Ariana Madix Reflects on the "Many Highs and Many Lows" of 2023 (EXCLUSIVE)

As 2023 comes to a close, Ariana Madix is reflecting on a year filled with "many highs and many lows."

The Vanderpump Rules cast member ended her relationship with Tom Sandoval in March 2023 after more than nine years of dating, and she went on to form a new bond with fitness trainer Daniel Wai, get ready to open up Something About Her with Katie Maloney, appear on a dancing competition (and make it to the finale, no less), release a book, Single AF Cocktails, and embark on an accompanying book tour, Single AF in the months that followed. 

Now, Ariana is looking back on her transformative year. During an exclusive chat with The Daily Dish on November 30, the former SUR bartender opened up about her exciting recent projects, and she shared what's next. 

Ariana Madix Talks About the End of Her Dancing Gig

As the cocktail expert gets ready to perform her final two dances on Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars, she's reflecting on the "transformative" experience. 

"I am emotional. I'm just a ball of many different emotions going into this finale. Because, on one hand, it's like it's starting to hit me that it's all coming to an end, and it's been such an incredibly beautiful experience and one that has been transformative for me, and that I will treasure forever, no matter what happens," she told The Daily Dish. "So that coming to a close and kind of coming to that realization has been very emotional."

"Also the rehearsal process of every day with my partner for four or five hours a day and just knowing that that's just not how my life is going to be anymore. But, on the other hand, I'm just so excited for the finale," she continued. "We're doing a freestyle that I'm super stoked about, and no matter what happens, I think that ultimately, on Tuesday, it comes down to the votes. I think that any person [who's] in the final can take it. I don't think that there's any frontrunner, and I think that anybody could win based on the votes."

Though Ariana and her partner, Pasha Pashkov, have been successful with their preparations thus far, the two have upped the ante heading into the finale. 

"We've definitely amped things up a little bit," Ariana teased. "We have two dances; we have our redemption dance, and we have our freestyle. Because both of those dances are so intense, we've definitely amped up the rehearsal process to be able to nail those. And, I'm one of those people that in order for me to have fun out there while I'm performing, I have to feel like I'm prepared, so I'm not freaking out, and I have to make sure that I know it like the back of my hand so I can really go out there and have the time of my life."

While Ariana is thrilled to have made it to the end of the competition (and she noted that she will be happy no matter what the result is), she would be ecstatic if she was able to hoist up the Mirror Ball trophy in the end. 

"I think I would faint," she said about the prospect of winning. "I think I would be so over the moon, and not just for me, but for every person [who] has supported me or supported me and my partner, Pasha, during this whole time. If we were able to take the Mirror Ball, I just think that the emotions — we're both criers — so both he and I would be total wrecks. The happiness would just be on a level 20."

Ariana Madix Opens Up About Her New Cocktail Book and Tour

As if Ariana's schedule wasn't busy enough, instead of unwinding after the DWTS finale, the Vanderpump Rules cast member is set to release her new cocktail book, Single AF Cocktails: Drinks for Bad B*tches on the same day. 

The book, which drops Nov. 5, will feature cocktail recipes and the stories behind their names, which include a spicy margarita called "Good Chemistry," and a hurricane-inspired rum drink called the "Explosion." One of her favorites, she said, is a Mezcal drink called "We Ride at Dawn."

Ariana Madix at Watch What Happens Live in New York City. Photo: Getty Images

Ariana shared how she's feeling about the fast-approaching book release date. 

"I'm really excited for people to try the recipes, and I'm really excited for people to see these really beautiful photos. It's one of those things where I'm glad that I wrote the book. And I'm, of course, so happy to be on the other side of this emotional journey that I went through [while] writing it. But it is this weird feeling of almost as if people are now reading my diary or something. It feels very, very scary, to be honest, that people are actually going to be reading it and seeing [it]," Ariana explained. "I said this to someone the other day, I said, 'Man, I wonder if I shouldn't have written this book because now people are going to read it, and now I have to talk about it.' But, it's wonderful. But, you realize as it starts coming closer, that it's a real thing."

The book is also Ariana's first release solo, which she said feels "very empowering and also very scary in a way, because it is just me, so if anyone has something negative to say that only falls on my shoulders. But, I think that I can handle that responsibility, and I'm really proud of what I've put out with this," she added. "So, I think that I am just proud of myself for accomplishing that."

Once the book comes out, Ariana will be stopping in multiple cities ahead of the holidays for her Single AF Tour. She teased what fans can expect to see if they buy tickets to one of her tour dates.

"This tour is an extension of the book coming out. It's definitely my version of what I would want to do with a book tour, so there will be cocktails; there will be fun; there will be laughter. We'll be having kind of an intimate evening together," she said. "When someone asked me if I would ever do a tour, I always said that if I were to, I would want it to feel like a cocktail party, so that is the type of vibe that I really want to bring to this."

Stream Seasons 1 through 10 of Vanderpump Rules on Peacock now. Season 11 premieres in January 2024.