Tom Sandoval is in New Zealand competing on season two of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test

While his ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix is filming the 11th season of Vanderpump Rules in LA, Tom Sandoval is currently in New Zealand filming the second season of Fox reality competition Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge told TMZ on Thursday that the philandering reality star – turning the big 4-0 next week – has been challenged physically and mentally on the 10-day boot camp-style unscripted series alongside 15 other household names.

‘You’ll be a changed person,’ Directing Staff instructor Rudy Reyes – a former US Recon Marine – vowed to contestants during the Jordan-set first season.

‘For damn sure, you’ll be a better person.’

It’s currently winter (high of 56F degrees and low of 41F degrees) in the Kiwi country where Tom once vacationed with his 38-year-old former live-in love, whom he used to call his ‘adventure buddy for life.’

Out of the 16 celebrity contestants last season – including Jamie Lynn Spears, Kenya Moore, and Danny Amendola – 13 voluntarily withdrew from the competition and one contestant (Dwight Howard) was disqualified.

On the March 1st finale, only two people made it to the end of the course based on a highly-classified special forces training program, and they both happened to be women – The Bachelorette #15 Hannah Brown and retired soccer player Carli Lloyd.

‘They put you on a calorie deficit for a reason. You’re not sleeping. It really wreaks havoc on your body. I felt bad for the bigger guys. We were all getting the same [amount of food], so it was really tough,’ the 28-year-old Miss Alabama 2018 recalled to TV Insider.

‘I didn’t want to give up. I knew that I would regret it if I quit in a weak moment, so I think that was also something I knew going in. It was still surprising when you see some of these really amazing, talented, athletic people that didn’t make it through and I did. It’s the part that I think is really shocking and something I am really proud of.’

Hannah – who also won season 28 of Dancing with the Stars – overcame challenges involving heights, swimming, being set on fire, inhaling tear gas, and fighting.

The American adaptation of the British reality series SAS: Who Dares Wins became the top unscripted series debut of the 2022-2023 season with 2.7M viewers tuning into the January 4 two-episode premiere – according to Deadline.

Sandoval – who’s expected to start filming Vanderpump Rules when he returns to the States – has previously showcased his skills mountain climbing, snowboarding, and roller skating on social media.

The St. Louis native previously competed on CBS Sports Network’s Poker Night Live in 2018 and ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud in 2019.

Meanwhile, the Bravo cameras were rolling Thursday as Ariana and her Something About Her sandwich shop business partner Katie Maloney went furniture shopping at BTS Thrift Store where a black-clad producer supervised all of the action.

Tom and Madix were likely relieved to get a break from sharing their $2M five-bedroom Valley Village home, having ended their nine-year relationship on March 1 after she discovered his months-long affair with her best friend Raquel Leviss.

Sandoval famously cheated on his prior live-in girlfriend of eight years, Kristen Doute, in order to date the Florida-born blonde in 2014.

The Superstars singer is said to earn $25K/episode starring in the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills spin-off series, which first introduced him to the world as a SUR bartender.

Tom just finished touring with his band The Most Extras and he works as a partner for the men’s skincare company, Stryx.

Sandoval co-owns Schwartz & Sandy’s Lounge located in LA’s Franklin Village with Vanderpump Rules co-star Tom Schwartz.

The Winter House guest star and the 40-year-old ex-husband of Katie Maloney are also junior partners of Tom Tom Restaurant & Bar in West Hollywood owned by his boss Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd.