Phaedra Parks Wants to Break DWTS ‘Curse,’ Says Housewives Can Dance

Phaedra Parks isn’t the only Housewife to compete on Dancing With the Stars — but she’s ready to be the first one to win a mirrorball trophy.

“The Housewives generally haven’t fared that well,” Parks, 50, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 4, after being announced as one of the celebrity contestants for season 33 of the dance competition. “I want to break the curse because we can definitely win.”

Parks is teamed up with pro Val Chmerkovskiy, who is fresh off his season 32 win with partner Xochitl Gomez. That energy is something the Real Housewives of Atlanta star wants to capitalize for her own run on the reality series.

“I want to show the world that Housewives can do more than talk trash,” she teased. “We can actually dance.”

Parks follows in the footsteps of the Housewives who’ve come before her on DWTS, including Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Lisa Vanderpump, Lisa Rinna and Erika Jayne.

Fellow RHOA stars Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kenya Moore have also competed for the coveted trophy. Rinna, 61, lasted the longest out of all the Housewives, getting eliminated during round seven of season 2. Moore, meanwhile, made it to week six during season 30 in 2021 before getting sent home.

Parks told Us on Wednesday that she hasn’t spoken with Moore about her casting on DWTS. However, she is excited to replace Moore on RHOA for season 16 after Moore’s exit in June. (Moore was accused of spreading revenge porn photos earlier this year involving cast member Brittany Eady. She denied in June that she had any involvement but was not asked back for RHOA’s upcoming season.)

Parks, meanwhile, joined RHOA in 2010 and was fired seven years later after spreading rumors about costar Kandi Burruss and her husband, Todd Tucker, allegedly wanting to drug Porsha Williams. Burruss and Tucker have denied the claims repeatedly.

In July, Parks announced that she is coming back to the Bravo series for season 16. She teased to Us that she’s bringing “the sass in the class” with her comeback.

While RHOA doesn’t return until 2025, fans of Parks can see her on DWTS later this month.

“I have been a huge fan of the show since season 1, so I’ve always wanted to do it,” Parks told Us of DWTS. “It’s definitely something off my bucket list, so I’m super excited.”

Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC Tuesday, September 17, at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will air live simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ and are available next day on Hulu.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi