Pump Rules’ Ariana Madix Is ‘Really Proud’ of Her ‘Ability to Survive’

Ariana Madix has more than proved that she has thrived since Scandoval.

“Something that I’m really proud of is my ability to survive,” Madix, 38, tells Us Weekly on the set of her recent cover story interview.

The Vanderpump Rules personality — a staple since season 2 — made headlines in March after news broke that Tom Sandoval cheated on her with their costar Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. Madix has since cut ties with both her ex-boyfriend and Leviss, 29, as she focused on healing, moving forward, her upcoming Something About Her shop and a new romance with Daniel Wai.

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She has also embarked on her “most daring” role yet as a contestant on Dancing With the Stars season 32. “The most daring thing I’ve done recently was go on [DWTS] and do the hardest dance there is to do, the samba, in my second week on the show,” Madix reveals to Us.

Madix is partnered with DWTS pro Pasha Pashkov — and they have consistently finished toward the top of the leaderboard since the September season premiere.

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Keep reading for Madix’s biggest secrets, including her “daring” turn in the ballroom, her go-to meal to impress a date and more:

My favorite holiday is Halloween because I love dressing up. I love all things spooky and scary, and I love the way people decorate.
My biggest fear is dying — for obvious reasons.
I was fired once from a job. It was a sports bar on Third Street here in Los Angeles. It’s the only job I’ve ever been fired from and it’s because I didn’t know how to get there. I just moved to L.A. and there was an accident and I only knew one way of getting there and it was before we were just mapping everything on our phones. I had a Blackberry and so I was late and I got fired.
My first job was actually working in my grandma and my uncle’s real estate office. And I don’t know if it really counts really, but I was doing secretarial-type stuff for my grandma.
My first car was a 1998 Acura TL. It was, like, a hunter, dark green color and that car could tell some stories [about] typical teenager stuff.
One thing I won’t eat is octopus because they’re super, super smart and they’re my favorite ocean animal.
I’ve been to some really, really, really amazing concerts, so it’s really tough to choose a favorite. So, I’m going to go with my most recent and that is Beyonce‘s Renaissance tour and it was incredible in every way. We were in Club Renaissance. We definitely made eye contact with Beyonce and after that, I was like, ‘I can die happy.’
One dish that I will always impress a date with is my mom’s lemon potatoes. Basically, you cut up potatoes [and] you spread them all out on a tray. It’s a lot of just salt, pepper and a ton of fresh lemon juice. You roast them in the oven, they come out, they’re crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. They’re so good.
Something that I’m really proud of is my ability to survive.
If someone were to play me in a movie, I want it to be Florence Pugh because I just feel like she could really get me and I think she’s just absolutely incredible.
If I’m having a bad day and I need to zone out, I will watch 50 episodes of Love Island.
My favorite smell is the smell of jasmine. There’s a lot of neighborhoods here in Los Angeles where it’s just growing everywhere and if you take a walk outside, like a mental health walk, you can just smell it all through the neighborhood and it is the best smell.
My celebrity crush growing up was Taylor Hanson and I did get to meet him and take a picture with him recently and I was dying.
My biggest turnoff is people who smack when they’re eating. If I am sitting next to a person who is eating and I just hear I am going to die.
The most daring thing I’ve done recently was go on Dancing with the Stars and do the hardest dance there is to do, the samba, in my second week on the show.

For more on Madix, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.