Craig Conover is single and ready to mingle in his hot tub, as evidenced this season on Southern Charm. However, his romance signals haven’t always been clear. So now, he, Sally Carson, and Charley Manley are stuck in a love triangle of sorts in Season 11. Locales, chime in, what’s with the seemingly tiny dating pool in Charleston?
Anyways, regarding this sticky situation, all parties are on different pages here, including the cast. Yet, many of his costars have called Craig out, both behind his back and also to his face, noting that he purposely led one of these ladies on. As this storyline unfolds, tempers are flaring, making it difficult to keep track of all the he-said, she-said details here. So, to help, here’s a brief explanation of everything that’s happened between Craig, Charlie, and Salley so far on Southern Charm.
There’s an awkward love triangle on Southern Charm
Craig hasn’t been single in nearly three years. So, now that he is, he’s ready to live it up in Charleston. Thankfully, his backyard is the perfect spot for entertaining. But it’s also where this entire mess originated.
To explain, after Craig’s Memorial Day party in Episode 5, we learned that Salley had frequented his hot tub of broken dreams on more than one occasion. And after one of these occasions, she stayed over for a sleepover. We learned about this from Craig himself, when he mentioned that he and Salley had gone to breakfast together after one of their soak sessions. But, “What happens in the hot tub stays in the hot tub,” Craig quipped, giving viewers no further indications if anything physical actually went down between the pair.
Salley likes Craig. She has already made this clear. However, in the early episodes of Season 11, we have seen Craig’s attentions more or less leaning towards Charley, Salley’s friend. Unfortunately for Salley, Charley is receptive to Craig’s feelings, which has made their friendship awkward af this season.
Working in her favor, Salley’s feelings for Craig were inconsistent, which Charley clocked. Therefore, Craig was fair game, according to Charley. As for Salley, she now believes that Charley is “shady.”
Venita Aspen warned Salley Carson against Craig Conover
If only someone had warned Salley … Just kidding. Venita Aspen did. Yet, Venita’s quips could have been taken as one-sided, since everyone, Salley included, knows that Venita loathes Craig.
Nevertheless, in Episode 6, Venita met up with Salley for a chat. As Venita told her friend, Craig will “hold you and walk you like a dog on a leash until he is done with you, and then he will let that leash go.” But Salley remained unbothered by her friend’s warning. Instead, Salley urged her friend to let her learn this lesson on her own, hoping against all odds that Venita might be wrong.
Needless to say, Venita wasn’t a fan of Salley’s response. So, Venita stood ten toes down, insisting that Salley walk away from Craig. Venita wants her to cut that cord, not only for the sake of their friendship, but also because Craig will hurt Salley in the long run. On this, Venita was certain.
But as Salley explained, she adores Venita. And she also likes Craig. So, she isn’t cutting ties with her Sewing Down South crush anytime soon. Cue another splintered friendship on Southern Charm.
Craig has friend-zoned Salley and gone on a date with Charley Manley
Unfortunately for Salley, Venita’s premonitions quickly rang true. In the recently aired Episode 7, Salley decided to come clean with Craig about her feelings. And his response was crushing, to say the very least.
First, we saw a flashback of Salley. She and Craig had just gone shopping for chickens, which made Salley feel like her crush might be reciprocated. Then, the scene shifted, showing Craig asking Charley out on a date, which Charley accepted.
Several beats later, the scene returned to Salley and Craig’s chicken shopping day of fun. Here, Salley noted that she and Craig are now “really good friends.” Therefore, she has been “catching some feelings. I’m saying I like you. I can date you.”
Visibly stunned, Craig responded, “I just don’t see it. We’re just friends.” Salley’s face noticeably dropped. But she stood firm and called Craig out for seemingly leading her on.
“If you don’t see yourself being in a relationship or moving down that path, then why [did we hang] out in a hot tub until 4 am?” Salley asked. In response, Craig argued, “I just don’t think I’m meeting the threshold of leading anyone on. But I also have no problem with just being friends with you.”
Once again, Salley’s face fell, but then she switched gears to warn her friend that Craig might be manipulating them both. “I wish he [were] here right now so I could slap him across the face,” Salley ranted, adding, “I’ll show him a f*cking tornado.” Cue a scared-looking Charley, who, for now, remains all-in with Craig.
Southern Charm is available to stream on Peacock.
TELL US – DO YOU FEEL BAD FOR SALLEY? DID CRAIG LEAD HER ON? DO YOU LIKE CRAIG WITH CHARLEY?
