‘Southern Charm’ Season 8 Premiere: Naomie and Craig’s Hookup Exposed, Kathryn Explodes at Great Katsby Party

Credit: Stephanie Diani/Bravo

‘Southern Charm’ Season 8 Premiere: Naomie and Craig’s Hookup Exposed, Kathryn Explodes at Great Katsby Party

Starting off with a bang! The Southern Charm cast brought the drama — and the fights — during the season 8 premiere on Thursday, June 23. The Bravo series picked up filming in late summer 2021 and all eyes were on Kathryn Dennis, who was celebrating her 30th birthday, and Naomie Olindo, who fans last saw on season 6, which aired in 2019. Following her exit, Naomie, 29, moved to New York City in spring 2021 with her then-boyfriend Metul Shah only to split shortly after learning that he was unfaithful. “I think the biggest takeaway was just to keep a very strong sense of self and to not lose my sense of self in a relationship,” Naomie exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the show’s premiere. “I think with my personality type and stuff, I tend to sort of morph into whatever I think the person in front of me wants and lose my true, like, authentic self in the process. And I think a lot of people go through that.” The L’Abeye founder further explained how she found herself back in Charleston, South Carolina, during the first few minutes of Thursday’s premiere. Naomie jokingly told pal Venita Aspen, “Some of us peaked in high school,” when looking back at her life trajectory. “The thought of coming back was depressing,” she revealed while driving to tennis. Naomie noted that she became “real humbled, real quick” after learning that Metul stepped out on her. Following her split, Naomie reconnected with ex-boyfriend Craig Conover, whom she’d dated for three years before calling it quits in 2017. Despite sidestepping the topic during Thursday’s show, they both eventually confessed to hooking up in Las Vegas, with Naomie seemingly still having some lingering feelings. [sendtonews type="float" key="HOhurl3b2h-2830642-14453"] “Two months ago, I went to Vegas with some friends. Yeah, I mean, we met up,” Naomie told the cameras, hinting that the exes had been intimate again. Craig, for his part, lied to pal Austen Kroll about the hookup after previously being burned by Austen, 35, when he spilled multiple past secrets. The Sewing Down South founder, 33, was officially boyfriend-girlfriend with Paige DeSorbo when filming season 8, but he was just casually seeing her at the time of his and Naomie’s hookup. Naomie and Craig’s drama, however, wasn’t the only thing making the France native’s return to Charleston a popular topic of conversation. After telling Kathryn, 30, that she should be ashamed of herself for allegedly starting a rumor that Cameran Eubanks’ husband, Jason Wimberly, had a mistress in 2020, Naomie was on Kathryn’s bad side. (Cameran, who left the show after season 6 has denied the allegations about her husband.) The two ladies had a confrontation about the incident during Kathryn’s Great Katsby party on Thursday’s episode, and it didn’t go well. “I thought your whole shtick was you guys are polite?” Paige, 29, told Madison LeCroy after witnessing a screaming match between Naomie and Kathryn at the bash. “See in New York, we’re just like, ‘F—k you.’ And then we walk away. But you guys … f—king linger.” Scroll down for the biggest moments from the season 8 premiere: [podcast_block]

Credit: Stephanie Diani/Bravo

‘Southern Charm’ Season 8 Premiere: Naomie and Craig’s Hookup Exposed, Kathryn Explodes at Great Katsby Party

Starting off with a bang! The Southern Charm cast brought the drama — and the fights — during the season 8 premiere on Thursday, June 23. The Bravo series picked up filming in late summer 2021 and all eyes were on Kathryn Dennis, who was celebrating her 30th birthday, and Naomie Olindo, who fans last saw on season 6, which aired in 2019. Following her exit, Naomie, 29, moved to New York City in spring 2021 with her then-boyfriend Metul Shah only to split shortly after learning that he was unfaithful. “I think the biggest takeaway was just to keep a very strong sense of self and to not lose my sense of self in a relationship,” Naomie exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the show’s premiere. “I think with my personality type and stuff, I tend to sort of morph into whatever I think the person in front of me wants and lose my true, like, authentic self in the process. And I think a lot of people go through that.” The L’Abeye founder further explained how she found herself back in Charleston, South Carolina, during the first few minutes of Thursday’s premiere. Naomie jokingly told pal Venita Aspen, “Some of us peaked in high school,” when looking back at her life trajectory. “The thought of coming back was depressing,” she revealed while driving to tennis. Naomie noted that she became “real humbled, real quick” after learning that Metul stepped out on her. Following her split, Naomie reconnected with ex-boyfriend Craig Conover, whom she’d dated for three years before calling it quits in 2017. Despite sidestepping the topic during Thursday’s show, they both eventually confessed to hooking up in Las Vegas, with Naomie seemingly still having some lingering feelings. [sendtonews type="float" key="HOhurl3b2h-2830642-14453"] “Two months ago, I went to Vegas with some friends. Yeah, I mean, we met up,” Naomie told the cameras, hinting that the exes had been intimate again. Craig, for his part, lied to pal Austen Kroll about the hookup after previously being burned by Austen, 35, when he spilled multiple past secrets. The Sewing Down South founder, 33, was officially boyfriend-girlfriend with Paige DeSorbo when filming season 8, but he was just casually seeing her at the time of his and Naomie’s hookup. Naomie and Craig’s drama, however, wasn’t the only thing making the France native’s return to Charleston a popular topic of conversation. After telling Kathryn, 30, that she should be ashamed of herself for allegedly starting a rumor that Cameran Eubanks’ husband, Jason Wimberly, had a mistress in 2020, Naomie was on Kathryn’s bad side. (Cameran, who left the show after season 6 has denied the allegations about her husband.) The two ladies had a confrontation about the incident during Kathryn’s Great Katsby party on Thursday’s episode, and it didn’t go well. “I thought your whole shtick was you guys are polite?” Paige, 29, told Madison LeCroy after witnessing a screaming match between Naomie and Kathryn at the bash. “See in New York, we’re just like, ‘F—k you.’ And then we walk away. But you guys … f—king linger.” Scroll down for the biggest moments from the season 8 premiere: [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy Naomie Olindo/Instagram

Naomie Gets Real About Metul

“[I] made it 10 days [in New York] and found out my boyfriend had been cheating on me,” Naomie said during a confessional as to what happened to make her move back home. “I’m starting over. I just so badly wanted to mold myself into who I thought he wanted me to be. By the end of it, he made me a smaller version of myself.”

Credit: Stephanie Diani/Bravo (2)

Viva Las Vegas!

“Craig and I will always be a big part of each other’s lives. We saw each other in Vegas we saw each other in Charleston and that’s all it is,” Naomie told Venita. The designer later confessed to Venita and Leva Bonaparte, “We got together, it’s not a big deal. Or is it? We had a very, very deep love for each other. It just doesn’t go away.”

While Austen told Shep Rose that he was confident that Craig and Naomie didn’t hookup, Kathryn later confirmed that she heard it straight from Craig. “Did you hook up?” Kathryn asked during a taped phone call with Craig to which he replied, ‘Yeah. She was a little bummed that I was seeing someone else.”

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Craig and Paige Are Heating Up

“Me and Paige met a little over three years ago. I had a huge crush on her. The things that used to bother Naomie don’t bother Paige,” Craig told the cameras of his new romance. “We do about four days on, four days off. … Things are just going really well. I couldn’t be happier.”

During the show, Paige flew to Charleston to be Craig’s date to Kathryn’s birthday bash where she met Naomie for the first time. “I’m kind of nervous,” the Summer House star said before entering the venue. “I just want everyone to be nice.”

Credit: Stephanie Diani/Bravo (2); Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Bro Problems

Austen and Shep expressed concerns over how distant Craig had become with them early on in the episode. Craig, for his part, told pal John Pringle, “I don’t have many friends right now,” explaining that Shep was “not nice” to him. The attorney noted that he no longer trusted Austen, saying, “I don’t tell him secrets anymore.”

Things came to a head for the trio at the Great Katsby event when Austen learned that Craig had in fact hooked up with Naomie and didn’t tell him about it. “Craig is supposed to be my best friend, but this just goes to show you where Craig and my relationship has gone to,” the beermaker said during his confessional.

Shep proceeded to call Craig out for being “mean” to Austen and questioned why they hadn’t seen each other since May 2021. “You’re an asshole so I stopped hanging out with you,” Craig admitted. “This is sad. Guys, I’m not doing this.”

Credit: Stephanie Diani/Bravo (2)

Kathryn and Chleb Drama

While things started out well for Kathryn and her live-in boyfriend, Chleb Ravennell, during the premiere they took a turn at her party. After Chleb, 33, revealed that he talked to Venita about trying to fix her friendship with Kathryn, the birthday girl went off on him.

“You’re not loyal. That’s my conversation and not your conversation to have,” she claimed while out on the patio, to which Chleb responded, “I’m your peacemaker.” Kathryn, however, didn’t agree and declared she was ready to go home.

Credit: Stephanie Diani/Bravo

Austen’s New Flame

“You remember Olivia? I like her,” Austen told Shep while out together. “She scared me when I met her. Now she lives here.” The North Carolina native gave viewers a glimpse at his budding relationship with newcomer Olivia Flowers when he took her as his date to Kathryn’s event.

Olivia, 30, revealed how the two started talking, telling the cameras, “Austen slid into my DMs, which is oh, so romantic. I would say it makes me a little giddy to see him.” The pair appeared to have a good relationship, but Olivia quickly took issue with Austen when he got flustered by seeing his ex-girlfriend Madison, 31, hanging out with their group.

“We shouldn’t be going on our first date and talking about homegirl,” Olivia said in her confessional.

Credit: Courtesy Kathryn Dennis/Instagram

Great Katsby Confrontation

Despite inviting Naomie to her party, Kathryn made it clear that she was not her biggest fan following their fallout over rumors about Cameran’s husband. “I feel like she said some shitty s—t about me,” Kathryn told Leva when asked about her icy reception. “I really hope that she’s not trying to put that s—t on me, because I won’t except that.”

Kathryn spoke with Naomie toward the end of the event, revealing that she “definitely hurt” by Naomie’s response to the drama between her and Cameran.

“What you did, you tried to ruin a good person’s family. Kathryn, please,” Naomie said before Kathryn cut her off. The “Katching Up With Kathryn” podcast host then came after Naomie, saying, “You’re not better than anyone. You act like you are better than anyone. She’s so fake.”

Naomie fired back, saying, “Kathryn, I don’t like the way you fight. You fight dirty. I’m not f—king scared of you. This is ridiculous.” Kathryn, however, had the last word, adding, “You f—king petty little bitch. I don’t give a f—k. She started off like a bitch. Walk away with your f—king feathers. She’s so fake.”

Credit: Courtesy Michael Kelcourse/Instagram

Michael Is Missing

Patricia Altschul surprised viewers when she revealed that her longtime butler, Michael Kelcourse, was no longer working for her after suffering a spinal stroke that left him paralyzed. “It kinds of struck me in the heart,” Patricia told the cameras. “I’m still shocked by the whole thing because he had been with us for 18 years. Michael is the most stable relationship I’ve ever had.”

Southern Charm airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.