EXCLUSIVE: Tom Sandoval reveals he needs knee surgery after ‘absolutely brutal’ Special Forces stint – as he prepares for ‘toughest season’ of Vanderpump Rules

Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval has revealed he needs surgery after competing on season two of Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test – admitting his knees were worn out after weeks of intense challenges.

The reality star, 40, was one of five celebrities to make it to the final, which saw Olympic skater Erin Jackson, 31, and The Bachelor stars Nick Viall, 43, and Tyler Cameron, 30, successfully complete the course.

Tom opened up about the toll the show took on his body and how it affected his mobility in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, in which he also discussed his return to Vanderpump Rules after his scandalous affair came to light.

“When I went on the show, my knees were shot,” he said of his stint in Special Forces. “They’re still getting shot, I’ll probably have to have knee surgery.

The television personality, 40, was among five celebrities who made it to the final

‘I’m looking at some options. Maybe I should get injections or something like that. It was absolutely brutal.

“Overall they’re not great, and there were a few days where I wasn’t very mobile after doing the show.”

In the final episode, where the recruits were captured and faced with hours of military-level interrogation, Tom and his fellow competitors were forced to stand in a cell before being questioned about a backstory they had been briefed on.

Because the cell was freezing, the celebrities were also hooded, tied up and put in stress positions – and subjected to disturbing noises.

During the brutal final exercise, the staff noted that Tom had been ‘dramatic throughout the course’, something he adamantly denies.

“I think the staff just assumed I was some kind of Olympic athlete or something,” he continued.

‘I hadn’t trained. JoJo Siwa knew she was doing the show a month earlier, so she worked with a trainer, ran with a weighted vest and broke in her boots.

“I found out I did this a few days earlier. I was lucky enough to get on the bike the five days before, to try and get my legs into some shape to handle this, because there were a lot of legs.”

Tom, pictured with ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix (pictured earlier this year), joined the Special Forces after his secret affair was exposed

Tom had just five days to train before heading off to film the brutal challenge show

Tom, much to his surprise, was ultimately eliminated from the course by an unnamed judge called the Referee, who suggested the reality star didn’t seem empathetic.

Addressing his departure, he said: “I was shocked. I had been in jail for about six hours and had only had one interview – and I knew the backstory backwards and forwards. It was really frustrating.”

Tom enlisted in Special Forces after a secret affair with his fellow Vanderpump Rules costar, Rachel Leviss, 29, came to light.

Tom was in a nine-year romance with his now ex-girlfriend, Ariana Madix, 38, at the time.

‘I felt like [Special Forces] was something I really needed in my life,” he said.

‘I had to deal with the media storm every day. About 100 stories came out every day.

“This really gave me a chance to focus on something else and I was so grateful for that.”

Tom added that he believed taking part in the show had helped improve his image.

The reality star was ‘frustrated’ that he was eliminated from the course so close to the end

Of his return to Vanderpump Rules, which airs in January, he said: “This was probably the hardest season I’ve ever filmed.”

He said, “I think it was just fun for people to see me in a different setting than Vanderpump Rules.

‘A setting that had nothing to do with participating in a salacious reality show. People saw me in a completely different environment and with different people.

“I do think people got to know a different side of me than they might have done before.”

Tom will return to screens in January 2024 for season 11 of Vanderpump Rules.

About his return, he said: ‘This was probably the hardest season I’ve ever filmed, so it’s going to be very interesting. It’s certainly a very intense season.’

Tom was the subject of a public backlash after his affair came to light, with people blocking him on Instagram and condemning him for his actions.

When asked how he is doing now, he replied: ‘I’m hanging in there. What’s that old saying: I guess what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, in a way. But I’m just keeping myself busy, man. Just look optimistically at the future and hope for the best.

‘I fought against self-loathing. I also understood that people absolutely did not like me. I knew they would enjoy seeing me get beat up [on Special Forces].’