Phaedra Parks is set to have the best year ever. After being released fromThe Real Housewives of Atlantain 2014 after a bad judgment call for the sake of a story line, Phaedra was banished from the popularreality show.Over the last few years, she’s been on the franchise' mashup series andshined in Peacock’sThe Traitors.Most recently, Phaedra popped up onMarried to Medicineas a full cast member, which puzzled both fans of the show, and fans of Phaedra’s. With no medically inclined husband or even potential, it seemed a bit of a stretch for Ms. Parks to show up as a bestie forDr. HeavenlyandDr. Jackie.
Married to Medicinewasn’t the first strange fit Phaedra tried to force for the sake of being on TV. In 2018, when The Braxton sisters were feuding with WE tv, Phaedra showed up as a friend ofTraci Braxton’sdesperate to be seen on television at any cost. Of course, fans weren’t eager to welcome Phaedra or anyone else in lieu of their beloved Braxton’s, making her debut on WE TV short-lived.
If nothing else, Phaedra proved she is as tenacious as they come and that reality fans could not forget her if they wanted to. Her willingness to do anything to remain a reality option has paid off in huge dividends almost ten years after she was fired fromRHOA. Revenge must taste sweet for the bleached blonde bombshell, as not only has Phaedra regained her peach on theHousewives, but she is also in the newly announced class of contestants on ABC’sDancing with the Stars.This time, casting may have gotten it right as she’ll surely be a standout.
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Phaedra’s reality show antics earned her an address back on Peachtree, that she is not likely to lose any time soon and an opportunity to be seen on a major network such as ABC/Disney. The opportunity for mainstream success is something Phaedra has wanted ever since she was an attorney, producing other reality shows such as,Being Bobby BrownandTiny and Toya.For the lawyer behind the scenes to emerge from obscurity tobecome an even bigger commercial success than some of her clients is commendable. With all the work Phaedra put in to getting her chance on mainstream television, one can rest assured that she is going to give ABC audiences a show they won’t forget every single Tuesday evening at 8 PM EST.
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The glamor of the ballroom returns this September.
Phaedra is joining a class that will undoubtedly allow her to shine because there aren’t many worthy opponents for her this go round. The only contestant that may give her a run for her money isTori Spelling, not because she can dance but just because the formerBeverly Hills, 90201star and heiress to the Spelling family fortune has a cult fan base that dates back to her time on Fox. Tori’s former cast mateShannon Daughterywas on the show, and although she passed away tragically last year, Tori toldGood Morning Americathat she knew Shannon would be watching her this season and wanted to make her proud. Outside of Shannon, ABC producers were looking to kick up a bit of scandal by casting former felon and scammerAnna Delvey this season. After being released from prison and being the subject of a Netflix crime documentary series, viewers have no choice but to be a bit curious about the mysterious young woman that was able to masquerade as nouveau riche and charm victims out of millions of dollars.
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ABC adding former Bachelor,Joey GraziadeiandBacheloretteJenn Tran, still won’t be enough to keep fans' attention off the former “donkey booty” workout instructor. Phaedra is in the best mental and physical shape of her life and has prepared herself for such a time as this over the last ten years. When she joinedHousewivesback in 2010, the world outside of Black entertainers in Atlanta had no idea who she was or how she would manage to keep up with her much more glamorous cast mates. Unlike most cast on the show, Phaedra had a thriving business and was known for being a hard worker. It didn’t take two seasons for Phaedra to create glamourous exterior akin to her cast mates, and to lean into a character instead of showing up as the entertainment attorney.
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The British actress has since received multiple threats from fans.
Phaedra’s ‘southern belle’ character with quick, cold-shoulder reads and subtle glances, quickly propelled her to become a fan favorite. Phaedra’s ability to read the room and quickly assimilate to what is going to stand out in that environment is second to none. In her early years on the show, she found herself creating a bizarre workout video along with ex-husband Apollo and several workout experts just to eclipse the ever beautiful former Miss USAKenya Moore. As someone who wasn’t known for working out or having the best physique, Phaedra threw caution to the wind and jumped into the competition. Although many argued that she didn’t look the part, the general consensus was that Phaedra’s video was a bit more entertaining than Kenya’s stallion workout video.
Fast forward from 2013 to 2024 and Phaedra looks like she is ready to take on anything. Her svelte physique and her new blonde cascading curls make her almost unrecognizable from that brown-haired lawyer introduced in 2010 on RHOA. Phaedra is a force to be reckoned with and her dance partnerVal Chmerkovskiyis sure to bring out her best. From the promotional photos to her recent interviews, it’s clear Phaedra is ready to put on a show. From Bravo, to WE tv, a few other small time movies and appearances, have lead to this year being the southern belle’s year of victory. Good luck to the other contestants because when this lawyer/funeral director/workout video instructor gets something in her mind,she doesn’t accept anything less than a win, by any means necessary.
Dancing with the Stars
U.S. reality show based on the British series “Strictly Come Dancing,” where celebrities partner up with professional dancers and compete against each other in weekly elimination rounds to determine a winner.
Dancing with the Stars season 33 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 8 PM ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming on Hulu the next day.
Stream on Hulu
