Here's Where Shep, Austen & Craig Stand After Season 9 Reunion Drama: "That Was a Choice..."
Shep Rose, Austen Kroll, and Craig Conover discuss the status of their friendship in a new preview of the Southern Charm Season 10 premiere.
When we last saw Shep Rose, Austen Kroll, and Craig Conover on the Southern Charm Season 9 reunion, the former best friends discussed their fractured relationship. Now, in the above preview for the Season 10 premiere (set to air Dec. 5), the trio reveal where they stand today. Spoiler: things still seem tense.
"I just didn't know I was such a pariah," Shep says in the clip, throwing his hands in the air. "I mean, this is all news to me, man. It sounds to me like you just don't see relationships the way I do."
Craig — who admits he has distanced himself from Shep— isn't having it.
"No, I think you f-cked up and you needed to never do that again. And like, I've heard about some bad nights you've had since [the reunion in] New York," the pillow magnate responds, seemingly referring to what has happened since Shep opened up about his relationship with alcohol during the reunion. "What, do you think I'm a masochist and I'm going to keep sticking around?"
While Shep says that Craig "never stuck around" in the past, Craig says he did for "years."
"I'm not a charity case," adds Shep, to which Craig responds, "Well, you're asking me to treat you like one."
Referring to Craig's choice to cut back on alcohol in recent years, Shep explains, "I'm asking for you to talk to me and maybe impart some of your journey. It's so easy, Craig. You know?"
"That was a choice I made because I was focusing on myself," Craig responds.
In a confessional, Craig explains his decision to take a step back from drinking — and his relationship with Shep.
"In the past year, I haven't been drinking. And it changed everything for me. I'm happier and healthier and my relationship is so much better," he says.
Craig Conover and Austen Kroll defend their decision to distance themselves from Shep Rose
Back at the table, Craig tells Shep that "sometimes you need to take a step back from people."
"Well, I think it's just communication. Even if that lunch was, 'This is how we feel and we're going to take a step back," Shep says. "That would've been something that I would've used."
Which is to say, he wishes his friends would've told him how they feel instead of just "ghosting" him.
"You're not wrong," Austen responds, adding more in his own confessional: "With Shep, sometimes I'm like, you are a son of a bitch and good f-cking riddance. Because what you don't see is that, like, I take him from the clutches of a cop on King Street. But at the same time, I don't completely agree with the way Craig can set boundaries, which is just like a hard cut off. Because at the end of the day I f-cking love the guy."
Watch the preview of the Southern Charm Season 10 premiere in the video above.
