The first seven minutes of The Traitors season 3 proved that Tom Sandoval’s reputation definitely preceded him as several costars agreed to ignore him.
Peacock dropped a preview for its hit show on Wednesday, January 1, which showed the cast introducing themselves after arriving in Scotland. Nikki Garcia and Gabby Windey were the first to spot Sandoval, 42, as he got out of the car.
“Oh my gosh, do you see who it is?” Nikki, 41, asked Gabby, 34, who replied, “Is that Sandoval? I am not saying hi to him.”
Nikki laughed at Gabby’s reaction, adding, “I know, right?”
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The introduction to season 3 didn’t show anyone else’s reaction to Sandoval. However, once filming wrapped, another cast member Chrishell Stause made her thoughts on Sandoval clear following his cheating scandal with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss in 2023.
In November 2024, Chrishell, 43, shared a series of promotional photos of all her fellow contestants — except Sandoval. The Selling Sunset star didn’t address the omission at the time but she previously showed support for Sandoval’s ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix.
“I love when we can all agree on something,” Chrishell wrote via X alongside a red carpet photo of her and Ariana, 38.
The Traitors was the third show offer Sandoval received in the aftermath of his cheating scandal with Rachel, 29. In March 2023, news broke about their affair, which led to Sandoval’s split from Ariana after nearly a decade of dating. Ariana landed opportunities such as hosting Love Island USA and starring in Broadway’s Chicago while Sandoval competed on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test and The Masked Singer.
Rachel, for her part, checked herself into a mental health facility and subsequently exited Vanderpump Rules before they started filming season 11. Once she left the treatment center, Rachel chose to share her side of the story on her podcast, “Rachel Goes Rogue,” which she has since departed to focus on her life in Arizona.
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Before unplugging from reality TV, Rachel admitted she was interested in Sandoval’s casting on Traitors.
“I think I might have to tune in to watch that. I don’t know why. I mean, I watched [Sandoval on Fox’s] Special Forces,” she said on her podcast in June 2024. “Tom was trying to convince me to go on Special Forces with him. I did watch that and I did kind of have a little bit of joy seeing him go through painful experiences.”
Rachel added that she “may have to tune in” for season 3 of The Traitors.
“I have been watching last season’s Traitors, and the dynamic is interesting. I don’t know many of the people on the [season 3] cast, but I may have to tune in for this,” she continued. “Because I feel like he is a master manipulator, and it would be very interesting to see his tactics in a situation where it’s encouraged to be manipulative. Like, more of a ‘put on your psychology cap’ for this one because it sounds very entertaining.”
‘The Traitors’ Season 3 Cast Includes Sandoval, Chrishell and Gabby Windey
The highly-anticipated third season of The Traitors premieres on January 9 with a three-episode premiere event. Peacock’s hit reality series brings together reality TV stars from different franchises as they compete in a mafia-style game for up to $250,000.
In addition to Sandoval, Housewives Robyn Dixon, Dolores Catania, Dorinda Medley and Chanel Ayan are set to appear alongside Bachelor Nation stars Wells Adams and Gabby, Summer House’s Ciara Miller and Chrishell. The competition series will also feature Survivor’s Rob Mariano (Boston Rob), Jeremy Collins, Carolyn Wiger and Tony Vlachos, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Bob the Drag Queen, Big Brother’s Britney Haynes and Danielle Reyes, The Biggest Loser alum Bob Harper, Zac Efron’s brother Dylan Efron, British aristocrat Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Britney Spears’ ex Sam Asghari and Nikki.
New episodes of The Traitors will be released on Peacock Thursdays until March 6.
