast photos of all the other contestants.
However, Sandoval was noticeably excluded from the post. Some fans speculated that something had gone down between the two during filming, while others simply assumed Stause was “Team Ariana” following his cheating scandal.
Dorinda Medley
The fellow Bravo star, who appeared on The Real Housewives of New York City, previously shared her thoughts on Sandoval following his #Scandoval cheating drama. In April 2023, Medley slammed the Vanderpump Rules alum for painting Madix as “needy” and “crazy” during his tell-all interview with Howie Mandel.
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“It didn’t serve him well and I really don’t understand how he had any comfort level in even talking about what he thought Ariana felt or her reactions to things,” the Housewives alum said on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy at the time.
“Where were we going with that? What were you trying to insinuate? That you were trying to break up with her but she was so needy and she just wouldn’t let [you] go?… Did he really think that was what we were going to take away from it?”
She also criticized Sandoval for going outside the Bravo network to give his first sit-down interview since the #Scandoval news broke.
“Loyalty does matter. I just don’t think it’s good for your career long-term and people want the immediate salacious satisfaction,” she said. “You play it out and you trust the process.”
Dolores Cantania
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star is known for her firm-yet-fair outlook and no holds barred Italian-American demeanor, which is why many fans assumed Cantania wouldn’t hold back on sparring with Sandoval during The Traitors.
However, the TomTom Restaurant and Bar co-owner recently praised Cantania as “pretty awesome.”
Fans will have to wait until the Traitors season three premiere to see how the Bravo co-stars interact on the show.
Ciara Miller
The 28-year-old model previously worked alongside Sandoval while filming season two of Bravo’s Winter House, which aired in 2022. Miller reflected on her encounter with Sandoval during an August 2023 appearance on the Viall Files podcast, as she described the Vanderpump Rules alum as “annoying.”
“I did kind of find him annoying. The sound of his voice was annoying,” she said during the podcast episode, which dropped five months after #Scandoval. “He talked a lot about himself, his business ventures… himself. That was just on an hour-long car ride to the mountain.”
Meanwhile, Viall — who also filmed with the reality star for season two of Fox’s Special Forces — said he didn’t think Sandoval was “that forward thinking.”
Both Miller and Viall called Sandoval a “unique” person, as the Summer House star added: “This man pulled out a f***ing sequin blazer on a Tuesday night in Vermont. Interesting choice here.”
The rest of the Traitors season three cast includes Rob Mariano (Survivor), Britney Haynes (Big Brother), Danielle Reyes (Big Brother), Bob the Drag Queen (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Wells Adams (The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise), Chanel Ayan (The Real Housewives of Dubai), Gabby Windey (The Bachelorette), Dylan Efron (Down to Earth with Zac Efron), Tony Vlachos (Survivor), Jeremy Collins (Survivor), Robyn Dixon (The Real Housewives of Potomac), Bob Harper (The Biggest Loser), Lord Ivar Mountbatten (British royal), Carolyn Wiger (Survivor), Sam Asghari (model and actor), and Nikki Garcia (former professional wrestler).
Peacock’s hit competition series — a spin-off of The Traitors UK — tasks contestants, or Faithfuls, with uncovering which fellow cast member is actually a Traitor. Throughout the game show, participants compete in a series of missions to earn money towards the $250,000 cash prize.
Each night, however, the Traitors vote to murder a Faithful as the remaining contestants attempt to banish the Traitor from the game. If the Faithful contestants banish all the Traitors, they will share the prize fund, but if a Traitor or Traitors makes it to the end, they have the chance to steal all the money.
The season two finale of The Traitors saw The Challenge’s CT Tamburello and The Real World: Las Vegas alum Trishelle Cannatella take home the prize. Meanwhile, Survivor all-star Cirie Fields won the entire prize pot in season one.
The Traitors season three premieres on Peacock on Thursday, January 9, 2025.
