ET spoke to the pair about the show, their fellow cast members and their take on anyone else joining Bravo's latest franchise.
The Real Housewives of Dubai's Chanel Ayan and Lesa Milan are not looking for any new cast members to join their crew in the United Arab Emirates. ET spoke with the pair about Bravo's latest breakout hit and why they don't want former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks to join their show, despite her guest appearance on the series earlier in the season.
When speaking to ET earlier this month, Phaedra shared that she's open to a more regular return to the network, particularly if it's on RHODubai. She's in the process of buying a home in the United Arab Emirates as she develops a sea moss-based vitamin/treatment line overseas.
"Now that, is a possibility. That is a strong possibility," Phaedra said of becoming a RHODubai 'Wife. "You've got to run with people who are obviously running with the same purpose and destination."
"If you get out of the miry clay, honey, you got to stay out of the miry clay," she quipped, referencing the Bible's term for a troublesome situation.
Chanel and Lesa aren't as thrilled about that "strong possibility" telling ET that they think that Phaedra needs to "find her own show."
"I think she needs to find her own show, we are good where we are," Chanel shares. "That’s my personal opinion."
Lesa agreed, noting that Phaedra is a better fit for Peacock's The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club, whose second season she was most recently featured on.
"We love Phaedra, she's nice and stuff, but I think she’s more Ultimate Girls Trip and the shows that she's doing," Lesa says, with Chanel adding, "Yeah, not ours. Sorry, Phaedra. You can only show up and say, 'Hello.' That’s more than enough."
Both Chanel and Lesa have made a home in Dubai, owning businesses, raising families and living the fabulous Dubai lifestyle. When asked about the biggest misconceptions about women living in the Middle East, they both said the idea that they're not allowed to do and live as they please.
"I think people naturally assume that we have to be covered up and that we don't have freedom, and that's not the case," Lesa explains. "I'm a successful entrepreneur. I'm the owner of Minaroe, which is a luxury brand I built from the ground up in Dubai, with the support of my husband, but on my own."
"We're free," she adds. "We can do what we want, freedom of speech, and it's amazing. It's such a good place to live."
"Yeah, people have this conception that you can't be yourself or you can't live your best life," Chanel, who has lived in Dubai for 18 years, says. "As long as you follow the rules, and you live your good life, honestly, you can be whoever you want. I've lived there for 18 years, so I have seen it grow from when it was nothing to where it is, so I'm actually proud to be living there."
For more Housewives news and to hear what Phaedra had to say about wanting to join RHODubai, check out the video below.
The Real Housewives of Dubai airs Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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