Though it’s been months since Scandoval first shook the Bravosphere, many fans (and Vanderpump Rules cast members) are still furious with Tom Sandoval. Some would argue that enough time has passed that everyone should move on. Though to Sandoval those fans I would say there’s one key factor that makes forgiving you Sandoval so difficult. He may have professed his regret and spewed apologies, but in many ways it seems like Tom Sandoval doesn’t feel remorse for what he did.
As a refresh, Sandoval cheated on his long-term partner, Ariana Madix, with their mutual friend, Rachel Leviss. It was pretty scummy.
A cheating storyline is nothing new to Bravo viewers, so no one could have predicted just how big the story would become. Scandoval dominated social media and reality TV publications for months. Everyone had an opinion on Sandoval and Rachel’s affair, and the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion was equal parts captivating and hard to watch.
However, that was months ago. Sandoval seems to expect that viewers and his co-stars should move on from Scandoval. His annoyance with the continued scrutiny he receives isn’t helping fans forgive him. If Sandoval really wants the world to forget his misdeeds, his best bet is to appear genuinely contrite. But that’s the problem. No matter how much he tries, Sandoval is constantly undermining his own efforts to seem remorseful.
Sandoval Doesn’t Really Take Ownership
For one, Tom hasn’t done a good job taking true ownership of his mistakes. He’s apologized on camera, and said that he knows what he did was wrong. However, even when he’s saying the right words, Sandoval just seems kind of irritated that he has to say them at all. His apologies and contrition come across as lip service, and something Sandoval feels he needs to do to repair his image, rather than something he feels compelled to do out of his own guilt and remorse.
In recent months, when Sandoval has made appearances on The Masked Singer, Special Forces, and at BravoCon, he seems to be deflecting when referencing Scandoval.
On Special Forces, Sandoval spoke more about how surprised he was that Scandoval got so much national attention, and how unfair that was, than about how sorry he was to hurt Ariana. Sandoval’s clue package as Diver on The Masked Singer included lines like, “I’ve been lost in the abyss,” and “I might be the most hated creature in the ocean right now.” A more appropriate clue might have been something like, ‘My actions were lower than the Mariana Trench.’
Sandoval’s apologies would go further if he came across more genuine, but sadly, that just hasn’t happened yet.
Tom Has Bad-Mouthed Both Ariana and Rachel
It’s also hard to take Sandoval’s remorse seriously because instead of taking full responsibility, he’s said some gross things about both Rachel and Ariana in the wake of Scandoval.
Though it was Ariana who Sandoval wronged the most, she hasn’t gotten much better treatment from him in the wake of Scandoval than Rachel has. As if it wasn’t enough for Tom to subtly body shame Ariana at the VPR Season 10 reunion, he recently made some nasty comments about her at BravoCon. Sandoval said Ariana had a “stank face,” making him about as witty as your average 7-year old.
On the inaugural episode of Sandoval’s podcast, Everybody Loves Tom, the VPR star threw some major shade on Rachel. Tom pouted about Rachel claiming that, in retrospect, she never actually loved him. He said that her lack of genuine feeling made her participating in the affair “so much worse.” Tom also claimed he was “at [Rachel’s] beck and call” while she was in a mental health facility, painting himself as tragically on the hook. Excuse me for rolling my eyes.
Sandoval Didn’t Make the Changes Rachel Did
Speaking of Rachel, she arguably received an extremely disproportionate amount of backlash from Scandoval. After all, Sandoval was the one in the relationship, and what he did was arguably worse than what Rachel did.
Still, Rachel was no angel. Unlike Sandoval, however, Rachel recognized this and made some big changes. She spent several months in a mental health facility working on herself and her need for approval and attention from the men she dates. Rachel also made the surprising decision to not return for Vanderpump Rules Season 11, despite Bravo likely begging her to do so. Aside from a few recent appearances and her upcoming podcast, Rachel has mostly stayed out of the limelight since Scandoval.
However, Sandoval hasn’t made the same changes Rachel has. Though he claims to have quit drinking, Sandoval didn’t really take a break from the public. Not only did Sandoval go on tour with his band, he has also made multiple TV appearances on different shows, appeared at BravoCon, and will be returning on VPR Season 11. As much as Tom claims to be impacted by the Scandoval backlash, he doesn’t seem to have much interest in anonymity.
Tom Doesn’t Seem Humbled By Scandoval
While Rachel’s actions have mostly matched her words of remorse and apology, Sandoval’s words don’t match his actions. Sandoval is still taking a victim stance, he’s still peacocking, and he’s still on Vanderpump Rules.
Over the last several months, Sandoval has spoken at great length about the impact Scandoval had on his life and mental health. However, he always seems to do so with a hint of smirk in his eye.
If Tom had come out the other side of Scandoval and said something like, ‘I did something awful, I’m so sorry, and I’m going to go away for a while,’ Vanderpump Rules fans would probably have more respect for him. But as it is, it’s hard to believe Sandoval really feels bad about what he did, making it even harder to forgive him.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK SANDOVAL IS REMORSEFUL? OR DOES TOM JUST REGRET THAT HE GOT CAUGHT?
