Ariana Madix is trading in lightning bolts for mirrorballs.
The “Vanderpump Rules” star is the first celebrity partner announced for Season 32 of “Dancing With the Stars.” The announcement was made on “Good Morning America” on Friday.
Rumors of Madix’s casting began on Wednesday, as she was spotted eating lunch with judge Derek Hough at Something about Her, the sandwich shop she co-owns with Katie Maloney. The next day, Hough shared a teaser video via the official “GMA” Twitter account, filmed inside the shop. “
Madix has been jumping at exciting new business opportunities since she landed in the middle of the biggest reality TV scandal of the year: Scandoval — the name created after her long-time boyfriend Tom Sandoval was caught cheating on with one of her close friends, Raquel Leviss.
Although “Vanderpump Rules” had wrapped at the time the affair broke, Bravo immediately got back to work, delivering series-high ratings for their explosive finale. During the multi-part reunion, Madix revealed that she and Maloney launched their Something about Her merch early and had already made around $200,000 from the line. She has also partnered with Bic razors, Bloomingdale’s, Bellesa sex toys, Uber One, Boys Lie, Joyburst canned drinks and Lay’s chips for brand deals.
Additionally, Madix is keeping busy as “Vanderpump Rules” is about to begin filming Season 11. “We usually have so much time to process — things change a lot — but nope,” co-star Lala Kent shared at the end of June. “This is the first time it was: ‘Film a season. Oh wait, something really crazy happened. Pick back up cameras. Here’s nine episodes to watch by tomorrow, before the reunion. Oh, and by the way, you only have X amount of weeks to chill before we start again.'”
“Dancing With the Stars,” meanwhile, will air Season 32 on ABC in the fall, moving back to its original network after a year of exclusively streaming on Disney+.
Former pro dancer Julianne Hough has joined the season as Alfonso Ribeiro’s co-host; Tyra Banks, who hosted for three seasons, left after Season 31. The judges will be Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. In November 2022, former head judge Len Goodman announced that Season 31 would be his last; the British ballroom dancer died in April.
