Ariana Madix’s highly anticipated appearance on Will Trent featured plenty of fun Easter eggs — and even a few Dancing With the Stars jokes.
On the Tuesday, Feb. 25 episode of the ABC hit, Ariana, 39, played a more high-class version of herself who hired Michael Ormewood (played by Jake McLaughlin) to be her unarmed bodyguard for an intervention she was organizing for a friend.
However, Michael turned out to be a big fan of her work — and was even hoping to get his own Bodyguard moment. (The 1992 film stars Kevin Costner as a bodyguard for a famous actress played by Whitney Houston.)
“I’m wasting my weekend in a suit while babysitting for a promotional party or a press tour or an announcement of a really cool new project or a high-society dinner with reality TV royalty,” he said, before admitting that he was very familiar with the reality TV star. “I know how to stay professional.”
Michael quickly realized his weekend gig wasn’t going as planned when a fight broke out at an intervention because Ariana’s friend didn’t want treatment. Instead, the friend tried to fight Michael over some of her cocaine, prompting the police to pepper spray her. Michael also suffered a dislocated shoulder after being punched.
Luckily, Ariana had a variety of skills to help with the situation, including being a certified paramedic. She then revealed that she speaks multiple languages — including Mandarin and Cantonese — and won a bronze medal in a parkour competition in addition to being a black belt in judo. Ariana and Michael eventually went to a bar to find her friend. There, they began to open up about their personal lives, with Michael mentioning his divorce, with Ariana noting, “I know all about bad breakups.”
Michael took the opportunity to declare himself “Team Ariana,” a reference to ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval’s 2023 cheating scandal. After admitting he was a fan, Michael shared his heated opinion on her performance on Dancing With the Stars. “You did so well on Dancing With the Stars — by the way, they stole you,” he noted. “That cha cha you did was a chef’s kiss.” Ariana joked that she didn’t win season 32 because “Carrie Ann hates” her. “Oh, I can tell,” Michael joked.
The duo’s sweet moment was interrupted when they were forced to save Ariana’s friend from some drug dealers. With Ariana’s help, Michael took down most of them, but then she needed his help when her shoe got stuck. Michael finally got his Bodyguard moment when he carried Ariana out of the building while romantic music played in the background.
At the end of the episode, Ariana and Michael realized that they needed to break up. “You were a fun date,” Ariana told Michael. “I know you’re still getting over your ex, and I speak from experience—and as a dating show host—sometimes you just have to get back there.”
Ariana and Michael shared a passionate kiss before she left for Singapore. Her last words to Michael were about him being “every girl’s dream bodyguard.”
Will Trent is one of the many opportunities Ariana has explored since she first rose to fame on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules. After Scandoval, Ariana has since been crowned Us Weekly’s first-ever Reality TV Star of the Year, finished as runner-up on season 32 of Dancing With the Stars, starred in Broadway’s Chicago as Roxie Hart twice, released a cocktail book called Single AF Cocktails, opened a sandwich shop called Something About Her with Katie Maloney, and hosted season 6 of Love Island USA.
“This situation made me realize that I can do hard things. The worst-case scenario actually happened and I was fine. Like, look—you can handle what’s thrown at you,” Ariana exclusively told Us in an October 2023 cover story. “I’ve grown [since being on the show]. I’m someone who never really wanted to grow. [But] over time, I’ve been able to love myself more and give myself more grace when it comes to the things we go through while filming. And that has allowed me to give other people more grace.”
