The YouTube star also reveals who she thinks her biggest competition is.
When it comes to competing on season 30 of Dancing With the Stars, JoJo Siwa is in it to win it. ET's Lauren Zima spoke with the 18-year-old star ahead of the season premiere about making history on the show, and she also revealed who she feels is her biggest competition.
Siwa and her partner will be the first same-sex dance couple competing together for the mirrorball trophy in the show's history. Despite her previous dance experience -- Siwa was on two seasons of Dance Moms before becoming a YouTube sensation -- she said rehearsals were definitely tough so far.
"I like to explain it as a football player playing soccer, basketball or baseball," she said. "It is [hard for me] and I think because I'm a trained dancer. I mean, it's no secret I'm a trained dancer -- I was my whole life, I'm not anymore -- but I'm trained that, like, your leg goes and then your body goes, but with ballroom, it's everything moves as one and you're always on top of everything and you're always lifted whereas what I do is grounded, so it's very different."
Siwa is definitely taking the competition seriously and said she was rehearsing every day she was available to. She even incorporated mirrorballs into her outfit.
"I have a lot of mirrorballs on me. I have a lot of little teensy ones every which way. I am manifesting it," she said. "That's what I've been saying all day today."
"[I'm] very driven and also very competitive," she continued. "I obviously want to win. It's in my blood. I love to win but already doing what I did with this show and with this experience and dancing with another female and being the first, I've already won in a way and of course not the mirrorball yet -- hopefully, manifesting -- but everything that's happened so far and the reaction we've already received from the world is just amazing."
Siwa said she feels her biggest competition this season is Olympic medalist Suni Lee and WWE's The Miz. She also revealed that she's nervous about her outfits on the show.
"I mean, the costume department's phenomenal so I know they're going to make me look fabulous, but it's going to be OK, it's all going to be OK," she shared. "My partner did say if I didn’t like anything that she would put her foot down and get it to where I like it. I'm just scared, I'm an 18-year-old girl, I don’t like the way I look in anything."
But Siwa will have plenty of support this season, including from her Dance Moms teacher, Abby Lee Miller. Siwa said that Miller snuck into the movie premiere for her recent film, The J Team.
"I mean, 100 percent absolutely want her there but she literally wasn't on the list, just got in herself, she's Abby and she has powers," she cracked. "She does her own thing. She's been really supportive, she's commented on all of my things. I haven't actually talked to her about the show yet, not that I can remember ... but she's supportive."
Siwa said she's sure Miller will somehow be a part of her DWTS journey.
"I'm sure she's going to sneak in, she's going to give me critiques, obviously," she joked. "For some reason, for some way, she'll be in the audience. I have learned one thing and it's no matter what, when you perform, Abby is watching."
DWTS season 30 premieres Sept. 20 on ABC.
RELATED CONTENT:
