Tom Sandoval is ready for the world to see the performer in him.
The former "Vanderpump Rules" star shocked his fans when he showed up as a competitor on the 20th season of NBC's "America's Got Talent" and sang “Take On Me” by a-ha.
I was also worried about people online and them coming at me and stuff like that. So I honestly didn't really want to do it.
tom sandoval
Alongside his band, Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras, Sandoval gave it his all on stage and received glowing reviews from all the judges, except one — Simon Cowell.
"For me, the vocals weren't great, Tom. I'm going to be honest with you," Cowell told the reality TV star.
"However, not everyone comes on this show to get a record deal. Sometimes, it's about being true to who you are," he added.
Those words couldn't be more true for Sandoval. In an interview with TODAY.com, Sandoval says he took Cowell's words "to heart" because he knows that he could "always be better."
"I could always be improving," he says.
In fact, Sandoval says he struggled the first time he sang "Take On Me."
"I remember when we first performed that song a couple of years back, we had to do it a half step lower, but eventually, I got comfortable enough with it where we put it back into its original key," he says.
"And to me, that song means a lot because it has history," he adds. "I have an emotional connection to it, so being able to hit that high note was an example of overcoming a huge hurdle for me."
With auditions behind him, Sandoval has been practicing for his Quarterfinals performance, which he says Cowell can expect to be a “much bigger production” that’s “definitely more extra” than his first show.
Sandoval plans to cover a wide array of songs on "America's Got Talent." He says he won't be doing just '80s songs because he'll be doing "all different kinds of music from all different genres and all different decades and time periods."
Beyond advancing to the competition's quarterfinal live shows, has Sandoval thought about what it would be like if his band won “America’s Got Talent"?
"We're just taking it one performance at a time," he says of not thinking that way ahead. "I mean, there's still a long way to go with so many incredibly talented acts going up there. So to me, like I said before, winning it seems so far off to me."
He says his girlfriend, Victoria Lee Robinson, who was present for his audition, will be in the audience again to support him.
"She'll be there," he says.
Sandoval's stint on "America's Got Talent" comes after his cheating scandal dubbed “Scandoval,” which took over the internet last year. He received backlash for sleeping with his then-longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix's best friend, Rachel Leviss, who went by Raquel at the time.
He addressed the controversy during his audition on "America's Got Talent" in June 2025, where he explained to the judges that he made some "really bad choices" during the cheating scandal that "pretty much destroyed" his life.
Sandoval recalls to TODAY.com how "nervous" he was to step onto the stage for his singing audition.
We're just taking it one performance at a time.
tom sandoval
“I was very, very nervous,” he says. “I was also worried about people online and them coming at me and stuff like that. So I honestly didn’t really want to do it.”
However, the musician knew that he couldn’t pass up on an opportunity to showcase his band’s skills — and he’s glad he didn’t.
On social media, people praised his performance and said they didn't know he had amazing chops as a singer.
"Not an easy song to sing. He did great! Love him…," one person commented on his "AGT" video on YouTube.
Another said, "He nailed it!!! Love when they showed Simon both times huge smile!! Congratulations tom!! Redemption suits you!!!!!!"
Sandoval says the reaction he's been getting online "feels really nice" because he didn't expect it.
"I'm so grateful for how people have responded," he says. "And the outpouring of positivity and support and love, I just didn't know if that was going to happen and it has and I'm so glad that I did it, even though I didn't want to do it. I was really scared.
