Tom Sandoval's Most Extras get mixed feedback on AGT Blinding Lights

Tom Sandoval and his band, Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras, faced a mixed reception on the latest live rounds of America's Got Talent, delivering a high-energy cover of The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights that drew both praise and sharp critique. On stage on August 19, the performance showcased the group’s signature showmanship, even as one judge pressed the buzzer and deemed the sound not great. Sandoval attributed part of the misstep to technical issues with his in-ear monitors, but he emphasized that the night was about more than one verdict and about presenting the band in a different light to a national audience.

Sandoval’s AGT journey has been framed by a broader public reckoning with a high-profile personal controversy from his Vanderpump Rules days. In the wake of what fans labeled “Scandoval,” the reality star has repeatedly described the competition as an opportunity to reintroduce himself through music and to spotlight his bandmates, who stood by him through difficult headlines. He has spoken of the experience as something far bigger than a single performance, noting that the platform offers a chance to show a fun, communal side of his public persona. “I thought to myself,...