Tom Sandoval’s ‘Villain Era’ Officially Dead After He Tries to Sell ‘Vape Juice’ as a New Fragrance Line
Look, I’m not saying Tom Sandoval has hit rock bottom. But when you’re a reality TV villain who already cheated on your pregnant girlfriend with one of her best friends, then spent a full year gaslighting the world about it, and your next big move is trying to sell “premium vape juice” as an eau de toilette, you’re not just hitting rock bottom. You’re digging a tunnel straight to the Earth’s core so you can high-five the devil and ask for a lighter.
For the uninitiated (or those who’ve been living under a rock that’s somehow immune to Bravo drama), Tom Sandoval is the former “Vanderpump Rules” star who, in 2023, pulled off the most spectacular self-immolation since the Hindenburg. He had a months-long affair with co-star Raquel Leviss while his then-girlfriend Ariana Madix was at home, probably doing dishes and thinking about their future. The affair, dubbed “Scandoval” by people who have too much time on their hands, blew up the entire show, destroyed his business (TomTom), got him dumped by his band (because yes, he has a band), and turned him into the most hated man in reality TV. You’d think after that, the guy would either go full recluse or just open a sad little yoga studio in Topanga. Nope.
Enter the “Sandoval Signature Scent.” Or, as the rest of us call it, “The Smell of a Midlife Crisis in a Spray Bottle.”
According to a press release that I can only assume was written by an AI that hates him, Sandoval is launching a “high-end fragrance line” that captures “the essence of his personal journey.” The first scent? “Vibe.” Because of course it’s called “Vibe.” It’s a mix of “oud, sandalwood, and a hint of tobacco.” But here’s the kicker—and I’m not making this up—the scent is meant to be layered with his “signature vape juice.” Yes, you read that correctly. The man who single-handedly made “vaping” seem even more douchey than it already was is now trying to convince you that smelling like a broken Juul in a club bathroom is a lifestyle choice.
Let’s break down why this is the most Tom Sandoval thing he could possibly do. This is a guy who, during the height of his public shaming, went on a press tour where he cried about how hard it was to be a “villain” and claimed he was just “a guy who made a mistake.” Not a guy who had a calculated, months-long affair that involved lying to literally everyone in his life, including his own business partners. No, just a “mistake,” like forgetting to take out the trash. Now, he’s trying to monetize that mistake by selling a $120 bottle of water that smells like a regretful trip to a head shop.
The internet, predictably, is having a field day. The “Vanderpump Rules” subreddit is currently a war zone of memes, with one user posting a screenshot of the fragrance bottle next to a picture of a gas station bathroom and asking, “Which one has the better smell?” Another Redditor, in a thread titled “AITA for laughing at Tom Sandoval’s perfume launch?”, wrote: “NTA. This man is a walking walking advertisement for why you shouldn’t trust anyone who owns a fedora. I’d rather smell like a meth lab than his ‘Vibe.’” The post has over 3,000 upvotes.
And it gets worse. Sandoval is reportedly selling the fragrance exclusively through his own website (which looks like it was designed by a college freshman in 2012) and is offering a “limited edition” bundle that includes a “custom vape pen” with the scent. So for the low, low price of $250, you can smell like a guy who ruined his own life, cheated on his girlfriend, and now hangs out in a parking lot outside a 7-Eleven. What a steal.
But the real question isn’t whether this fragrance will sell. It won’t. The real question is whether Tom Sandoval has any self-awareness left. I’m going to go with a hard no. This is the same guy who, after the scandal broke, tried to rebrand himself as a “survivor” of cancel culture. He literally compared himself to Holocaust survivors. So, no, he’s not going to look at this fragrance line and think, “Maybe this is a bad idea.” He’s going to think, “Finally, the world will understand my truth.”
Also, let’s talk about the name. “Vibe.” It’s so vague, so aggressively neutral, that it almost feels like a cry for help. He couldn’t call it “Regret” or “Gaslight” or “The Smell of a Man Who Ruined His Own Life for a B-list Actress.” He had to go with “Vibe,” which is what you name a candle you buy at Target for $9.99 because you forgot your friend’s birthday.
And don’t even get me started on the marketing. The promotional photos show Sandoval in a leather jacket, looking off into the distance with a pained expression, as if he’s a tortured artist. He’s not a tortured artist. He’s a guy who used to pour drinks at a restaurant and now vapes in public. The only thing he’s tortured by is the fact that his Venmo is running low because no one wants to book him for appearances anymore.
But here’s the thing: Sandoval is not stupid. He knows that attention is attention, even if it’s bad. He’s banking on the fact that people will buy this garbage out of sheer morbid curiosity. They’ll want to know what a cheating, vaping, reality TV villain smells like. Spoiler
Final Thoughts
After all the noise and public dissection of Tom Sandoval's scandal, what remains is less a cautionary tale about infidelity and more a stark portrait of ego unchecked by consequence. His calculated return to the spotlight, complete with rehearsed apologies and strategic victimhood, suggests that for some personalities, the line between authentic remorse and performance has long since been erased. Ultimately, the Sandoval saga serves as a reminder that in the reality-TV ecosystem, the only unforgivable sin is being boring—and in that arena, he has, tragically, succeeded.