Phaedra Parks is having quite the 2024 in the reality show world.
She found a new home on Bravo’s “Married to Medicine,” despite being a lawyer, because she was dating a doctor. She became the star “traitor” in the second season of Peacock’s “The Traitors.” This summer, she found her way back to taping the 16th season of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” seven years after her ignominious departure in 2017 after she spread scurrilous rumors about Kandi Burruss. (“Real Housewives” is set to return on air in 2025.)
Now Parks is on the cast of the 33rd season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” which returns on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
She is the fifth “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member to perform on the show. Her four predecessors have never gotten close to the finals. NeNe Leakes (season 18) and Kim Fields (season 22) each finished seventh place. During season 21, Kim Zolciak dropped out due to medical issues and landed in 11th place. Most recently, Kenya Moore cracked 10th place season 30 in 2021.
The show also paired her with one of the show’s most popular pro dancers, Val Chmerkovskiy. Coincidentally or not, Parks got to play “The Traitors” with Val’s brother Maksim.
Val has won “Dancing with the Stars” three times with Rumer Willis from season 20, Laurie Hernandez from season 23 and Xochiti Gomez last season.
Parks will be joined by cast members such as “90210″ actress Tori Spelling; “Family Matters” patriarch Reginald VelJohnson; Oscar nominated actor Eric Roberts, Julia’s brother, who grew up in Atlanta; NBA champ Dwight Howard; the current “Bachelorette” Jenn Tran; and convicted con artist and socialite Anna Delvey, whose story was told in Netflix’s “Inventing Anna.”
IF YOU WATCH
“Dancing with the Stars,” 8 p.m. Tuesdays starting Sept. 17 live on ABC and Disney+ and available the next day on Hulu
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