Craig Conover is officially entering his next era — and he made sure BravoCon 2025 was the place to launch it. The “Southern Charm” star opened up about his romantic reset, his unexpectedly complicated season 11 storyline, and what he’s really looking for as he steps back into single life.
The topic of Conover’s dating life surfaced repeatedly during Day 3’s “It’s All About to Go South” panel in Las Vegas on Nov. 16, marking his most candid comments since his late 2024 split from longtime girlfriend Paige DeSorbo. “Well, it’s been a year, guys,” Conover said with a laugh. “So, I think we’ve both moved on with our lives. … I didn’t plan on being here, but I’m here.”
Craig Conover Says Season 11 Will Show Him ‘Trying to Figure Out’ His New Chapter
Conover shared that viewers will watch him navigate unfamiliar territory when “Southern Charm” season 11 premieres Nov. 19. He recalled a conversation he had with Madison LeCroy about six months after the breakup. “I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll start dating, maybe I won’t,’” he said. “You can’t really plan your life out; you just have to take it with a grain of salt.”
But it wasn’t long before romance found its way into filming — and more messily than he anticipated.
Castmate Salley Carson teased that fans will be “shocked” by the complicated love situation that developed between her, Conover, and others.
“I was obviously very attracted to Craig,” Carson said. “Throughout the summer, I definitely saw some different sides of Craig: some that I loved and some that I didn’t love so much.”
Conover agreed that things got chaotic fast. “I’ll tell you this: It’s not a triangle. It’s a shape that has too many sides for me to know what it’s called,” he joked. “I would say it’s more of a trapezoid than a triangle.”
As the season trailer reveals, one of those additional “sides” is newcomer and Carson’s friend Charley Manley. “There were lots of people that liked each other,” Conover said. “I think saying that it was a triangle is minimalistic for season 11.”
The ‘Southern Charm’ Star Says He’s Done ‘Chasing the Wrong Thing’ and Knows What He Wants Now
Conover also reflected on what dating looks like for him post-Paige and how different it feels to pursue someone off-camera. “You’ll get to see me go through kind of a fear of rejection,” he shared. “When Paige and I met, we met filming a show, so no one had to go out on a limb. I’ve never just blindly asked someone on a date without knowing if they like me back.”
When asked whether he’s in a “fun-seeking mode” or genuinely hoping to find his “person,” Conover kept the humor coming: “Well, lover-boy Craig didn’t work out, so party-boy Craig is here.”
But he quickly turned sincere. “I finally stopped chasing to fill that void,” he said. “I enjoy sharing my life with someone, but I don’t think it’s worth forcing it with the wrong person. And so, I have no idea what’s gonna happen.”
Still, he left things on a hopeful note. “I would like to have a girlfriend, sure,” Conover said. “And apparently, when you stop chasing things, they might find you. So hopefully that happens.”
Fans can watch Conover navigate single life when “Southern Charm” season 11 premieres Wednesday, Nov. 19, on Bravo.
