The Real Housewives of Atlanta Dish on New Season

The Real Housewives of Atlanta debuts Tuesday.

Naturally, NeNe Leakes and Lisa Wu Hartwell had something to say about their first season of reality TV. The pair recently sat down for an interview with People. Here are excerpts from it:

Did you watch any past Housewives seasons? Which women do you feel most similarly to?
NeNe Leakes: I watched all their seasons. The very first season they had a young lady in the show by the name of Jo and I thought I could see myself in her so much . . . She had a lot of personality. She just was out there and I thought she really kept it real. And then Vicki is a little loud. I’m loud, too, so I could see myself being like Vicki. And then I did watch the New York housewives and the only one I thought that I could kind of relate to was the Countess…She had a little smart way of doing things.

What do you hope viewers will learn about your lives in Atlanta? How is it different from New York or Orange County?
NeNe Leakes: We’re all strong–really strong women. And all these women, you know,
we have our differences in opinion but all of these women are truly smart women.
Lisa Wu Hartwell: We’re very strong and successful by our own right. You don’t have to sit
around the house and just spend your husband’s money. You can have your own thing going on and be independent. I’m from Los Angeles and we’re a little bit more laid-back in Los Angeles. But, you know, a lot of the vibe in Atlanta is like I’ve worked hard for it, why not show it?

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.