Chrishell Stause (left) and Tom Sandoval.Photo:Euan Cherry/Peacock
Euan Cherry/Peacock
Warning: This story contains spoilers from season 3 ofThe Traitors.
Chrishell Stausestayed “faithful” to her friend,Ariana Madix, while filming theThe Traitorsalongside Madix’s ex-boyfriend,Tom Sandoval.
Stause, who was one of 24 contestants on the third season ofThe Traitors, spoke to PEOPLE about the castle dynamics and the tension between her and theVanderpump Rulesalum, 42.
But Stause, 43, tells PEOPLE before Cumming, 60, picked the traitors, she and Sandoval had a quick conversation off camera about their shared connection in Madix, who happens to be a friend of Stause.
“I basically just said, like, ‘Oh, hey. Hope this isn’t awkward.’ I just kind of said, ‘Love Ariana,’ something like, ‘I’d been friends with her.’ So I guess I was kind of making conversation, like, ‘Hope this isn’t you know anything’ and he just kind of laughed it off. He was like, ‘No, of course not. Of course not,'" she recalls.
Stause then assumed it was “anecdotal at the time.” But “it wasn’t until after the round table — with nothing to go off of — that he was telling everyone I was traitor,” she tells PEOPLE.
“That I really felt like that was a personal attack,” she explains. “I had made that comment about Ariana, and being friends with her. So I just felt like, after that moment on, it was personal.”
Chrishell Stause (left) and Tom Sandoval in ‘The Traitors’ season 3 portraits.Peacock (2)
Peacock (2)
TheSelling Sunsetstar was referring to Sandoval’s immediate reaction at the first roundtable, citing his conversation withDylan Efronwhen he speculated that Stause was a traitor. Once Efron, 33, informed Stause, she asked him,Nikki Garciaand TraitorDanielle Reyes: “Do you think it’s because I’m friends with Ariana and he knows that? That’s sabotage!”
She tells PEOPLE that since watching the show, Sandoval has insisted he “wasn’t playing personal,” but Stause quips, “In my opinion, he started it.”
Noting that “it is hard” for her to move past his personal attack, she adds, “After that, I was done with him. But, it’s a game, so it’s all good.”
Tom Sandoval in “The Traitors” season 3.Peacock/Youtube
Peacock/Youtube
Stause says it was never her intention to bring up her friendship with Madix to her game. “I honestly didn’t even mean this to be a storyline,” she explains. “The fact that it played into everything. It was not my intention whatsoever.”
“I only brought it up because I was trying to make the point that he has nothing to go off of,” she reiterates. “This is the only reason he’s saying this. Truly, he had that.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
New episodes ofThe Traitorsstream Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
source: people.com
