The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 3. Two new housewives added.

Season 3 is set to premiere on Oct. 4, 2010 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. While Lisa Wu Hartwell is no longer a full-fleged cast member, it is reported that she will indeed make occasional appearances on the show.

Atlanta‘s season three cast is, from left to right: Phaedra Parks, NeNe Leakes, Shereé Whitfield, Cynthia Bailey, Kim Zolciak, and Kandi Burruss. Pretty glam cast, eh? As for new adds Cynthia and Phaedra, here’s what you may not know:

Cynthia Bailey: She’s a model who was born in Alabama, has appeared on the cover of Essence magazine, and has a 10-year-old daughter, Noelle.You might remember her from a brief guest role on The Cosby Show (she played a character named Sheniquah Watkins) or her spot as Roxanne opposite Sandra Bernhard in the musical comedy Without You I’m Nothing. This season on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, the independent woman will grapple with a marriage ultimatum from her boyfriend of three years, Peter Thomas, and deepen her bond with NeNe.

Phaedra Parks: This friend of Dwight and Kandi’s is an entertainment lawyer—specifically, the managing partner of an Atlanta-based boutique firm that works with entertainers and athletes. She’s a self-proclaimed “Southern Belle,” and does charity, which is a hallmark of the Housewives franchise. Her big storyline this season? She’s married to a younger man, Apollo, who went to prison for a “white collar crime,” and the ladies love to gossip about that. And surprise: Phaedra’s pregnant! Much of her time will be consumed with planning a baby shower. Also worth noting: Phaedra is from the same hometown as spitfire NeNe. Here’s hoping for a little from-the-archives drama between the pair!

The rest of the ladies have been busy, too: NeNe will deal with a rocky marriage and focuses on finding a career by landing a job as an entertainment reporter for the local news; Kim will do the music thing again, and even embark on a tour alongside Kandi; Kandi will deal with the death of her former fiancé, AJ, and try to rebuild a relationship with her cancer-stricken father; and Shereé will pursue acting—she claims to want to win an Oscar one day! Which means she enlists an acting coach.

How do you feel about the new cast members? How do you think everything will play out this coming season for the Atlanta Housewives?