Scandoval might have turned Ariana Madix into a legit celebrity, elevated in the the upper levels of reality star fame instead of just part of a large ensemble cast. She had a profile in The New York Times, she was on the Today Show, and now she’s snagged a Glamour cover and detailed profile. They really give her the full reflection and new beginning treatment, complete with a light-makeup, light-colored clothing, backyard photoshoot. (My only quibble is that it’s dog-only, what is this cat erasure?!) The profile also has the most detail I’ve seen about Ariana’s backstory, including her childhood in Florida and her early adult years in New York. And of course, the affair scandal and her plans for the future. Some highlights:

On why people are so obsessed with Scandoval: “There are layers to it. The best-friend layer, the fact that [he] and I were together for so long and so many people, including myself, saw us as endgame. It’s the deception, the trying to manipulate a narrative, the fact that so many people have been through this themselves and they recognize parts of it.”

On her immediate reaction to discovering the affair: “I think the shock prevents you from being sad immediately. It was like the air was sucked out of my lungs. It was shock, disbelief on some level, but then also anger. When you’ve been caught red-handed like that, there’s no denying it. It’s cold, hard evidence. So I think he was struggling. I think he was really mad that his little house of cards was crumbling.”

On feeling free now: “I definitely feel this sense of freedom because I was the adviser, the sounding board. And he didn’t like that he wasn’t getting constant validation from his adviser. Now I feel like I don’t have to worry about anybody but myself.”

On the taking the new opportunities she has access to: “We have no generational wealth in our family. I want to make enough money to be able to take care of my mom and my brother and any other family members who may or may not need it. I never want to worry about it ever, ever, ever. So I will work as much as possible to not have to.”

On how she hopes this will help fans and herself: “I feel close to a lot of people who watch the show or who will come to BravoCon or who I’ll message with on Instagram. I know maybe it sounds silly—we’re strangers—but I do feel close to them. I feel like we’re a community. And so with this, I hope that in talking about it and allowing [Bravo] to capture it, maybe I’ll be able to connect with a community of people who will be able to say, ‘This is how I got through this. This is what worked for me.’”

On the theory that it’s all fake: “If I was not a fan, like I wasn’t really paying attention, I might think that about any given show at any given time. If someone says that on my page, they get blocked immediately. If they tag me in a comment that says that, I’ll block them immediately. I’m kind of like, ‘F-ck off, this is my real life.’”

[From Glamour]

I do think Ariana hit the nail on the head with why people are so obsessed with Scandoval. Despite being on a reality show, they seemed like a pretty normal, stable, and relatable couple. And Ariana herself seemed more normal and less like the other delusional fame-hungry strivers on the show, so I think a lot of viewers already related to her. Everything but the fact that it was filmed for posterity is all a very human experience. Also, she says that Tom hid affair evidence in their shared laptop! Either this man wanted to be caught or he’s so dumb. You can definitely see that Ariana feels free now after the end of that relationship. She may not have realized how much it was dragging her down, but now it seems like she has a million opportunities for partnerships and sponsorships and she should certainly capitalize on that for her career and her family’s future. It’s nice that Ariana wants to provide for her family instead of asking her mom for her retirement money to fund her bar. As for connecting with fans over this, I think it’s a two-way street. She’s hoping to learn how others got through this, but also setting the blueprint for even more people about how to move on after a breakup. And it probably really bites Tom’s ass that this has legitimized Ariana’s fame, but turned him into even more of a joke.

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