The Traitors U.S. host Alan Cumming wasted no time in mocking Tom Sandoval over his much talked-about cheating scandal.
The Vanderpumps Rules star is among the famous faces competing in the Peacock series this season alongside alumni from Survivor, Big Brother and the Real Housewives franchise.
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 (dubbed #Scandoval) while Sandoval received intense backlash.
The reality star’s arrival on The Traitors caused an immediate stir among the competition.
“Oh my gosh. Do you see who it is?” Total Bellas’ Nikki Garcia asked The Bachelorette’s Gabby Windey in episode one.
“I’m not saying hi to him,” Windey responded.
In a one-on-one chat with host Cumming ahead of the Traitors selection, Sandoval insisted that he would love to be a Faithful. “I don’t think I would do well as a Traitor,” he said.
“How would you feel if I were to tap you on the shoulder? Would you feel I’d betrayed you, Tom?” Cumming replied, eyebrows raised, to which Sandoval agreed. “Doesn’t feel so nice, does it?”
“THIS KILLED ME! ALAN YOU LEGEND,” one fan wrote on X alongside a clip of the moment.
“ICONIC sandoval is america’s villain,” added another.
Sandoval is granted his wish, however, and is chosen among the Faithfuls as Survivor alums Carolyn Wiger and Rob Mariano, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bob the Drag Queen and Big Brother star Danielle Reyes are chosen as Traitors.
The Vanderpump Rules star wastes no time in throwing out accusations, though, immediately suggesting Selling Sunset star Christelle Stause as a potential Traitor in the midst.
“Tom is already throwing my name out,” Stause says in a confessional. “First of all, who plays like that? Second of all, I know Tom has a bias against me because I am friends with his ex. Knowing what he did to Ariana, I have an opinion of him already. So if the ship’s burning, he’s coming down with me.”
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Sandoval was hoping his appearance on The Traitors would rehabilitate his image in the eyes of fans. During the teaser, the restaurateur exclaimed in a confessional: “Finally, people are taking me seriously.”
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 first three episodes of The Traitors U.S. are out now on Peacock. Single episodes will be released weekly on Thursdays. The season finale will air on March 6.
