Phaedra Parks wants you to know that she doesn’t need any help (at least from Housewives) as she sets her sights on winning Dancing with the Stars!
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the season 33 premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 17, The Real Housewives of Atlanta star, 50, said she didn’t seek tips from any of her fellow Housewives who have competed on the show as she is aiming to take home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
“I didn’t ask them. Because I want to go in the situation sort of fresh,” Parks tells PEOPLE. “We had a chat and so they gave me their thoughts about it, but I didn’t really want their tips because I need to win. They haven’t won yet.”
While Parks said that her training with dance partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy has been “intense,” she shared that her experience so far on the show has been “a lot of fun.”
“I had heard that it is extremely fun, but it’s a lot of hard work,” she says. “But I’m a super-focused person, so I’m not afraid of hard work, but it’s definitely no less than four hours a day.”
Parks adds that she hopes to “win” the show and “continue to improve, do better every time.”
Her comments come after former RHOA stars Kenya Moore and Kim Zolciak-Biermann both competed on the show. While Moore, 53, finished in 10th place on season 30 in 2021, Zolciak, 46, scored 11th place on season 21 in 2015.
NeNe Leakes was the first of the Atlanta housewives to compete on the show on season 18 back in 2014, coming in at seventh place.
Watch Phaedra below:
Phaedra starting her #DWTS run in a bedazzled Traitors cloak is incredible #TheTraitors pic.twitter.com/4tsUBX1LEo
— Mike Bloom (@AMikeBloomType) September 18, 2024
Other housewives who have appeared on DWTS include The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Erika Jayne and alum Lisa Rinna, The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice and formerThe Real Housewives of Miami star Joanna Krupa. RHOBH alum Lisa Vanderpump also appeared in season 2 of the show.
Now Phaedra… ???? #DWTS pic.twitter.com/NMuRuKqrZF
— eli (@realitytvxfan) September 18, 2024
and
Phaedra will always give a good tagline ???????? #RHOA #DWTS pic.twitter.com/navfrt7wwB
— Porsha (@urfavv_goddess) September 16, 2024
and
Phaedra is about to be the FIRST housewife to make it to the finals AND the FIRST housewife to win. She’s taking it #DWTS https://t.co/6K06ySNn31
— The Most Faithful Traitor (@SarayasOutcasts) September 18, 2024
