Another Bravo couple bites the dust

Andy Cohen is sharing his thoughts on what may have caused reality TV’s favourite couple to call it quits after podcast host, social media influencer and Summer House favourite Paige DeSorbo and her partner of three years, Craig Conover, from Southern Charm confirmed that they have thrown in the towel on their long-distance relationship.

Weeks ago, there were rumblings of a possible separation, but with the pair spending Thanksgiving together and looking happy, and really no other indication that there was trouble in paradise, fans refused to believe that they weren’t still well on their way to the idyllic life that Craig made so clear on multiple occasions was his end goal.

Reality TV couples break up all the time. So what’s the big deal behind this separation? Well, over the last three years, Craig and Paige have solidified themselves as a fan favourite couple. They’re kind of like the Tomdaya of Bravo. They’ve become so enmeshed that their storylines became woven into their respective shows, they would often appear on each other’s shows, and perhaps most significantly, their businesses became heavily influenced by each other. Paige often spoke about her relationship with Craig on Giggly Squad, the podcast she hosts with former Summer House castmate Hannah Berner, and up until very recently, Craig literally had a “Paige Collection” on his Sewing Down South website. Though, currently, the message that pops up is that “This page does not exist.”

For all those reasons and more, fans are speculating that Bravo likely had a hand in orchestrating the news of their separation – though Paige vehemently denies that. She addressed allegations from fans who suggested that they had separated months ago and strategically waited for their shows to be back on air, saying on last week’s episode of Giggly Squad:

“No one can tell me what to do. The network has power, but they don’t have that much power. So, that was not a real thing. Rumors of us breaking up months ago, again, also not a real thing.”

While no one can really confirm or deny whether there’s any truth to what she’s saying, it wouldn’t be all that far-fetched if it were true. Let’s face it, when couples on reality TV shows date each other, it becomes a storyline. There is nothing we love more than a crossover between some of our favourite cast members. Hell, we’ll even take a hookup, like the vested interest Bravo fans had when it was confirmed Real Housewives of New York OG Luann De Lesseps hooked up with Southern Hospitality’s Joe Bradley, who is, by the way, 30 years her junior. Or when Jason Cameron from Winter House had a situationship with Gizelle Bryant from Real Housewives of Potomac. Austen Kroll and Ciara Miller’s tumultuous relationship also offered nail-biting entertainment since we all knew he was a f-ck boy and completely unworthy of the goddess that is Ciara. 

All of this is to say that no matter the outcome of these relationships, the entertainment value is clear. And I don’t think anyone would put it past a network, particularly Bravo, which has been accused of doing much worse than trying to leverage a breakup story for more drama on two of its hit shows. 

All of this does urge the reminder of the difference between what is real and what is not. With traditional celebrity relationships, there are two main layers - what we see on social media and what’s actually happening in real life. But with reality TV couples, there are three layers. We have to consider what we see on social media, what we see on whatever show they may be on, and real life. 

The main reason people refused to believe the rumour they were separating was because they spent Thanksgiving together in upstate New York with Paige’s family. I mean, we’ve seen this before. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were on vacation together minutes before they confirmed they were getting a divorce in the early 2000s. There’s an entire trend called ‘breakup moons’ when couples go on vacation prior to divorcing. It includes the likes of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Robin Thicke and Paula Patton, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. I myself have been on vacation with a partner I knew I would be leaving. For normal people like me, sometimes we think a romantic vacation can save the relationship, sometimes the vacation was booked before we decided we no longer wanted to be together, but can’t afford to throw the money away just because we’re headed to Splittsville. But for celebrities who can, whether their fame stems from Hollywood or reality TV, a lot of times it’s to throw the tabloids off what’s really going on. 

So what were Andy’s thoughts on why the pair called it quits? On Monday’s episode of Radio Andy, he expressed that the pair were “in the middle of an incredible amount of success.” But I smell bullsh-t. Craig was way more in love with Paige than she was in love with him. He was very vocal about wanting the exact life he had growing up, which was a nuclear family, marriage, kids and living in South Carolina. Paige, on the other hand, was a fearless New Yorker, unafraid to speak her mind and on the hunt for independence – with thoughts of motherhood not being anywhere near the forefront for the foreseeable future. 

When she was looking for a new apartment, Craig offered to cover the difference if she went over-budget and she wisely declined his offer. Her refusal makes a lot of sense when you watch this clip, which aired in 2023, of her describing an ex-boyfriend purchasing plane tickets, which she wanted to change the time of, and him denying that request because he was the one that bought the tickets. 

@vibesysteph

Reason number 81,678,940 we STAN @Paige DeSorbo. #summerhouse #bravo #realitytv #paigedesorbo

♬ original sound - Steph

Since then, she says she has sworn off depending on men for things and wants to be the one to pay her own way so that whether she stays or leaves anywhere, it’s entirely her decision. Which means Craig wasn’t just going to woo Paige with his money and get her to abandon her life in New York to become a baby-making factory in South Carolina. There needed to be more, it needed to make sense, and after three years together, it appeared it no longer did. 

Despite her claim that it wasn’t a network move, there’s no denying that it certainly does make watching this season of Southern Charm more interesting, especially because we’re watching Craig’s long-standing friendships fall apart over just how much he has changed - a transformation that his friends say render him unrecognizable and blame mostly on Paige. And with Summer House premiering in just over a month, we’re in for some guaranteed entertainment. Perhaps in watching it all unfold it will be clear just how much, if any, the network had a hand in orchestrating the news of yet another Bravocouple falling apart.