Carrie Ann Inaba celebrated Ariana Madix’s Dancing With the Stars debut by declaring “cheaters suck,” seemingly sending a message to Tom Sandoval.
“You just showed every woman, every man, anybody who is watching how you handle a cheater,” Inaba, 55, told Madix, 38, during the Tuesday, September 26, premiere of the ABC ballroom dance competition. “You come out here and you turn it up.
Madix and her pro partner, Pasha Pashkov, danced a tango to “Love Myself” by Hailee Steinfeld and received a score of 21 out of 30. She wore a stunning red dress with dramatic cutouts, which was reminiscent of her Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion gown.
Prior to her performance, Madix shared a brief overview of Scandoval, teasing that her life has been a “roller-coaster” over the past few months.
“You probably know me from Vanderpump Rules,” Madix said. “My partner of nine years and one of my best girlfriends were having an affair behind my back and everybody got to watch it play out and my life blow up on television.”
To prove that “this scandal does not define me,” Madix explained that she wanted to join the DWTS cast as a way to “do something for me that’s fun and positive.”
Madix concluded her introduction by calling the entire cheating scandal “devastating,” but she emphasized that “none of that stuff has to hold you back.”
Us Weekly confirmed in March that Madix and Sandoval, 41, had split after she discovered his affair with Vanderpump Rules costar Raquel Leviss. Both Sandoval and Leviss, 28, have publicly apologized to Madix for the affair. While Madix and Sandoval have both since returned to filming for the show’s 11th season, Leviss has taken a step back from reality TV.
Leviss broke her silence on the affair last month after previously checking herself into a treatment facility for her mental health. She claimed on Bethenny Frankel’s “ReWives” podcast that she and Madix “were not best friends” despite the “narrative” being told otherwise. Madix later shut down Leviss’ “obvious lie” during an August appearance on the “Scheananigans” podcast.
With the cheating scandal behind her, Madix is looking to the future — and hoping to secure the mirrorball trophy.
“I’m ready to just take on whatever I can and do my best,” Madix exclusively told Us earlier this month, describing her “new phase” of life.
When it comes to competing on DWTS specifically, Madix told Us that she’s “really stoked” about being paired with Pashkov, 37, whom she’s “only heard the best things about.”
Madix added: “I already won because I have the best partner.”
New episodes of Dancing With the Stars premiere on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
