Craig Conover is at the center of “Southern Charm” season 11 once again — and this time, it’s because of his late-night hot tub hangouts. After weeks of speculation about what really happened between Conover, Salley Carson, and Charley Manley, the trio addressed the rumors head-on during the “Southern Charm After Show” for season 11, episode 6. Their comments added new context to the so-called “Mr. Hot Tub” storyline, while a preview for episode 7 teased a major blow-up that could shift the entire dynamic.
‘Southern Charm After Show’ Explains Craig Conover’s ‘Cult’ Hot Tub Nights
On the “Southern Charm After Show,” Conover, Carson, and Manley each offered their version of what went down during the long hot tub nights at Conover’s house last summer — which reportedly included friend Kory Keefer and went late into the night.
“Everyone can think it’s weird, but, like, we, all four of us, got so close,” Conover said. “We had the best times, and we talked about so much. … We were in there for hours, not hooking up, so we were just talking and just having fun. And, like, I’d cook for everyone. Like, it was sick.”
Conover said the hangouts felt nostalgic and low-pressure rather than romantic. Sitting next to Madison LeCroy during the After Show, he compared the group’s dynamic to being back in school.
“You know what it felt like was like college again: when you had best girl friends and guy friends, and everyone just hung out and there was nothing else to do but go to, like, class if you wanted to in the morning,”
Conover said. “Like, that was what it was like this year.”
Manley backed up that description, saying the group gave her the same vibe.
Carson, however, admitted she went into the situation expecting something more flirtatious than what actually happened. After Molly O’Connell floated an “orgy” theory, Carson dismissed it — but also made it clear she would have preferred something spicier.
“You don’t think that I’m in a hot tub until 4 a.m. and I don’t want to be touched or made out with?” Carson said. “Are you kidding me? … I was like, ‘What the (expletive) was I even there for?’”
A bit later, she added, “I’m not kidding you. Like, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a hot tub with a hot man and not, like, at least made out.”
When Venita Aspen asked what the foursome called themselves, Manley said, “The Cult,” while Conover explained the backstory.
“We called it ‘The Cult’ because Venita called us, like, a cult,” Conover said. “And I was like, ‘OK, then we’re just gonna embrace this.’”
When asked how often the hangouts happened, Conover estimated there were “probably like six or seven” total.
Episode 7 Preview Teases Craig Conover Drama With Salley Carson and Charley Manley
While the After Show clarified that the hot tub nights were mostly PG, episode 7 appears ready to blow that narrative up. A preview for the January 14 episode showed the friend group discussing Conover, with Rodrigo Reyes dropping a bomb that shocked everyone in the room.
“Stop it! Like, Charley’s about to go on a date with him. So, don’t scare her!” Reyes said.
The statement immediately rattled the group. O’Connell grimaced and reacted with, “Oh!” before later saying, “Holy s—t!” LeCroy asked, “What the (expletive) are you talking about?” Manley appeared stunned and silent, while Carson responded with a furious, “What!”
The preview also included Austen Kroll claiming Conover had privately said he was finished with Carson — and was upset with her.
“Craig’s not here ‘because basically, I think he’s like, mad at Salley,’” Kroll said. “He was very quick to be like, ‘Me and Salley are like, done.’”
When Carson pressed for details, Kroll claimed Conover had harsh words about her behavior.
“That you’re a tornado,” Kroll said. “That you basically leave a path of destruction wherever you go.”
“And what does he (expletive) leave?” she asked.
Kroll also claimed Conover suggested Carson’s presence affected Manley in the group dynamic.
“And then it gets juicy for Salley and Charley, where [Craig’s] like, ‘I don’t think that Charley can be the person that she wants to be when Salley’s around,’” Kroll said.
With emotions already running high, the preview suggests Conover’s love triangle storyline may be approaching a breaking point.
New episodes of “Southern Charm” season 11 air Wednesdays on Bravo.
