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Tom Sandoval reacted to the recently-released trailer for the Vanderpump Rules season 10 finale episode while promoting his upcoming benefit concert in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
As he admitted the sneak peek, which featured him and now-ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix facing off over his affair with Raquel Leviss, was “intense” and said he hopes people will realize he’s learning from his mistakes, Sandoval expressed excitement for his May 11 performance with his band, Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras.
According to a press release, Sandoval’s show will benefit Drew Strikes Back, which supports The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s mission to cure cancer, and he hopes to raise $552,000 for the cause across a series of events.
At the end of last month, just as he made a bracelet for a paparazzo in Los Angeles, Sandoval also made one for Drew Snapkoski, who inspired Drew Strikes Back.
Drew’s battle with Leukemia began at age five, and he is currently in remission. He has become an advocate for childhood cancer, “volunteering and speaking at events,” per the press release. Sandoval has become invested in the cause, doing what he can to ensure that as much money as possible is raised.
As Sandoval and Drew bonded amid recent interviews, Sandoval gave a nod to his charity on his Instagram Story, and later, Bravo Snark Side on Instagram shared his post with their followers.
As the Howard Theater, where Sandoval’s show will be held, donates 100% of the proceeds to Drew Strikes Back, Sandoval has donated items to the silent and live auction, which include a Los Angeles bar crawl to the restaurants seen on Pump Rules with himself and Drew.
A percentage of meet and greet sales, as well as a percentage of merchandise sales, will also be donated to the cause.
Following the news of his upcoming concert for charity, Sandoval, who was booked for the event prior to the news of “Scandoval,” spoke out amid a May 3 interview with FOX 5 in Washington, D.C., saying he’s “very excited” to be part of the mission.
“It’s a great cause. It’s gonna be really fun to be out in D.C., be performing at the Howard Theater, the legendary, historic Howard Theater. It’s gonna be great,” he gushed.
After starting to play the trumpet in the fourth grade, the Pump Rules cast member learned how to play the piano and the guitar before being included in three different bands. Then, as his focus shifted to reality television and restaurants, music took a backseat.
“I didn’t think I was gonna really come back to doing music but my friend Jason, the drummer, also our manager, was doing social media work for me and we were working on my YouTube channel and he was like, ‘Hey, you ever thought about being in a cover band?’ And I was like, ‘That is something I could do,’” he recalled. “So it kinda came from that and it really has just taken off.”
Although Sandoval certainly has his critics at the moment due to his heartbreaking betrayal of Ariana, he hopes that won’t stop people from attending his performance. After all, he’s just a human who has made “mistakes.”
“I just want people to come out [and] have a good time,” he stated. “I’m a human being who makes mistakes that I’ve learned and grown from those mistakes and that if people wanna come out and see a great band and have a party, fun environment to come out and enjoy themselves, [they should].”
Moving on to the drama of the show, Sandoval reacted to the finale trailer.
“It’s intense, [a] very intense time in life and [a] very intense show. It’s gonna be interesting to see how it all unfolds,” he teased.
As for moving forward, which is “what you have to do in life,” Sandoval said fans will “have to wait and see what happens.”
“As of now, our ticket sales for our tour have been really great. People have been supportive,” he revealed.
“Obviously, the people that are supportive and are staying by my side, they’re obviously a lot less vocal than the people who are not, similar to when you go on Yelp and look at restaurants, people are less likely to compliment a place than they are to leave a bad review if that makes sense,” he added.
Vanderpump Rules season 10 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.