Ariana Madix was asked about her potential return to Vanderpump Rules at Sunday night’s Emmy Awards.
While also answering questions about the upcoming 33rd season of Dancing with the Stars, her recent stint on Broadway, and her hosting success on Love Island USA, Ariana, 39, looked ahead to the new episodes, which are expected to go into production this fall.
“I don’t know,” Ariana teased of her season 12 role during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on September 15.
Ariana then admitted that while she has to root for Pasha Pashkov, 38, who’s paired with Tori Spelling, 51, on DWTS, she’s also an “old-school Orlando Magic fan,” and she is excited to see Dwight Howard, 38, on the show.
“I’m not sure how the height difference is gonna work with him and [Daniella Karagach] but I’m very excited for that. I’m excited for [Val Chmerkovskiy] and [Phaedra Parks]. I think she’s gonna be so much fun,” Ariana continued. “[Brandon Armstrong] and [Chandler Kinney], I think they’re gonna be real top contenders. I’m just excited to see how it plays out.”
As for her advice, Ariana told contestants, “Book your appointments with the physical therapist now and book them often. That takes such a toll on your body like no other thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. But also, just have so much fun. When that music starts and the live audience is there, it is exciting. It is the best time.”
As Pump Rules fans well know, Ariana recently wrapped her second run as Roxie Hart in Broadway’s Chicago. And looking back at her time in New York City, Ariana said the best part was the family she gained.
“They are truly my family. I feel like we sit backstage and we joke and we tell each other our deepest darkest secrets. If we’re having a bad day, we get to work that out with each other and we get to perform every night,” she gushed. “We get to all live our dreams.”
In addition to making her debut on Broadway this year, Ariana was also named the host of Love Island USA, which she described as “incredible.”
“Love Island, all of the iterations on all of the different countries, it’s been my favorite show for a really long time so to be a part of it on that level was amazing,” she stated.
That said, she shut down the idea that she was responsible for the show’s success.
“I don’t feel like I can really take credit because the cast was so absolutely incredible. They just had the personality. They had the connections with each other and they really just gave themselves and I feel like it was all them,” she clarified.
Looking back at her many accomplishments, Ariana said that it’s been a “dream come true” to have so much work coming her way.
“When you’ve been kicking around in this business as long as I have, you wonder if certain things are ever going to happen. And I’m 39. So, you start to look at that clock and wonder, ‘What is my future gonna hold?’ And so it’s been a dream come true to be able to work,” she stated. “I’ve always just wanted to be someone who’s able to do what I love and be able to make a living doing it so I’m just really, really grateful for that.”
