Tom Sandoval is working on his image. The Vanderpump Rules alum is back on TV, this time on the comedy competition series, House of Villains, which has found a new home on Peacock.

Hosted by Joel McHale, Sandoval joins 10 reality all-stars — Paul Abrahamian, Tyson Apostol, Kate Chastain, Jackie Christie, Drita D’Avanzo, Plane Jane, Johnny Middlebrooks, Ashley Mitchell, Tiffany “New York” Pollard, and Christine Quinn — who must scheme, strategize, and shade each other in different challenges for a chance to win $200,000 and the title of “America’s Ultimate Supervillain.” And while Sandoval has been branded with that “villain” title since breaking the internet after cheating on longtime partner, Ariana Madix, with VPR co-star and friend, Raquel “Rachel” Leviss, he’s ready to push back on “Scandoval” and enter a new era.

ScreenRant‘s Mona Khalifeh spoke to Sandoval and Aposotol ahead of the show’s season 3 premiere, where they spoke about their friendship — and alliance — and why HOV allowed Sandoval to “create the environment” he wanted to be in.

What was really fun was coming into this after being on Traitors, knowing that everybody was coming in with this villain persona from their other shows. I felt like we were kind of all on this, sort of, equal playing field in that sense, where there was a sense of acceptance and comfort, and that felt really good. It felt nice to just have fun, bring in the fun, bring in the good energy, and that’s what I love about shows like this. I feel like you have a real opportunity — especially this show — you have a real opportunity to create the environment you want to be in.

For the reality star and business owner, his approach to the competition series was very much: “you get what you put in.”

If you’re going to come in guns blazing, and put on this cocky, “better than you” sort of attitude, then that’s what you’re going to get back, you’re going to get negativity back. But if you come in with this sweet, just want to talk, get to know you-type thing, then you’ll get that back. And I loved the fact that I could make cocktails for people, and sort of get everyone hanging out, socializing, and that felt to me powerful in a very positive way. And I feel like Tyson and I, both working together, and our friendship, our alliance — I think that really helped us out, but it also created a little bit of jealousy.

That jealousy, Sandoval mentioned, largely came from his bond with Apostol, which was pretty instantaneous.

Being a villain from a gamer show is way different than people just not liking you on a reality show. I think it definitely made him [Apostol] more of a target. I think it helped though, because obviously, we hit it off right off the bat. I think us being together sort of put a target on us because I felt like people knew we were so — I don’t know how they figured it out — that we were tight and working together.

For Apostol, the pair were not just “tight,” they were also “cool,” something he said the cast was “jealous” of. The Survivor alum also made a point to stand up for Sandoval, telling ScreenRant that the TomTom owner not only succeeded in re-writing his “villain” narrative, he “charmed” the entire house.

I want to say on Tom’s behalf that I think people came into the house just wanting to dislike Tom, and then he won them over with his charm, his charisma, and sense of humor. In reality TV in general, you have a perception of what someone will be based on what you know of them, and oftentimes you’re so far off the mark. Most people are pretty decent and pretty OK — even villains. You look at this cast, and you’re like, “Oh, so-and-so’s terrible.” True, there are some truly to-the-core terrible people on this season, but for the most part, everybody’s pretty cool.

The “villain” viewers see on TV is just a “snippet” of the personalities of the reality all-stars competing on the show, with Apostol calling it “refreshing” to meet the contestants “as real people,” rather than the “character” they portrayed on the shows that made them famous.

What you see of anybody being a villain on TV is just a snippet of what and who they actually are. And so, I think in general, when you go into something like House of Villains, it’s usually refreshing to meet these people as real people rather than the character they are on whatever show they came from. And I’ve been on TV enough to know that that’s also the same for myself. I know that people look at me as a cutthroat gamer, someone who’s vicious in confessionals — which is all true — but what they don’t show, is that I am also human. I also have feelings. I can also perceive when people are having feelings of their own. And so, when you start showing people that side that isn’t seen on TV as much, then they open up to you.

What The Rest Of The House Of Villains Cast Said About Their “Villain” Personas

ScreenRant: On a show like this, do you think being a character that stands out is a liability or is it a strength?

Jackie Christie: I would say on a show like this, it’s a liability because everybody’s watching each other from the beginning. Now that I can look back, and I see the whole picture, they’re trying to see who they need to befriend, who they need to start working on getting out of there, who they don’t. And you can make yourself not liked by being too much.

Christine Quinn: I totally agree with Jackie. I think a lot of people came into the show, and they wanted to be over the top, and crazy and this and that, and it kind of worked in the opposite way, because then I was like, “Ooh, this person’s unpredictable. I don’t want to work with them. I can’t trust them because they’re trying to get their camera time and put on a show.” And it can be hard to have a connection.

Plane Jane: It can be both, honestly. It can be both a strength and a liability. It’s important to know when to turn it on and when to turn it off.

ScreenRant: Do you think you leaned into your villain persona or that villain tag that was put on you? Or did you try to steer away from that and kind of change the perception maybe of what others labeled you as?

Ashley Mitchell: I feel like a lot of us are naturally abrasive, and loud, and play the game, so I knew that I wouldn’t have to try to be dramatic, it would come on its own. I don’t have to be fake about it. Sadly, I am the drama queen.

Paul Abrahamian: I feel like I was brought on the show to be kind of like that evil strategist, mastermind, Big Brother-y flare. So I feel like, okay, this is the assignment: I’m going to lock in and do it. I’m going to lean into it.

Johnny Middlebrooks: I feel like I was just being myself, and I think that showed. With the little thing with Christine[Quinn] in the beginning, I don’t really do things to try and perpetuate this idea that I’m this person, I just tend to fall into that role. It’s always been like that.

ScreenRant: Do you feel like it’s more effective to intimidate in this house or quietly maneuver your way through?

Kate Chastain: It’s better to intimidate. I was more reserved, and people saw that as weakness. They were wrong. But I think in a house of villains, it’s better to be a bigger presence.

Drita D’Avanzo: It’s like a Catch-22. They might see you as a threat. If you show that you’re really smart, you’re a threat. In these types of games, you can’t take it personally. Actually, it’s a compliment when they want you out of the house. That means they fear you, and you might win. So you have to not think about who you like or whatever, but who would be a problem? Who is the most-liked? If they have a big personality, it really doesn’t matter, because someone can like that, and someone can find that annoying.

Dive into our other House of Villains coverage here: