Craig Conover revealed if Southern Charm producers interfere with the storylines on the show while appearing on actor Josh Peck and influencer Ben Soffer‘s podcast earlier this month.
While also sharing what makes his Summer House girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo, 31, frustrated during filming, confirming if he knew Shep Rose, 44, was cheating on Taylor Ann Green, 29, and dishing on Lindsay Hubbard, 37, and Carl Radke‘s split, Craig, 36, explained why he stopped taking Adderall and exposed some behind-the-scenes secrets from his Bravo reality show.
“I call it structured improv,” Craig explained when asked about his producers’ input during filming on the January 9 episode of Good Guys. “I think the best example, and if they got mad at me for this, they shouldn’t because it’s true, their job is to help tell a story, and so if we were filming a scene from Southern Charm and we’re in the middle of a season and the three of us go to dinner and we talk about that one time we did a podcast together in New York, it’s a waste of time. We can talk about that but we also have to address the big fight at the party last week and we have to address the affair that’s happening between our two friends.”
According to Craig, if a discussion being had between cast members is too bland or unrelated to what’s going on with their friend group, a producer might encourage them to share their thoughts about someone else.
“Now, however, you answer that and whatever your thoughts may be are going to be completely genuine and 100 percent,” he clarified. “So there’s some motivation. Like, a good producer will help motivate stuff and that’s just because of the efficiency of time. If you’re not doing a surveillance show, you don’t have the cameras all day.”
Looking back at season two, Craig said that Shep was hesitant to discuss his love life on the show, despite being in a new relationship then.
“He didn’t really want to talk about his past. And so … a producer might slide into Shep and be like, ‘Hey man, we really think you should open up about your dating history,’ and explain why that’s important,” Craig shared.
Still, while he made it clear that the cast’s interactions with one another are genuine, Craig suggested there was more to be revealed as he said he can’t wait for the day when he can share “war stories” and “behind-the-scenes” secrets.
As for Paige’s role on Southern Charm, which isn’t yet full-time, Craig said that while they “love filming together,” Paige doesn’t always appreciate his behavior.
“She gets stressed out sometimes because she’s like, ‘You don’t respect authority, Craig, like, you don’t let anyone tell you what to do and you don’t follow rules,’” he revealed. “Everyone has a workplace persona. Like, when I say a producer would come in and maybe motivate something, my reaction to that is gonna be a lot different than other people’s because I think I know better.”
Although Craig doesn’t always do what he’s told, he said he has a “great relationship” with his producers.
“We might butt heads when we’re working but then we’ll be able to have a drink afterward,” he noted.
When Craig was then asked if he knew Shep had cheated on Taylor, he confirmed, “Yes, I did,” before explaining why he didn’t tell her about every single time he did.
“The first time or two, Taylor was made aware of the infidelity. She chose to stay with Shep,” he stated. “After that happens in a relationship, you cannot become the town tattle tale in that every time something happens, you run and tell your friend’s girlfriend … If she’s aware of it and she chooses to not do anything then I don’t think you have a responsibility to go back and tell.”
On the heels of the release of the drama-filled trailer for Summer House season eight, Craig promised viewers a “really good season” as he discussed the shocking split between Lindsay and Carl, 38.
“Everyone’s questions will be answered when they watch Summer House,” Craig said of the breakup. “This didn’t happen off the books. And it didn’t come out of nowhere. I don’t have one side or the other but I had great conversations with both sides this summer in that they had stuff to work through. And the nice thing is that it is completely internalized. Only Carl and Lindsay were involved in this. They asked for advice but no one was inserting themselves and so you’ll get to see the buildup to that, whether it’s valid or not, and then you’ll see the breakup. So I think it’s gonna be a good season.”
As for his decision to quit Adderall “about three years ago,” Craig said he decided to put a stop to his use of the prescription medication after a “shark attack in the Bahamas.”
“I had moved to the Bahamas for a little bit, and after taking the BAR, I just kept taking the same amount of Adderall because it was like, habitual,” Craig explained. “So that morning I’d woken up, taken an Adderall for no reason other than it made me feel good … I saw the sharks come up… and I couldn’t catch my breath because it was my first time ever seeing one in the water, to get down, only because the Adderrall … Anyway, I shouldn’t have been taking Adderall if I didn’t have anything to study for.”
The Southern Charm season nine reunion concludes Thursday night at 8/7c on Bravo.
