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Ariana Madix has had a meteoric rise as a host — one that landed her an Emmy nomination this year.
After a guest-hosting gig during the fifth season of the summertime dating show “Love Island USA,” she officially took
over the reins for the sixth season in 2024. Two years later, she has wrapped Season 8 — her third — and was Emmy-nominated for host for a reality or reality competition program.
The onetime “Vanderpump Rules” star, who has starred on Broadway in “Chicago” and acted on NBC’s “St. Denis Medical,” breaks down the secrets of shooting “Love Island USA” in Fiji.
Get ready for an early promo blitz
“The promotion of the season starts a couple of weeks before, but it’s different than most other shows. I’m very excited to promote something, but I can’t really give anything away because nothing’s happened yet. All of that happens about a month before.”
Prepare for the fashion
“I wear a lot of exciting, kind of crazy and sometimes revealing outfits. So I always want to feel my best. I’m trying to make sure that I’m in a place physically where I feel good in anything I might put on.”
Select outfits that tell a story
“We like to push the envelope of dressing. I like to feel like a chameleon. I like for each look to have a very different glam, a very different vibe. And I really like to play with all of those things. That’s a really good creative outlet.”
Strike the right tone, even as Islanders know her arrival means a big change
“After I initially scare the crap out of them by coming in, I want them to feel as though everything’s going to be OK. But there also has to be an element of sexiness and an element of danger, for sure.”
Get an idea of the script — but be ready to improvise
“Sometimes I get it while I’m in glam. If there’s a challenge that needs to be explained, I’ll get the script beforehand. Sometimes I don’t get a script at all. In those moments, I’m hearing what I’m supposed to be saying for the first time as it’s coming out of my mouth. Sometimes I’m winging it.”
Take care of your voice
“I drink ginger tea while I’m in glam. Obviously, it’s very important for me to not get sick while I’m out there, so I’m always trying to take care of myself and take all of my vitamins.”
Protect your body
“There were a few nights where I had some bumps and scrapes on my legs from snorkeling, and I fell over a treadmill that wasn’t even on [laughs]. Those are things that I need to be careful of, because if I have marks on my body, the world is probably wondering what’s going on.”
Have confidence, even if you aren’t getting immediate feedback
“On a show like this, the camera crew is either up in a control room working the robocameras, or they’re behind a wall. So I don’t see anyone. You wonder, ‘Are they even getting this?’”
Embrace having a crew that traveled to Fiji, too
“So much of this crew is on site making this happen. That is so rare. Any other show I’ve been a part of, the post team is somewhere far off, almost like a figment of your imagination. We’re very much working there together in person. I think that’s why we feel like such a family making the show.”
