If you’re a star of any show of the Real Housewives franchise, you’ve kind of got it made.
Not just because you’re probably rich if you get to star on it, but because you get a nice paycheck for hanging with your frenemies and being extra and overturning the occasional table. Dream job, right?
Phaedra Parks was booted from The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but she’s now dogged with rumors that she’s begging to get back on the show. But is she, really?
Phaedra Parks’ time with The Real Housewives of Atlanta came to an end after the RHOA Reunion episode last May.
Cast members come and go. That’s how it is.
Phaedra Parks settled her divorce agreement in July, so you might say that it was just a summer of her severing her old ties and starting fresh.
At least, that would be a positive way to try to spin it.
If you’ll recall, her divorce was complicated by the fact that Apollo Nida wanted to set aside their prenup, as Phaedra had become the breadwinner while he had landed himself in prison.
But even with all of that behind her, Phaedra would hardly be the first person to no longer on a reality show who suddenly found that they really, really wanted to get back in.
When rumors cropped up that Phaedra was practically begging to return as a cast member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, it didn’t sound far-fetched.
But, as it turns out, those rumors aren’t quite true.
Us Weekly reports that Phaedra Parks is not trying to worm her way back onto the show.
But, from what their sources say, you can kind of see why there might be whispers that she is.
“Phaedra has been talking to some of the women of RHOA again but has not filmed any scenes so far.”
Obviously, leaving the show doesn’t mean that she and her former costars can’t still talk.
(Though, after being exposed as a liar during the reunion, it’s not clear who among her former friends would still want to associate with her — which is why she’s no longer on the show in the first place)
“They are still filming so anything could happen and there is room for a cameo but she has not returned and obviously still isn’t part of the cast.”
That sounds very firm and certain.
Everything that we’ve seen about the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Season 10), in terms of promotional materials, backs up the claim that Phaedra isn’t returning.
(At least, it doesn’t contradict it)
We haven’t seen hair nor hide of Phaedra in the trailer.
In fact, we saw Porsha Williams bonding with Kim Zolciak and suggesting that perhaps she might replace Phaedra with Kim in her life.
(At least … as long as cameras are rolling; even then, she was probably just cracking a joke)
Phaedra’s lie, that Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker planned to drug Porsha Williams and take her home, was so outlandish and awful that you can understand why neither her former costars nor the show itself want to touch her with a ten-foot pole.
Even reality shows have lines that they won’t cross, folks.
Honestly, if Phaedra does make a cameo on the show, we imagine that it will either be a “coincidence” for drama’s sake.
(The reality show equivalent of running into an old rival in the grocery store)
OR it might be a situation where Phaedra comes back to apologize and make amends.
Reality television can be a great vehicle for a redemption arc.
But we wouldn’t expect anyone to push for that any time soon.
