Southern Charm Cast Say Season 11 Love Triangle Actually Involves 5 Stars

In its 11th season, Southern Charm is back to its roots: Charleston’s Peter Pans are single, sparring and somehow still impossible not to root for.

At the center of it all remain OGs Craig Conover and Shep Rose and season 4 addition Austen Kroll — three men Us have watched nearly find The One in crossover romances (Craig is fresh off his split from Summer House alum Paige DeSorbo), send cringe-worthy texts to flings (Shep can now almost laugh at his viral “Good morning, Sienna” message from season 10) and even get exposed on camera for having threesomes (Austen will never live it down).

The drama, Craig and Shep both say, is “real,” “raw” — and still ongoing.

“This, to me, feels like old school Southern Charm,” Craig tells Us. “I really think everyone did a good job of opening up to the production.”

“Every year I’m like, ‘This is one of our best.’ But this is one of our best,” Austen adds, calling Salley Carson the “MVP” of the season. “She came to play.”

Ahead of the premiere (Wednesday, November 19, at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo), members of the group speak exclusively to Us.

Let’s Go Back, Back to the Beginning

When asked if he thought season 11 would be a possibility when Southern Charm first premiered on Bravo in 2014, producer and cast member Whitney Sudler-Smith says, “We never thought season 1 would be a possibility.”

“We weren’t sure what we had. It was a wild time,” he continues, explaining that the show went through “different incarnations” before they honed in on the idea and messaging.

“The integrity and core of the show, what makes us strong, is these Peter Pans, these ne’er-do-wells finding their way in love and life and work,” he continues. “The guy drama — look at The Bachelor, people like to tune in to see one guy try to date 20 women — there’s a bit of that morbid curiosity that never goes away.”

Whitney’s own role on the show has evolved as he says he was never really meant to be on-camera, but is able to balance being a costar, friend and producer because the cast “knows better” than to ask for him to make edits on their behalf.

“I’ve learned to be in the moment and also recognize what’s going on and help facilitate. But at the same time, you have to be present and go along with it because it becomes disingenuous if you try to nudge,” he says. “It’s like a damn bursting, you’ve just got to let it explode and let nature take its course.”

Love Trapezoid?

Craig, season 10 addition Salley and newcomer Charley Manley, a friend of Salley’s, get tangled up fast on season 11. “It came out of nowhere,” Salley tells Us about the women’s shared interest in Craig. “I didn’t know if she would even like any of them.”

Charley says she and Craig bonded over heartbreak, and it took a toll on the women’s friendship. “Salley and I don’t disagree or ever really get into fights,” Charley tells Us. “To have this uncomfortable area of our friendship was definitely difficult.”

And it gets more complicated. When Austen’s long-distance romance with Audrey Pratt ends, he and Salley connect. “People who watched the trailer and think that they saw the whole movie, you don’t even know,” Austen says.

Then, Whitney tells Us, newbie Whit Slagsvol “throws a wrench in things” and also competes for the affections of the women. A love triangle, it is not. “I don’t even know what the shape is called,” confesses Craig, “because there’s no equal sides … and multiple corners.”

Life in Neverland

It’s hard not to wonder: Why would anyone risk heartbreak on Charleston’s boys who won’t grow up? “I like to think I can make somebody settle down,” Charley says, even in what Salley calls “the worst town to date in.”

So will the guys ever give up bachelor life? Madison LeCroy — Austen’s ex and an unlikely voice of reason — bets on Craig first, sort of.

“These guys don’t have any intention of settling down and starting a family. They low-key enjoy the thrill of these toxic relationships,” she shares. “Over my dead body do I think I’ll witness Shep walking down the aisle anytime soon. Craig might be the only one.”

Salley disagrees. After Craig’s breakup with Paige, she says, “I saw a completely different side of Craig — in a bad way.”

Craig insists he’s doing what any newly single guy would: “When there’s a shift in your life, there’s no playbook for it. I didn’t plan on having to go out anymore in my life, but how else do you meet someone?”

Asked whether he thinks the guys have earned their Peter Pan titles, Shep says, “Are you kidding? How much more evidence do you need?” Austen is hopeful but unsure of their ability to grow up: “Shep and I just had a conversation where I said, ‘God, man, do you think it’s gonna happen?’”

The Other Love Story

The bonds between Craig, Shep and Austen have outlasted any romance — and caused as much drama. “Their love language is being mean to each other,” quips Madison.

This season, Shep finds himself in the middle of a seismic Craig–Austen clash caught on camera. “My jaw was on the ground,” he says. “It’s a difficult position.”

One sticking point is Craig’s repeating an allegation that Austen cheated on Audrey, which he denies. “It’s extremely disappointing,” Austen tells Us, especially because, he says, when he heard chatter about Craig and Paige, “I never fed into any of that because it’s a line-crosser.”

Craig maintains he’s grateful for the trio’s bond, explaining he and Shep have learned to embrace their differences but he’s still working on his “synergy” with Austen during a “turbulent” season 11.

“We just butt heads, and you’ll get to follow along as we continue to try to figure out what our path forward is, and it transcends the show and the cameras,” Craig tells Us. “We don’t quit each other. The Housewives may just walk away — we don’t. And I hope you get to see some of the fun moments this year too.”

Whitney adds that the men are at the heart of the show. “When they go out, there’s always some bulls***, but at the end of the day, they’re friends,” he says. “They also know to bring it on camera and be unguarded and just deal with the consequences later. They’re always saying ‘Oh, just wait until the reunion.’”

Off-camera, it seems he acts as a confidant. “They all come to me, for the most part. I’m at the center of this circle jerk of inanity,” he says. “I’m one of the few that they trust.”

Hi – And Bye — Y’all!

Two newcomers joining the gang this season come with a few goodbyes, but Southern Charm is no stranger to cast members coming and going.

“It’s usually if the dynamic stops working, or they want to leave, or a combination of both,” Whitney says of the reasons for the various departures. “If we see them out — and it’s a small town here — there’s never any hard feelings, for the most part.”

Coming into a new group is “always a little intimidating,” Charley tells Us, but not even six years in Charleston could prepare her for a rift with Salley over Craig. “I wouldn’t call myself a really confrontational person,” she says, “so that was definitely a new dynamic.”

With connections to Shep and Craig, Whit was a natural add. “I’ve known him a long time,” Shep says, “and he has a lot to offer.” For Madison, the newcomers are “trying to figure out their place in the group, so it’s giving try-hard,” she quips. “We’ll see who sticks around.”

After four seasons as a full-time cast member, Leva Bonaparte is shifting her focus to spinoff Southern Hospitality. But don’t be surprised if the restaurateur makes some cameos. “I love my friends on Charm and wish them the best… I’ll show up when they need me,” she wrote
on Instagram.

Taylor Ann Green, then with Shep, joined in season 7. After they split, she had two hard seasons and confirmed her exit in April with a “heavy but peaceful heart.” Says Shep, “She’s got a different path and friend group. Having her was a little painful. I can’t imagine what it was like for her.”

Following a near-romance with cast member Venita Aspen and messy feuds with Craig and Madison, Jarrett “JT” Thomas quit at the end of season 9 before returning for a brutal reunion. He announced on Instagram recently that he’s retired to Bali because the country is “imploding.”

Still Ongoing

Both the romantic entanglements and friendship fallouts are still unresolved, multiple cast members tell Us.

“Craig and I have long and deep seated issues and when you try to sweep those under the rug for as long as we have, it eventually is going to come to a head. The three of us [Austen, Shep and Craig] got dinner together [the other night]. Dinner was awesome. The bar afterwards got a little dicey,” Austen says.

Craig and Salley both tell Us that Halloween weekend just got “messy” sans cameras.

“Everything is still happening, and the drama is very alive,” Craig says. “The relationship shifts are real. I have very unanswered questions that I have to deal with on a daily basis.”

Before the eventual reunion taping – which several cast members tell Us will have Craig in the hot seat, with Madison singling out Austen — the gang will be together at BravoCon in Las Vegas. “I don’t know what’s going to happen at BravoCon. I’m excited to be with everyone, but it’s going to be interesting to see the Summer House cast too with our cast because of the beef that we have with them,” Salley notes.

Craig questions the logistics of the group getting together without spoiling too much. “I’m worried about BravoCon — how are we gonna have a panel? All of us seeing each other, it’s gonna be interesting.”

Whiney concludes: “It might take another season to sort this out. There’s gonna be a lot of broken hearts.” Sounds like we’ll be happily singing “Ba ba do” for years to come.