Savannah Chrisley\’s Imprisoned Parents Were the \’Main Reason\’ She Went on The Masked Singer

Amid tough times, Savannah Chrisley is focusing on what brings her joy as she takes on new challenges. Still, she manages to keep her parents Todd and Julie Chrisley at the forefront of everything she does.

Fans who tuned into The Masked Singer this week may have been surprised to discover that Savannah, 26, competed as the Afghan Hound. While unexpected, the decision was intentional on her part as she continues to take on new challenges.

\”This is my year of just saying yes, and especially after everything that happened with my parents and [my ex-fiancé] Nic [Kerdiles],\” the Unlocked podcast host tells PEOPLE exclusively, referencing her parents\’ years-long imprisonment and Kerdiles\’ sudden death. \”I\’m like, \’You know what? Don\’t take life too serious. Laugh, have fun, make fun of yourself, and just go for it.\’ That was really the main reason why I did it.\”

Going into the show, Savannah admittedly had \”no musical abilities\” and figured it was \”going to be a hilarious\” journey. But any hesitancy surrounding her vocal chops and beyond eventually went out the window, with the reality star explaining that it was only \”me getting in my own way.\”

\”I was like, \’Just freaking do it, Savannah. Just show up, do it, have fun. As long as you have fun, that\’s all that matters,\’\” she recalls. \”After that, I had zero hesitation. I was like, you know what? Might as well just do it.\”

Additionally noting how there was \”zero training whatsoever\” on her end, Savannah adds: \”The team offered me vocal lessons and all that, but I was like, \’Hey, guys, it\’s just going to be a waste of time because I have zero musical abilities, so let\’s just call it for what it is, and we\’ll do a run-through when I get there.\”

\”That\’s what happened, and I just feel like I would\’ve run myself crazy if I actually tried to prepare for it because I\’m freaking terrible,\” she concludes. \”I just jumped in and freaking did it.\”

Savannah says her famous family, who previously starred on USA Network\’s Chrisley Knows Best, \”definitely knew\” about her appearance on the competition series.

\”I told them especially just to give my parents something to look forward to because I know that they can watch it [from prison],\” she says. \”That was really the main purpose of doing it, was just because I wanted them to get to be a part of it and get to watch it and laugh and kind of make a joke out of it with me.\”

Savannah has endured a lot publicly as of late. Her parents, Todd, 54, and Julie, 51, reported to prison in January 2023 for fraud and tax evasion. She\’s since had to become the legal guardian to her siblings Grayson, 17, and Chloe, 11, in their absence as the Chrisley await the case\’s appeal.

Toward the end of the year, her ex Kerdiles — a former hockey player–turned–Nashville realtor — died in a motorcycle accident at age 29.

As the going has gotten tough, Savannah has realized the importance of \”having fun\” while showing her kids siblings it\’s OK to \”do something that you\’re uncomfortable with, have fun, laugh at yourself.\”

\”It showed me that I was able to go outside my comfort zone and not try to control so much,\” she adds. \”I was able to laugh at myself and realize that, Hey, you don\’t have to be embarrassed. It\’s OK to laugh at yourself sometimes. Life\’s a heck of a lot more fun that way.\”