#3268 Southern Charm S11E16 Reunion 1: The Empath of Least Resistance

Summary

Watch What Crappens – Episode #3268

Southern Charm S11E16 Reunion 1: The Empath of Least Resistance

March 19, 2026
Hosts: Ben Mandelker & Ronnie Karam

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Episode Overview

In this dense, hilarious Southern Charm reunion recap, Ben and Ronnie dissect the Season 11 cast's first reunion episode. The hosts relish seeing Craig’s self-declared empathy put to the test, Austin’s return to form as the show’s chief troublemaker, and the messy love triangles that dominate the conversation. As always, Ben and Ronnie balance sharp criticism with loving mockery, calling out the show's rampant double standards while delighting in Bravo’s unique brand of drama.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Reunion Arrivals and Pre-Show Vibes

• [05:00] The hosts mock the overlong arrival sequences: “We're getting a lot of footage of them entering, which means they don't have too much to talk about on their reunion…” (Ben)
• Quick commentary on cast energy: Madison is “back to fighting weight”, Vanita’s focused on fixing friendships, and Shep looks “still fucked up from last night” (Ronnie).
• Quote: “Don’t be fooled by these idiots. They’re all douchebags and they take turns.” — Ronnie [04:33]

2. Early Jabs: Austin’s Reputation and Craig’s Bad Year

• [05:00–06:50] Shep gets a ‘scot-free’ pass in the background, while Austin slides straight into old patterns.
• Craig takes on the role of misunderstood empath, insisting he couldn’t possibly be a narcissist due to his “overflowing” empathy.
• Quote: “Craig has so much empathy to give that he could never be a narcissist… he needs a magician spray so he doesn't absorb any negative energy.” — Ben [03:52]

3. HOA Tangent & Recurring Humor

• [07:00] Ronnie and Ben take a detour to joke about Ronnie’s three-person HOA presidency, bringing the kind of improv banter that fans love.
• Quote: “Hi, y’all. It’s the HOA. We’re doing it. Meredith, I saw blue on your house…” — Ronnie (as Nancy, comedic bit) [08:17]

4. Andy Cohen Kicks Things Off: Cast Catch-Up

• [10:00–12:00] Andy greets everyone, unzipped trousers and all, and sets expectations for the reunion.
• Madison is loving life with her newborn but ready for “hot girl summer.”
• Shep’s house about to undergo renovations.
• Vanita’s not here for Diana Ross comparisons – this year it’s all about her friendships.

5. Interpersonal Drama Unleashed

• Charlie, Sally, and Molly’s Entrances [19:00]: New cast members, awkward introductions, and immediate shade about who gave the best advice.
• Vanita & Whitner’s Non-Romance [24:03]: “Vanita tries it every season… Vanita, stop trying to make me believe that you like Whitner.” — Ronnie [24:47]
• Sally, Austin, and Body Counts [26:54–51:49]: Sally openly flirts with Austin, jokes about his personality vs. Craig’s looks, and kicks off the body count debate.

6. Gender Double Standards and “Slut-Shaming”

• [45:05–50:13]
  • Madison and Austin say Sally isn’t “wife material” because she’s a “bar rat,” even as Austin brags about his own party lifestyle.
  • Quote: “This is all—so fucked up, this whole thing… he is the biggest slut in town and he’s like, ‘Why would I want to date the town bicycle?’” — Ronnie [46:22]
  • Ben and Ronnie call out the obvious misogyny and hypocrisy, highlighting how Sally is unfairly judged for behaviors the guys proudly display.

7. Sally, Austin, and the ‘Are-They/ Aren’t-They?’

• [37:10–40:55]
  • Andy puts Austin and Sally on the spot over whether they’ve hooked up.
  • Sally dodges and Austin is embarrassed; Madison and the others call them out for lying.
  • Quote: “Y’all, I’m a cat dad!” — Austin (mocked repeatedly by hosts) [40:24]

8. Craig vs. Austin: Friendship Meltdown

• [61:22–77:27]
  • The hosts break down the show’s core bromance unraveling, including the fallout from Austin’s “hot tub” comments and Craig’s manipulative “addiction” reveal.
  • Quote: “Craig is the biggest manipulator, and it’s a manipulation that he accuses someone else of being a manipulator. It’s meta-manipulation!” — Ben [66:28]
  • Austin accuses Craig of weaponizing vulnerability to shut down criticism (with behind-the-scenes gossip about Craig bragging to producers about making people cry).

9. “Empath” Craig, “Narcissist” Complex, and Cast Call-Out

• [77:41–80:23]
  • Whitner and others bluntly label Craig a narcissist; Craig insists, “As an empath, it would be impossible for me to be a narcissist.”
  • Quote: “I feel like the most narcissistic thing you can do is declare yourself an empath.” — Ben [78:15]
  • The whole cast—no longer just Shep and Austin—holds Craig to account, refusing to let him slide past his angry outbursts and bad apologies.

10. Closing Chaos: Craig’s Backstage Meltdown

• [81:03–81:49]
  • After being roasted by the whole cast, Craig storms off set, whines to producers, and sarcastically declares he might not return.
  • Quote: “Craig, who has just spent the past 20 minutes of the reunion saying he doesn’t yell at anyone, doesn’t have tantrums, and he’s an empath… now gone off backstage and ranted and raved to all the producers.” — Ben [81:33]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Don’t be fooled by these idiots. They’re all douchebags and they take turns." – Ronnie [04:33]
• "Craig has so much empathy to give that he could never be a narcissist… He needs magician spray so he doesn't absorb any negative energy." – Ben [03:52]
• "If you want to be a wife, act like a wife…" [Therapist advice; the hosts dissect how retrograde and toxic that advice is.]
• "I feel like the most narcissistic thing you can do is declare yourself an empath." – Ben [78:15]
• "It's meta-manipulation!" – Ben on Craig [66:28]

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Important Timestamps

• 05:00: Opening cast shade, setting of reunion tone
• 19:00: Intros for new cast members, first shots fired
• 24:03: Whitner & Vanita’s faux-mance and group dating games
• 45:05–50:13: Slut-shaming and gendered hypocrisy
• 61:22–71:06: Austin & Craig’s BF breakup, addiction manipulation reveal
• 77:41–80:23: “Empath” vs. “Narcissist” debate, group call-out
• 81:03–81:49: Craig’s backstage tantrum

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Thematic Threads

• Bravo’s Double Standards: The hosts spend extended time skewering the men for holding the women to a higher standard—especially in matters of sex, drinking, and “wife” behavior—while being praised for identical conduct.
• Weaponizing Vulnerability: Both literal (Craig’s “I’m an addict” confession on camera) and social (“I’m an empath”), the guys exploit emotional admissions for social points and deflection.
• The End of Craig’s Teflon: Unlike prior reunions, the wider cast finally pushes back on Craig’s bad behavior, escalating from a Shep/Austin problem to something everyone’s experienced.
• Relentlessly Funny: Even while dissecting misogyny and narcissism, Ben & Ronnie keep things breezy and laugh-out-loud funny, with memorable improv, fake sponsor bits, and relentless impressions.

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Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for its evisceration of Bravo’s lingering double standards and the “reunion performance” of empathy vs. narcissism. Craig’s carefully constructed persona unravels in real time, with no one—including Andy—letting him off the hook. Meanwhile, Sally and Austin serve as the season’s central ‘Will They/Won’t They?’ (and the subject of the episode’s sharpest satire).

For new listeners or lapsed Southern Charm fans, this recap offers a hilarious, critical, and insightful tour of both the reunion and the show’s overarching issues—delivered with Watch What Crappens’ signature wit.

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Listen if you:

• Love Bravo but crave a more critical, comedic take on reunions
• Want to hear the hosts roast the cast’s hypocrisy
• Appreciate Bravo’s messiness, but demand accountability and laughs

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(Summary excludes all ads, sponsorships, and roll call of premium sponsors.)

Transcript

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[Ben Mandelker]

You guys, I have some legendary news for you. Twenty years after its debut, the HBO original comedy series the Comeback is finally back. I've always loved how the show skewers Hollywood, and seeing Lisa Kudrow return as the iconic Valerie Cherish is exactly what we need right now.

[Ronnie Chieng]

This season picks up over a decade later. Valerie is finally starring in a new show, but here's the twist. It's being written by AI. She's still navigating the chaos in the industry and chasing those big dreams with that same Valerie Cherish energy we adore.

[Ben Mandelker]

If you're watching this season, and you really should be, by the way, you've got to check out the Official Comeback. Podcast host Evan Ross Katz is joined by Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King to unpack every episode to dive into the show's origins and why Valerie is still such a relatable, resilient character after two decades.

[Ronnie Chieng]

You'll also hear from cast members like Laura Silverman and Ella Stiller, plus comedy powerhouses like Abby Jacobson and John Early. For anyone who loves a behind the scenes look at how iconic TV is made, this is is a must.

[Ben Mandelker]

Listen Stream the HBO original series the Comeback on HBO max Sundays at 10:30pm and watch the Comeback podcast on HBO Max. Or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Watch what crapp. Watch what happens. Who cares what happens when there's so much what happens? Who cares what happens when there's so much that happens? Hello and welcome to Watch what Crappens, a podcast at all that Crap on Bravo that we just love to talk about. I'm Ben Mandelker and joining me today is the one and only glorious Mr. Ronnie Caram. Hi Ronnie, how's it going? Hi. I miss you already. We had such a great weekend over at south by Southwest. I know, I know it's Thursday, but I actually don't really know what day it is anymore. It's just all been a blur. But that was just the most amazing time we're going to talk about it. We keep on saying we're going to record this south by Southwest episode on Patreon. But we, we are just still, we're just still coming. We're, we're, we're catching up to speed. But our bonus episode of the week will be a whole, you know, Tales from Texas because it really was an extraordinary weekend and we have been feeling all sorts of love all, all week long from, from everyone. So thank you to everyone who continues to send us some like nice messages and comments and notes etc. We really, really do appreciate it. And thanks again to iHeart for giving us the award for, for Best TV and Film Podcast of the year. And thanks to Jenny Garth. We love Jenny Garth. She was so nice. And I'm still Star Trek.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Most of all, thanks to Jenny Garth.

[Ben Mandelker]

Most of all. No, she actually has a podcast. She hasn't. She has a podcast called I Choose Me. So why don't you choose Jenny Garth and give her a listen. Anyway, our bonus episode will be on Patreon. Patreon.com watch what crap ins and you also get access. We have our free newsletter that's available to everyone there. So check that out. And this coming weekend we are going to be writing also about south by Southwest. We'll probably be going into even further detail than we do on our bonus episode. We have video. You can watch us, not just listen to us. The crap is on demand. Discord community. All the great things are over there and maybe greatest of all for some people is an ad free feed so you don't have to even listen to ads. So that's all at Patreon. Go check it out. Today we are here with the Southern Charm reunion and things that we learned is that Craig has so much empathy to give that he could never be a narcissist. He, he is just filled with so much empathy that, that he needs a special spray, a magician spray so that he doesn't absorb any negative energy that may fill the void of all the empathy he has to give out. And we also learned that Austin still can do the old fashioned Austin things despite, despite having two strong years of, of being not the worst. He comes on this reunion and basically just slush himself is the worst.

[Ronnie Chieng]

And you know the this is and we tell you every season, do not be fooled by these idiots because they are all douchebags and they take turns. This year was Craig's turn to get out all year. But don't think that Austin's not a douchebag. And all of you who fell for his oh, I have a long distance girlfriend and I'm a cat dad. Austin is still at the end of the day, one of the biggest on this show. And don't you forget it because he won't let you.

[Ben Mandelker]

He will not let bad edit his. His bad edit is rising, everyone.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Right?

[Ben Mandelker]

Like is this with the horoscopes, like the one thing descending, one thing rising. He is a bad edit rising. Get. Look forward to it next season. Shep is the one who got out scot free because he just sat quiet the whole reunion. And he was in the mid, I think. I don't think Shep has ever been that far down the sofa. He just was in the middle. Beyond Sally. I mean he was like beyond Sally. It was like you just sort of see mists and like distant vistas and their Shep out there and he just was quiet and stayed out of the mess.

[Ronnie Chieng]

He still looked fucked up from last night. You know, he got to New York and partied all night and he still just looks trashed and just stays out of it. And it's wise. It's a wise move. So here we go. Arrivals to the reunion and Austin's like, you got death taxes and the southern charm reunion. Know things you can count on.

[Ben Mandelker]

Cat dad. Cat dad. Dad. Andy. Like here we go. They're all like walking into the building. We're getting a lot of footage of them entering, which means that they don't have too much to talk about on their reunion cuz they have to pad it with all the people showing up in like. Like here's someone in an elevator. I just press up. So now we're in makeup and Madison is like, I'm back to fighting weight. Okay, I'm back. I'm back to fight. I'm like an alpha again. And then Austin is talking to Rod and Austin has like a Starbucks coffee in his hand. He's like, I ordered Shep's ass a flat white.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I'm sure that's funny to everyone with a flat white ass. Okay. Without a flat white ass. But it's not great for the rest of us.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, that's what. Now anyone who orders that drink is just going to be thinking about Shep's ass, which we have seen on this show many times.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah. So Vanita's talking to her makeup person, giving a full interview. She's like, I'm enraged with anger, but I'm looking forward to getting it all hashed out on the table. So the friendships I want, I can save. And I'll save the friendships I want. Don't you worry. Don't you Worry. It's me, Vanita. So then Whit is getting his makeup. Whitner. And he's like, yeah, you know, there are certain people in the group that need to be held accountable, but Winner really doesn't do much on the show, so he's one of those people that just got here and is always spouting off about everything. It's like, you know, you don't really do anything yet, Sarah. Like, you just got to the hoa. I don't want to hear it from you. By the way, I got asked to run for my HOA board. What do you think of that?

[Ben Mandelker]

I think you should. I thought there's only two people in your hoa, you and your neighbor right now.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, that's a separate. We have to have a separate one because we have condos built in a place that didn't have condos. And so one of the laws is that we have to have our own hoa, which is really weird. Technically, I'm the president of that one.

[Ben Mandelker]

I would.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I would love. And I'm the. I won. I won that vote.

[Ben Mandelker]

I think you should.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Which is weird because there's two of them and one of me, so I still won the vote.

[Ben Mandelker]

One of the husbands voted for me. No, I love the idea of you being the president of an HOA with three people in the hoa. But, no, I think you should totally do it, because I think you would be hilarious as the. As the president. I don't know. You just be enough funny things. You'd be like, I was born at night, but not last night. But maybe you can dress as Nancy, your alter ego. Like, hi, y'. All. Hey, everybody.

[Ronnie Chieng]

It's the hoa. We're doing it. We all got our house painted in the accepted colors. Meredith, I saw blue on your house. Don't think I'm not watching you. Okay, that looks good on you. At church, but not on our street. Get it off of your house. I'm gonna burn it down.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay. Isn't there, like, a terrible car across the street from you that, like, is, like, annoying? Everyone moved.

[Ronnie Chieng]

He moved.

[Ben Mandelker]

Get out. Good for you.

[Ronnie Chieng]

You see, it really does work when you visualize things and manifest things. I manifested his ass right out of here. But you know what? Then the. Whatever. Yeah, but when I live in la, I got this guy out, and then in la, guess who moved in? Lambo, which. So it's fucked up. Karma's fucked up.

[Ben Mandelker]

I can confirm that. I was at Ronnie's house and that Lambo pulled up. It's basically Just like, frag trying to, like, clear his like. Oh, God, shut your face.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Y. It's like terrorism. You lop one head off and there's another man car that pops up right. Right where that head was.

[Ben Mandelker]

That's. That's exactly how I would say it. So Witner. Yeah. It's like there are certain people that need to be held accountable. Politely, of course, and only when called upon. Yeah. He's like, my mom's an anarchist. And one thing that we learned. Learned is that when there's justice that needs to be had, you sit very quietly and patiently until Andy asks you a question.

[Ronnie Chieng]

So we are gonna call out the problematic people, but not too loudly. Mama does not like fighting over dinner.

[Ben Mandelker]

Hey, guys, I should have put thumbtacks in my shoes, in my toes. So that. Or like, my shoes, like, the toe part of my shoe. So if I get, like, nervous, I can, like, press down on them and then, like, I'll stop shaking my foot. Right, guys? God, I have so much empathy for the people have to see me nervous.

[Ronnie Chieng]

All right, well, let's play some tense music. It's like. So Andy likes Craig's suit. And it's time. Hey, welcome to the Southern charm season 11 reunion. I'm your host, Andy Cohen. Guess what? I'm a dad ready to break down an explosive season that had a full blown love triangle and a triangle of dysfunction between bros. And I probably shouldn't say that anymore. I'm a new Andy. Okay. Sally, how you doing?

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm good. Yoo. Andy, I'm over here. I'm good. Say. All right. Madison, you look stunning as always. How's life with a newborn? I'm obsessed. You want more? Yes. Anything you want to announce today? Do I look like I'm gonna have another Andy? Listen, I'm gonna have to hot girl Summer, because that's the cool thing on Bravo. And maybe next year we'll get it done.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Sheppy, how's your new house treating you? It's good, Andy. It's about to go under the knife for renovation soon.

[Ben Mandelker]

And Andy's. Andy's like, well, the house looks huge in the chef. Is your zipper undone? Because the girls are gesturing to him, like, zipper, zip. He's like, gosh. Also ship. It's like, all right. Well, that was cool. I was trying to get a peek, but too bad. Shouldn't have called it out. Hey. Hi, Vanita. Love your dress. Am I gonna compare to Diana Ross again this season? I won't, but I was wondering how it's gonna be sitting down and it's perfect. You never miss.

[Ronnie Chieng]

It's like, wow, look at Austin's bow ties. Not the bow tie Craig gave you. And he's like, I've worn Depot tie so many times. So many times. Every time I wear it, I say, I hate the fucking guy who gave me this. I fucking hate him.

[Ben Mandelker]

Hey, Sally, you don't look like the type to hang out in a chicken coop. Do you miss chickens at all? I literally do not miss the chickens at all. But what I do miss is Austin's dick. I'm waving to it right now. There it is.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Craig, how are you feeling about tonight? He's like, I don't know. It's like a reunion date. Like, I know there will be conflict, but it doesn't seem malicious like other years. Smile. Wink. Ey. Shine.

[Ben Mandelker]

Did you watch the season? I lived it. But by the way, just so you know, the other person who famously would not watch the season back was Jax. So I'm not saying there's parallels, but I'm actually explicitly saying that the other

[Ronnie Chieng]

person who constantly talked about addiction while doing nothing about it so he could get sympathy from the audience, by the

[Ben Mandelker]

way, and denied accusations of narcissism. Hey, what do you think about Greg not watching the season? Well, I understand sometimes you watch it and you see something and it makes you reactive. But I think it's interesting how it gets spun into the reality that Craig remembers it, but it's like, oh, wait, wait, Like. Like three of us were there. Okay, Right, Like. Like we all. We all know. Like, three. Well, actually, it's five if you count the two cats. Cat that.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I think Craig has a reality distortion. You call Austin victim mentality, but you exhibit a lot of that, too.

[Ben Mandelker]

You're like.

[Ronnie Chieng]

You don't understand. It was taken out of context. But we see it. It's on television. And Charlie's just nodding.

[Ben Mandelker]

She's like, yeah, I'm just trying to be decent on camera. Okay. I do think in some certain situations that I've been part of, I do not have the same explanation of it that Craig does. The. Well, I just call it as I see it. And especially this year, I was 100% myself. And that's all you can do is be vulnerable. Yes. Greg, when I look at you screaming at Sally in the van, I think, what a vulnerable guy. He just pulls out all of the.

[Ronnie Chieng]

All of the key words that he needs to. Well, Craig, do you have a goal tonight regarding your friendship with Austin? And he's like, well, I'm here to hear everyone out. Like I'm at the end of space in my life where I look for peace now. And in an ideal scenario, we would, we would get back to where we were, I guess. Have you noticed Craig is doing this like, twitching thing when he talks lately? He's like, yeah, like, I guess.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, chat. GPG gave him some pointers on body language.

[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ronnie Chieng]

Oh, yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yelling at people is not very peaceful. And everyone laughs. Yeah, you got Whitney. So Vinita's like. And the show has begun, ladies. Oh, the show has begun, ladies and gentlemen. So Andy's like, austin, what's your goal for tonight? Well, it's super disappointing to hear things that were said throughout the season. And I cannot believe someone who claims to be a very good close friend of mine is saying such horrible things about me and my cats. Hashtag cat tag. So we have parted ways, and that's what needs to happen. But some shit does need to be flushed out. No doubt. I'm like, I'll tell you what needs to be flushed out is all the saliva that seems to gather in your mouth and spew on everyone. How about a suction straw? Like at the dentist?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah. All right, well, let's see where the night takes as. You guys are really blowing your load early. Okay. We're attacking Craig first thing. Let me get to a segment. Okay. Holy moly. Hey, Molly.

[Ben Mandelker]

Hey.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Last year you played a euphonium, and this year you sang beautifully, by the way. So I loved hearing you sing. Wow, What a voice.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, can you believe that we are somehow still in the hellos. Hey, Rodrigo.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Because they won't even, like, let him not. They won't even let him finish hellos. And they're like, craig, Craig.

[Ben Mandelker]

Which is hilarious.

[Ronnie Chieng]

They're all ready to go, ready to rip him apart.

[Ben Mandelker]

Hey, Rodrigo, your engagement party was beautiful. Interesting that the gay guy is going to be the first gentleman in the group to be to tie the knot. He's like, yeah, it's been 12 years, Andy. But that's just what it is, girlfriend.

[Ronnie Chieng]

All right.

[Ben Mandelker]

And hi, Charlie. Wow. Still more people. And I. I hate that we're going out of order on the sofas. Just can't keep track of anything. Okay. It's Charlie's birthday. She turned 20. How does it feel to be the new girl on the block? She's like, it's intimidating, for sure. Sally keeps staring at me, and I'm just really scared. I just want to hop behind this pillow.

[Ronnie Chieng]

You got this. Wow. When it's your first time, who gave you your best advice? He's like, well, my mama. And after that, I would say, shep and Austin, you know, speak when you have the opportunity. Don't wait. And if you have to wait, say it then.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, all right. Wasn't really listening this season, thankfully, because

[Ronnie Chieng]

that really didn't make any sense, so.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well. Well, you know, my mama said, here's something I learned out of the anarchist playbook, which is when you see injustice, you go to each and every one of your estates in Charleston in France, and you find a spoon, and you bang on a pan and make sure the world hears you.

[Ronnie Chieng]

This season, Charleston was hit with a quadruple dose of bachelor energy when Crai depp, winner, and eventually Austin were all single at the same time.

[Ben Mandelker]

Molly, is it a net positive or negative for the women of Charleston to have these three back on the single seat? By the way, I love how he immediately takes winner out of the equation. He's like, no. So much bachelor energy. There were four guys who were single. Molly, what's it like when these three guys are single?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, it was positive for me, and it. You. Benita's like, I'm good.

[Ben Mandelker]

I went to the deli. It was. I found three bottles of Yoo Hoo in the refrigerator.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Vanita's like, yeah, I'll say negative. Well, you know, it's not back on down the way it used to be, though, because the three of us used to walk to town like we used to. We used to go down King street, and we would just, like, terrorize people with, you know, our Tommy Bahamas shirts, our baseball caps, our really long armpit hair. But it's not like that now, Andy.

[Ben Mandelker]

Isn't it funny how that's what we were like? And then later on, I'm gonna villainize Sally for doing the same thing. So then Andy's like, well, Rodrigo, you called Charleston Temptation Island. And then you said, comma, girlfriend. You think any of these gentlemen are ready to resist the temptation? Settle down. He's like, well, really looking at it, by the way, Rodrigo, was he drunk? I felt like he was slurring the entire time. He was like, really?

[Ronnie Chieng]

He sent on some podcasts. Because I said that last. I said that in some episode. And people like, you can't say that he has a speech impediment. Well, first of all, who doesn't? I do. I mean, I have one. But second, I think he's drunk. I'm sorry. I don't care. I don't care what anybody says. I still think he's drunk.

[Ben Mandelker]

If it's a speech impediment, well, I will hold space for it if it's not.

[Ronnie Chieng]

You can have two.

[Ben Mandelker]

You can.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Two things can be true is what I'm saying.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, that's fine. You know, if. If he sounds drunk because of a speech impediment, then that explains it. So he's like, well, really looking at it. I think it would be Whitney and Craig. I think Austin is newly single, Shep is exploring, and Lord knows that Dick gets in trouble left, right, and sideways. Am I right? And then Austin, he's like, that dick don't stop exploring. Yeah. Austin keeps on trying out, like, gay sass, and it's so funny to me because you already did the flat white thing. Like, I ordered Shep's ass flat white. Am I right, girlfriend? Now he's doing this. That dick don't stop exploring.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Get a little monkey to follow around my dick with a backpack on because it's Dora the Dick explorer. Am I right? Any of that.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, Right.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, ladies, we got a lot of audience comments that were perplexed, and none of you went for wet. Wow. Lucy from Keith said Whitner is the most eligible, hottest, most successful non toxic guy on the show. Madison, what's your opinion?

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, as we all know, non toxic is disgusting. So I think that kind of explains that. As soon as you say that, he's pretty much just like a stone. Why would you even date him?

[Ronnie Chieng]

I mean, I'm sorry, did you mean to say beta?

[Ben Mandelker]

We are just not into that. I've known Whitner for a long time, and I told the girls, especially Vanita, you should go after Whitner. And then Vanita says, but Andy's like, well, Venita, you mention what happened. So Benita's like, well, because when I tried to have Rodrigo as my backup, he was like, oh, Whitner, what about Charlie? And I was like, oh, you're supposed to be team me, not team Charlie.

[Ronnie Chieng]

What is this, like, the 1800s? People do pick their own Partners now. Like, why did you not offer a dowry? Like, to wit, like, what's going on?

[Ben Mandelker]

Why did you not announce me at the ball? You announced the wrong lady coming down the staircase. Like, what? That's a terrible excuse.

[Ronnie Chieng]

And then we find out that Vanita is friends with Whitner's mom. I love Vanita just being friends with everybody's mom because wasn't she friends with JT's mom, too, or something?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, that girl. She's definitely like a. Like, friends with a mom sort of girl, which I think I said actually, as a. That's a compliment. Like, I love that energy just as friends with everyone's moms.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I mean, that's how I am, too. So Andy says, when did you know that Vanita felt that way? And he's like, no. God, I was completely unaware of this sentiment. And she's like, are you blushing? And he goes, yeah, a little. I mean, I just didn't know this was coming. Wow. We Venita and Widner. Those. Vanita, stop trying to make me believe that you like Whitner. You can't. Vanita tries it every season. Like, jt. I liked it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Carl.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I like Carl. I like Carl.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'd say, isn't Carl the thing?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Come on, Carl.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Whitner is like, yeah, did not know. Question. Whitner, do you like branzino? And do you like eating it on a sofa? Because that will inform us on which way this direction this relationship is going. So Andy is like, sally on Watch Happens Live. You said, you really don't know Whitner yet. And you then said, who? You. Which you said, is opposite of you. Who? And I didn't really understand it, but now I kind of do. What do you think?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah, she gave a shady answer. Basically, they said, how. How come, you know, none of the girls are trying to hook up with Whitner? And Sally said, well, I don't think anybody really has gotten to know Whitner yet, insinuating that he's a real asshole. And they just haven't shown it on the show yet, which left us believing that there was going to be some part of the show where he was going to become a monster like the rest of the guys. And it never came. So it was kind of like a false spoiler. And so he's calling it Sally out.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Which is good, because it actually, like, we literally spent the entire season, like, saying things like, well, winner seems really nice, but we know the other shoe's gonna drop. We know he's an. Because Sally Said something. So she's like, well, I didn't mean it like that. And he's like, well, it did come off poorly, if I can offer my opinion. She's like, well, I love my relationship with Whitner, but he talks a little bit too much about himself for me. I'm like, you're pining after Austin and this is. This is your issue with Whitner. I don't understand that. Don't they all talk about themselves extensively?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Whitner's like, yeah, I've never noticed. Yeah, but all the guys are sitting here talking about themselves all the time. That's all the guys on here do. No, you talk about them all the time. You're lit. At least they talk about themselves. You literally talk about boys the entire time. You're like, I'm a robot person who knows I'm a robot technician who has chickens, but I love boys. It's like your whole personality. Sandy's like, well, I want to know what you ladies are looking for in a man. I mean, if none of you will go for washed up alcoholics at least 10 years your senior, what are you looking for?

[Ben Mandelker]

Sally takes her thumb. She goes, everything this guy has

[Ronnie Chieng]

pointing to Austin. And they're like, wow. She's like, yeah, Austin, you know, I've been going to diners and they say, would you like something this morning? I say, a grand slam with Austin.

[Ben Mandelker]

You moon over Miami and make sure the hammy is Austin. The moon is me. I'm over him. Yes, in the. In the sexual way, of course. And so Craig is like. She's like. She's like, I just. My biggest thing is personality. I was like, when you were pointing with your thumb, did you mean to point it at Austin in that moment? Was there someone else in the room that that thumb was intended for? Because you said personality. And I just. I'm not connecting the dots here.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, she did say she wants Austin's personality in my body. And then somehow we were both offended,

[Ben Mandelker]

which was Greg's way to be like, but he's ugly. And so Sally's way to be like, he's ugly.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, Sally's like, wow, Craig's looks and Austin's personality, we'd have a. Greg's a shitty person and Austin's a shitty looking person. So if we just make some.

[Ben Mandelker]

Which, like, yeah, that would be nice, but, like, Craig bringing that up in that moment was his way of kind of like popping the bubble. That. Because Austin, you know, Austin was feeling himself. He was like doing. He was like pretending to smile. And he put his, like, hands below his face. He's like, who, me? And he's like, charlie, you and Craig dated this season. What was he like as a suitor? She's like, oh, he was great. Loved his suits. No, that's not what that means, but whatever. And Craig's like, and then this whole world got involved, and it went away. Which is also from the Jack's playbook.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yes, everybody else did it. It wasn't you screaming at women publicly being shit based.

[Ben Mandelker]

It was.

[Ronnie Chieng]

It was them making you do it. So Sally's like, I hate that I'm blind for y' all not being together. Because that's. No, because the whole time you were like, charlie's talking to other boys. Well, she was talking to other boys, but she promised she wasn't talking to anyone else when we were together. And Charles, like, I. I did not. Like, there was a time when you were like, you know, should I get back on Raya? And then I was like, yeah, I'm on Raya. Yeah, but that's like, when we were talking during the season, I was led to believe that you and she's like, I was not talking to, like, anyone else. Like, during the time that I was talking to you at the oyster place. There wasn't anyone else at the oyster place is what I was saying.

[Ben Mandelker]

I can't throw my voice like a ventriloquist. So when I was talking to you, I was literally only talking to you. But the horrible things that Sally was saying, like, you were looking out for me, but I was, like, believing the girl I was talking to. And, like, we talked about that. Craig's basically saying, like, I didn't listen to you, Sally, and I should have listened to you.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yes. He's. Now Craig is making it because Charlie dumped him. Now Craig's gonna make it, like, oh, Charlie was cheating on me the whole time. She didn't even like me. She was always like, random guys. He's such a pig. Of course he's gonna do that. And they didn't show in this, but in the. In the preview last week, they showed him saying something like this. Like, yeah, she was talking to other guys the whole time. And Char goes, we went on two dates, Craig.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah.

[Ronnie Chieng]

And I wonder why they cut that.

[Ben Mandelker]

And there's probably, like, an element of this that's like, I was made to look like the bad guy because I rejected Sally and then I, like, threw her under the bus. But now this is his way of kind of saying, like, Charlie was the one who led Me to do that. I kind of feel like that's an underlying current in this, right. Like, oh, I was listening to Charlie, and I should listen to you, Sally. And the only reason why I was mean to you, Sally, was because I listened to. To Charlie. That's kind of what he's saying here. So Andy's like, this season, Molly proved once again that her musical talents are limitless. So when Sally started flapping her lips about her nip tuck, Molly said, s told Sally to change her tune. But that didn't stop the lady's friendship from hitting new sour note. I was like, you're somehow weaving in, like, musical puns and, like, labia puns. So funny. Just introduce.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I like when the watch what. When the watch what happens? Staff just is tired and they're like, well, she was flapping her lips about tromboning. Are you phoning? When all of a sudden, the chicken from licking came around the corner and trained its way all the way down the tracks of a bus stop. Like, what, you're drunk over there For

[Ben Mandelker]

a rest to take a beat when things fell flat. And Sally had some sharp things to say about Molly vagina.

[Ronnie Chieng]

So I also liked when he goes, well, Molly proved that, you know, when Sally started flapping her lips and then Molly goes, about my lips, it's like, yeah, Sally, that's the. That's the point. Yeah, Molly, that's like, that's the point. So the point is Molly has a new guy and sounds like a winner. He's 56, she's 38. I was like, is it Wendy? Because they're like, he's a musician. He's a great guitarist. Like, oh, it's just Whitney.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's Whitney. Have you fully conquered your stage fright? Asks no one in the audience. Molly's like, well, no, but it's gotten immensely better. And I actually asked Austin and Craig if they would book me a gig at by the Way. By the Way. And now I do two days a month at a little bar. And he's like, wow, Molly, things between you and Sally went south. South. Get it?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Like, my vagina. That was the point.

[Ben Mandelker]

It was a real low note. What were you thinking when you heard that, Sal? It was gossiping about your vagina. And of course, we all knew when this happened during the season that this would be a priority talking point in the reunion in the first 15 minutes,

[Ronnie Chieng]

of course, it's like, well, it was like, literally the one thing that, like, I did that I didn't want to tell the world. So, like, I Was pretty pissed about it, and I never told her about it, so I don't even know where she got it. Well, Vanita, viewers had a lot to say about you sharing Molly's surgery when you should have been keeping your lips shut. Like, my vagina lips. That was the point, okay?

[Ben Mandelker]

One battle from after another. Said exposing someone who's supposed to be your friend in such an intimate way is disgusting. It's like, yes, it was disgusting. When Molly approached me the first time, the first thing I did was apologize for it. And I told her that she had every right and still has every right to be mad at me for it. And. And I made sure to apologize again and again. I never should have done it. And Molly's like, yeah, she apologized a lot, and I've gotten, like, a lot of flowers out of it. And what was great is that she would apologize. And there wasn't a but after the apology, it's like, cut to Craig. Be like, huh, that's like an improper sentence.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Sally, did you apologize? And Sally's like, well, I mean, I apologize for bringing it to the group, but I didn't really want the information about the vagina in the first place, so why would I apologize for that? Well, the problem with Sally is, like, she's just so easy to talk to, you know, but then she tells everyone everything.

[Ben Mandelker]

And Molly's like, yeah, but that's something so wild. You should know not to repeat it. And by the way, Sally's saying, I didn't want this information in the first place, so therefore I spread to other people who probably also didn't want it. But why not? Sally's like, you know, there's a camera in my face, and Vanita's telling me about your vagina on camera. So obviously it's not secret. It's so interesting, Charlie, do you feel like you can trust Sally with your info? And have you ever had anything done to your vagina you'd like to share? She's like, well, I do. And if I, you know, if I tell her, please do not share this, she will take it to the grave. If I forget to, she'll announce it from the top of my own Everest. And I think that. I don't think that I should have to say that all the time, though, by the way.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, Molly, it sounds like you and Vanita and Sally are all good now. You trust them both with your vagina. Molly's like, well, I don't know if trust is 100 back, but, like, we're a good place, you know?

[Ben Mandelker]

All right, you're done now, Molly. Not talking to the rest of reunion. You can go home now. Bye.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah, you buy him. Okay, you phony. Bye. Okay, so, Madison, let's talk about you. What's the difference about motherhood this time versus 13 years ago? Just other than the fact that you've got a hot charisma free man. God, I want that man. What a hot piece of ass that man is. What?

[Ben Mandelker]

What?

[Ronnie Chieng]

But. Okay, did. Who am I talking to? Can we get Brad out here to sit on my lap? Great.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, obviously, in the past 13 years, back then, I was a single mother, and in 13 years, you know, there have been huge advances in corn production. So, you know, now my. You know, my new baby, he's not. She's not only born for corn, but she's born for so many new, interesting versions of corn. So it's a real honor. I'm living my best life.

[Ronnie Chieng]

So she talks about how the baby looks like her dad, which is really touching. And that's sweet. And I'm bored. So Andy's like, well, I saw on Instagram a post of Sally and Austin out with you and Brett, the baby. What was it like to hang out with Teddy? Was the baby smarter than Austin and Sally put together already? Go ahead, tell us the truth.

[Ben Mandelker]

It was so much fun. And at first I thought that baby just wouldn't stop crying, but then I realized just saliva that Austin had spat on its face by accident. So it was a lovely evening for all of us.

[Ronnie Chieng]

It was like the tale of two parents and two non parents. We had a race with the baby who could have more bottles the quickest.

[Ben Mandelker]

So, you know, Andy's like, well, Austin, are you gonna give Sally a baby? She's like, yeah, that would be real cute. I'm ready, Austin. Let's go in the back. Ride now. He's like, well, Sally and I have a wonderful relationship. We've hung out all sorts of times, and, yeah, there have been some drunken makeouts. And Rod's like, so, no sleepovers, girlfriend. No, we all. Well, we had a sleepover. Yeah, it was all very innocent. And we were watching tv and we woke up and who. I can't see what happens next.

[Ronnie Chieng]

What did you watch on tv? And how did crazy rich Asians end? That's a big one this year. It's like we were watching heated rivalry. And I was like, oh, my God, that's right. We did. We did, Andy. We did.

[Ben Mandelker]

And he's like, wait, wait, sorry, I was sort of asleep. This entire reunion. I'm Awake now.

[Ronnie Chieng]

What?

[Ben Mandelker]

What's that about?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Molly tells him it's a closeted gay hockey players show with lots of gay sex. And Craig's like, wait, heated rivalry is supposed to be me and Austin's story. No, no, Jack. Jack is at home. Like, how dare you? How dare you, Craig.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Whitner is like, oh. Oh, God, we got. What? What are we. What's going on over here? And Mads is like, you guys are dumb. As if you think you're just gonna sit here and tell us that y' all haven't had sex. And I was like, no, we're not. We're watching heated rivalry. So sensational. When I got that smoothie, that purple, thin, half filled smoothie. Wow, that was amazing.

[Ronnie Chieng]

So they're like, so are you guys. Yes or no? And winners, like, yeah. Did you go all the way? Like, what are we. Why are we asking like that? What are we in grade school? And Madison, like, you guys are dumb. As if you think you're gonna sit here and tell us you've not. He's like, we're not.

[Ben Mandelker]

And he's like, sally, have. Have you and. Have you and Austin been intimate? And Sally goes, well, Austin, he's like, sally, help me out. I mean, making out is intimate. And I don't know. You all right?

[Ronnie Chieng]

I think Sally would tell us if they had. Had sex. And it just cuts to Sally going,

[Ben Mandelker]

Guys, guys, guys, we're not doing this big thing in secret that you all think that we're doing, even though that is exactly what I said about Taylor a few seasons ago. But we're not this time. I'm not lying. I'm not covering up something.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah, we've heard the sleepover with no sex before, sir. Exactly.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, I don't understand is why you're being weird about it. You didn't cheat on Audrey. And he's like, because I set a clear boundary of. We're like, we're not gonna do this because it felt disrespectful to Audrey. And I'm a good guy and I respect women, so I'm not gonna brag about the woman I'm fucking when Audrey could be watching the show, even though I'm Sally. Do you understand? I'm a good guy.

[Ben Mandelker]

And it's called a good edit. I'm working on it. Andy's like, yeah, but we're now eight months from Audrey, and there's nothing to be ashamed about. You're both single. I know the reason to. I don't know the reason not to Say it. So you're saying they're.

[Ronnie Chieng]

They're okay. She went out, she caught herself a baby. She's him. Sally's like, there's been more than kissing, I'll tell you that.

[Ben Mandelker]

Molly's like, stop lying. Well, I'm trying to be more of a lady. Damon. And Craig's like, if you did sleep together, why would it be bad? Meanwhile, Craig will be the first one to be like, you guys were sleeping together. If you were, like, a real adult, you wouldn't be sleeping with Sally. She's chaos.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I wouldn't see it as a big deal. Yeah, but I. I have thought of it as a big deal. So how about that? How about that, then? Well, I think Sally just said you guys had done more. Oh, so you're embarrassed? Is that what you're saying? You're embarrass to Sally. I mean, I would. I wouldn't blame you. You're embarrassed of her. Just say you're embarrassed. He's like, I'm not embarrassed. Well, you're red as a beat.

[Ben Mandelker]

They're like, oh, honestly, y', all, I'm a cat dad. How could you do this to me, Mass? Well, y', all, because you're lying. It's like, okay, look, I'm not okay. We're not okay. And he's like, well, but Sal is giving me something totally different than what you're giving me with her eyes and be like, she's obsessed with Austin. We don't get it. But that's why she's giving googly eyes. I'm not. I'm not obsessed with Austin. Like, your hand is literally on his dick right now. Oh, you. No, but in a cute way. That's why I say googly eyes.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, I've gone out with Austin. I've seen y' all talk. I've seen Austin talk to other girls and leave with other girls and have. I've just totally been fine with it. Molly's like, well, you. You do get upset about it. She says, well, no. I mean, I don't love it, but I'm not, like, banging on his door, like, why are you with another? You know, I just call all my girlfriends and I say, why is it with another bitch? It's different. It's different. I don't have a restraining order this time.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. I don't bang on his door and say, why are you with another? I use the doorbell like a gentle lady commercials. Here comes one right now.

[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Because sometimes when that happens, it's not all at once. It's just the little things. And you gotta pay attention to the little things. And that's why we are really excited to talk to you about bowl and branch.

[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ben Mandelker]

And with bowl and branch, what I really like personally is that you can really feel the quality immediately. You know, when you get used to, like, not the best sheets and then you go to something really nice and lovely like bowl and branch, it's like, oh my goodness, oh my goodness, where have I been all this time? Where have these sheets been in my life?

[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ben Mandelker]

And I like how they also feel softer after you wash them. Isn't that nice?

[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, to her credit, she said she was an awesome fiance. She goes, I would act like a wife if I was in a relationship. I'm a very good girlfriend.

[Ben Mandelker]

Look, I'm just basing this off of conversations that Austin and I have had, and he even said that you were, like, a little more tamed down and didn't. If you were just a little bit more tamed down and didn't run the streets, weren't just a slutty mongrel out in the streets of. Of Charleston, that he would look at you in a different light than just like a hookup, you know?

[Ronnie Chieng]

I was talking to Austin, and he literally told me, hey, medicine, why am I going by a cow if I get free milk?

[Ben Mandelker]

Why.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Why would I do that? You know? And I don't even drink milk anymore. I like oat milk, my cereal. And I said, what are you. Conversation.

[Ben Mandelker]

And then I said, why would you get milk from such a slutty cow in the first place? And he said, I don't know.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Do you know how many people have had that? Cows that had their hands. Cow's udders. And he said, I know. I want my own cow.

[Ben Mandelker]

I said, it doesn't matter that your glass has been passed around this far more than anything else. If that cow's been passed around, that's the real problem.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah. So gross. And Sally's like, well, it's not that I'm out there hooking up with people. I'm just having a good time. He goes, why didn't me running the streets like that? I just meant, like, you're a bar rat and a slut, by the way.

[Ben Mandelker]

This is all. All so up. This whole thing of, like, this is

[Ronnie Chieng]

beyond up, because he is the biggest in town. And he's like, well, if she wants me to like her and be her girlfriend, then she needs to stop being so slutty. Like, why would I want to date the town bicycle is what he's saying. And, you know, that's what your mom tells you in the south growing up, you know, and. Yeah, and she's just so gross that we're in 2026 and people are still talking like this when, like, like, literally Austin is the same way. Like, why are the guys allowed to do it, but the women do it? And it's like, you're never. You know, no one will ever watch.

[Ben Mandelker]

You're used. She literally just said, I sit there and watch Austin take all these girls home, and I don't have a problem with it, implying he's taking home a bunch of girls and the fact that they're like, yeah, well, you know, she's just up and down these streets, you know, she's just a bar rat. She's just getting drunk and throwing herself at men. Like, you know, and that therapist advice of, like, if you want to be. If you want to be a wife, act like a wife. It just is so retrograde. I understand the idea of, like, if you want to get into a serious relationship, you have to start looking for. For different things. And you do. You do have to sort of, you know, not conduct yourself or hold yourself differently, but you have to sort of go into dating with a little bit more intentionality than you would if you're just, like, partying and having fun. But the way they're talking is kind of like, hey, she's just like a slutty disaster. But don't worry, Once she gets into a relationship, she will take care of all her man's needs at all times, because that is the role that she. She needs to ascend to. I'm just like, this just feels all just so.

[Ronnie Chieng]

So Southern charm. It's like.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's just so wrong.

[Ronnie Chieng]

It's just like, you know, like, enjoy the patriarchy tonight at 9, you know, but it's always so bad. And that just the fact that they're ragging on Sally so hard while claiming they're not. And Sally's just sitting there like, like what?

[Ben Mandelker]

What?

[Ronnie Chieng]

And still like begging for Austin by the end of this is like, oh, yeah, get some self respect.

[Ben Mandelker]

Austin thinks he's softening the blow by saying, I didn't mean you're running the streets. I just said that you're a bar rat. It's like, oh. Oh, well, now that you put it that way, that I'm a bar rat. I guess it's okay. I understand.

[Ronnie Chieng]

The man who literally just opened a bar to fuck more 20 year olds. I mean, seriously. So Madison's like, well, okay, wait a minute. Did you not have this conversation with me about Sally? Because Sal, Sally and I also had a conversation where she was like, I don't understand Austin. Why didn't he likeing me? He's like, but it's the like the accumulation of like, I don't know, like dicks, like they just pile up outside her door. It's like it's snowing dicks. I like shovel the dicks off your walk. I can't even get to my car. You know what I'm saying?

[Ben Mandelker]

Austin, just say it. Just speak it. Stop stammering so much. And Sally's like, I don't go out when I'm in a relationship. I'm single when I'm in relationship. I swear I'm a good girl. I'm make you food, I'll make your bed, I'll do your laundry, I'll do whatever you need me to do. Don't you worry, I can act like that.

[Ronnie Chieng]

When she was saying that, I was like, no, sick, I'll do your laundry, I'll cook for you. It's like, oh my God, stop it. Just stop it. You're making me crazy. It's so gross. So Madison's like, but you know, he's saying seven days a week, that's just not appealing to him. She goes, well, you don't even see me from Monday to Friday cooking because I'm cooking dinners in my house. And he's like, that is not happening. Come on.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Andy. And he's like, are you still working? And we see photos of her like working at her like, very impressive job. You know, it's like, oh yeah, remember she is a three dimensional person. And then like, wow, she works. Wow. She's a professional. Yeah, but she still goes out. And Austin really does himself no favors by saying, yeah, you go out, you have your fun you sleep with whoever. I don't care. But there is a body count of a lot of people that I know, so it's a body count. So then Andy.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Wow.

[Ben Mandelker]

Comes to the.

[Ronnie Chieng]

When he said that there's a body count. What the. You're Austin, you are so disgusting. You are syphilis. What are you talking about?

[Ben Mandelker]

It was so shitty. And Andy's like, excuse me, but I can start on the body count with you. He's like, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure, sure, sure, sure. And bop. And by the way, I'm the Bravo. Body count is not small. It's like, no, no. And I'm not gonna be bullied into wanting to date Sally. Well, that's fine. You can say, just because you guys want me to be with Sally, I don't have to be with Sally. But of course, everyone believes that you are with Sally, and that's the issue here.

[Ronnie Chieng]

But the thing is, you're fucking Sally still, and then you're calling her a slut at the same time. It's fucking disgusting behavior. And. And. And it's like, you won't be bullied into wanting to date Sally, but you're gonna bully date Sally for dating you. You know, it's. It's just gross. And Andy's like, but I'm not bullying you. I'm just saying Sally's allowed to do what Sally wants to do. And he goes, yeah. And she calls me and tells me, so, go on, girl. I'm good, girlfriend. Rob's like, yeah. And Rod just goes, you guys should just, like, stay buddies. Because, like, that dick don't stop. Am I right, girlfriend?

[Ben Mandelker]

That dick don't stop. Sachet. You stay. So then Craig is like, to complete the question, the girl you are looking for, if it's a girl who's living a very single life, which we're all saying is fine, or are you going to try to find someone who's, like, staying in or whatever? He's not looking for anybody, you stupid face. And Andy's like, well, she has a great job. She's the catch of a lifetime. And Austin's like, yeah. Once again, everyone, here it is. Everyone's saying Austin dates Alley. So now Austin's the victim of peer pressure, right? Like, oh, poor Austin.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah. S. Like, no one's asking you to date me, okay? But if you did, you'd be fan you. Your clothes would be iron. Madison. Madison says words out of my mouth. I told Austin if he made Sally his girlfriend, she'd be the most loyal girlfriend. Yeah, I'll do your laundry. I'll cook your food. I'll wait by the door for you to come home.

[Paige DeSorbo]

Oh, God.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Maybe I just do too much for my man.

[Ben Mandelker]

Andy's like, do you like dating older gay guys? No, I don't.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Can we get a break? I gotta pee. This is ridiculous. Geez, Talking about losers for two hours. I gotta pay just to have something aggressive on this stage.

[Ben Mandelker]

So they go to break. When they come back, before they come back, Andy is looking at Craig's bracelet. He's like, what's your bracelet? He's like, this is the Greek evil eye that was supposed to prevent evil energy from coming my way. And then I wore an empath spray that a magician made at Applebee's. He came from table to table, and he, like, made my straw disappear. And then he gave me me a little spray and said, this is empath spray. And it was in Nashville because I give so much of my energy out that he was worried I would absorb negative energy.

[Ronnie Chieng]

God, you should spray that in your mouth, because that's crazy.

[Ben Mandelker]

What a loser.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah, I got empath spray. I'm protecting myself with a Greek evil eye and empath spray from a magician.

[Ben Mandelker]

My God. Now I can protect evil feelings from coming over and taking over my body. And on top of that, your card is the three of diamonds. Like, Craig, stop doing the magician stuff. You didn't learn anything for that damn spray.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Welcome back. The thing that shocked Austin more than his slow motion breakup with Audrey might have been his decision to become a devoted cat dad. Oh, yeah, cat dad. Absolutely perfect creatures.

[Ben Mandelker]

He says that, but I don't know. I'm just, like, laughing at you saying it because it's such an awesome thing to say. Oh, perfect creatures. And he's like, well, you see, you struggle with women sometimes has reason to. Cats helped you witness, like. Oh, you mean the most uncommitted animal you could have in a house? Hashtag anarchist, son. And Austin's like, that's facts. Because I got cats. Because I can leave town. I got two. And that was a good vice from you, Craig. Yeah, I have a lot of cat wisdom to purvey evil eye protecting me.

[Ronnie Chieng]

One time I got a cat spray, and I've known everything about cats ever since then. Was it from a magician? It was from a cat. It smelled.

[Ben Mandelker]

But are you. Are you sure a cat didn't just pee on you? No, I'm pretty sure it was a cat magician. You know what card I had?

[Ronnie Chieng]

All right, we've talked about Audrey, so let's get in There. A little bit more. Okay. You were questioning your relationship all season. Douche from Bag Face said, did you notice that when Austin was talking about the relationship, he only referenced himself? What was the one in the relationship? God.

[Ben Mandelker]

And him from Net said, Austin's making her drive to him. Nope. Nope. Add nope. Well, first off, we did go back and forth. As in, I drove down my driveway, and she drove from Charlotte to here, and that was like meeting halfway. I think that's pretty reasonable. But, like, she wants to come to me because I have a house, she has a roommate. And Shep's like, gosh, you did like her apartment. You hate. I mean, you didn't like her apartment. It was awful. The roommate was terrible. You hated every single second of it. It's like, yeah, hated her house. Okay. And Craig said you were stuck on a happy. That's wrong. I was not unhappy. I just didn't know where he got that from. And you and I don't. Don't have those conversations that you maybe think we do, but you literally thought her name was Aubrey, so you can't even weigh in on this.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, I only met her four times. That's not enough time to learn someone's name. I didn't have empath spray back then.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, for you to say, I was telling everyone I was unhappy. Audrey and I both were like, what the fuck?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah, but it came from my analysis of the situation. I've been sprayed by cats and pass in analysis people. And when she. When he said he wasn't going to drive to Charlotte anymore, I feel like. Like he was stuck in this relationship. And maybe the delivery was terrible, but my analysis, I stand by analysis spray

[Ben Mandelker]

from Magician in Nashville. Madison. Oh, sorry, Andy. You have something to say? Thank you, Madison. We go to a lot, a lot of response about your conversation with Audrey on the beach. And Franken from Stein says, at least she's keeping it 100 with Audrey. And Madison's like, yeah, I always keep it 100. Okay. And I felt like she was so kind and she needed to know. She needed to know that also was a Beta, and that another beta was after a beta, and she needed, as an Alpha, to go back to her own city. And I was like, hey, take a look around. Be aware, because she may take your man, because that's what women do, especially when they're sluts in the streets.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I told her, sally might take your man. And here we are, which is not a terrible point. And Austin's like, well, it was shitty. And Audrey was like, what the. Yeah. So now you're fucking Sally. Can we just. Can we just give Madison the credit that she is due?

[Ben Mandelker]

Thank you, Rod.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Do you think Sally put a wedge between Austin and Audrey? And he's like, yeah, I mean, listen, you know I love you, but, like, clearly I was like, girlfriend, tone it down. Step off the curb, you know, because, like, you want to suck his dick. We get it. But, like, I felt so bad for her because she was, like, clearly hurt and, like, looking at the season where we end up up, like, she's gonna even be more hurt. Even more hurt

[Ben Mandelker]

with those eyes. Andy is like, what is he looking for? He's always doing that. He is always looking.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Constantly, like, looking below his glasses. Like, I can see it if I just look far enough below my glasses.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's like he just bought a $20bill down on the ground and hopes no one sees it first. Yes. He's like, I'm gonna get that when no one's looking. Andy's like, did Audrey ever want to confront Sally? Yes. And winner's like, oh, give us those tickets. My right, everyone, high five. And Austin's like, well, guess what? I stopped it, because Sally would have been open, but Sally would apparently have been open to it. And Madison's like, wow, I'm shocked she didn't do that out of that bar, because I want to know what that conversation was like. And Austin says, well, I don't really remember, but it was for sure. Has it been something about Sally?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Oh, you don't remember really getting told off at that bar when you were begging her not to do it on camera? You don't remember? So Audrey had a lot to say about this, and she submitted a video, which we're gonna play right now. And he looks, and they're like, are you for real? And he's like, just joking. Audrey wasn't even charismatic enough to make it to a clip on the reunion.

[Ben Mandelker]

She did send this email which said, thanks for inviting me to make a video, but unfortunately, my. My roommate didn't pay for our Internet, so I can't email it to you.

[Ronnie Chieng]

So are you still in touch with her? And he's like, well, we've spoken a couple of times, and she's not pleased about the things she's seen, you know, because she's been sent things. And I. I met up with her when the trailer was released, and we hung out, and Shep was with us, and it was nice, you know, was. It was happy. She was being so cool. But then, you know, now she's not pleased because she saw the show, and she was like, I've been made to look like a fool.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, we could have told you that would have happened even without the show.

[Ronnie Chieng]

You could have watched the other 10 seasons of this show or nine seasons or whatever and kind of seen who you were dating. I mean, do your research.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. So Craig's like, do you think she was trying to win you back? And Rod. Rod's like, she looks better than ever. And Andy's like, are you and Audrey still in touch? And Rodrigo's like, well, I mean, after a couple of weeks ago, after she reamed Tyler and I for being complicit in this. In his. No offense, babe. Both Tyler and I tried to let her know, and we were like, we can just call you when we can, and then we can have this conversation. But she blew us off, and we never heard back. And she's hurt. Whatever, biatch. Girlfriend.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, at the end of the day, you get betas for betas, and Audrey's not going to be the girl. You know, Audrey's gonna be that girl that. She's gonna be the one that got away for Austin. No, she's not. Austin can give a About that girl. You are the one that got away for Austin. You stop trying to put it on Audrey. Stop projecting your terrible relationship.

[Ben Mandelker]

Ronnie, you're misreading this. She's not going for accuracy. She's just going to stab Austin. That's all. Because he's like, that's not true. Yeah, and he'll feel that way for the rest of his life. No, it's not. No, I won't. Every time he looks in the mirror, he'll be thinking, gosh, Audrey could have been standing next to me. And I mess it up because I'm a fool, I'm an idiot, and I order too much ice cream when I go to masking place. Face. No, I literally never think that. Yes, you do. You mess up. Biggest bonehead decision of your entire life, and now you can just sit and think about that, and later. That's not. When you're sleeping, you'll put your head on your pillow, and you're alone. You're just gonna see her face, and then remember that her face isn't actually there with you because you ruined that. And you can think about that every time you go to sleep for the rest of your life. Isn't that right, Austin? You broke me.

[Ronnie Chieng]

One day, you're gonna be 60 years old. You're gonna look in the mirror, you're gonna say, what does My shirt say B E be. What? Then you're gonna turn around. It's gonna say T on the back. It's gonna be there with my litter of children laughing at you.

[Ben Mandelker]

Welcome back. Well, Sally and Austin might be the newest item on Southern charm, but I always said Greg and Austin are the greatest love story on Bravo. But this season, an offhand comment at Witner's literary party had Craig and Austin on different pages. Oh, gosh.

[Ronnie Chieng]

So we get the clip of Craig just losing his mind because Austin makes a comment like, yeah, maybe. Maybe Sally doesn't like shots because they're always in your hot tub, Craig. Craig's, like, loses his mind while dressed

[Ben Mandelker]

like a lost boy.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, Craig accused you of having fomo, and you were jealous of him being single. Do you have fomo? And Austin's like, no, no fomo. Okay. No FOMO to homo. Well, sometimes homo when I'm with Ronald. Homo, yes.

[Ben Mandelker]

Loves the homo. So Sally's like, well, I don't know how anyone could say that, because Austin could have come to the hot tub anytime he wanted. That's why I was always like, you get in the hot tub, Austin.

[Ronnie Chieng]

But he didn't come to the hot tub because he had a girlfriend. That was the point. Yeah, but she wouldn't have cared. Like, it wasn't like we were having an orgy or something.

[Ben Mandelker]

Then why didn't you come to the hot dog?

[Ronnie Chieng]

Because I was having an orgy. Craig, are you not listening? Oh, sorry, sorry. I'm trying to be respectful of Audrey right now. Trying to be respectful.

[Ben Mandelker]

Craig is just desperate for people to come over and use his facilities. He, like, gets stuff, and. But then no one wants to go over and, like, play with his toys. And so he lashes out. He's like, don't you want to see my bees? Don't you want to see my underperforming pina colada machine? Don't you want to see my hot tub? And everyone's like, no, no. We're like, this isn't, like, as cool for us as it is for you.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah, but why look at everything my dad got me. You know, it's like that kind of vibes when you're a kid. And then when he fights with anybody, he can be like, you came to my hot tub.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, I let you in Leverage. That's another reason why they don't go in the first place. Like, we. Because in the moment that there's an issue, it's like, but you use my suntan shelf in the pool.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I didn't have fomo, Craig. Okay. I don't give a about your hot tub.

[Ben Mandelker]

Why wasn't it like an orgy though, by the way? Can we go back to that? Why wasn't Shep in the hot tub either? And Shep was like, I was there.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I'm just no longer sexually, you know, sexually viable in this group. But I was there. They just don't mention me.

[Ben Mandelker]

Craig's like, he was always there. This might shock people, but Sally and I have never been in the hot tub by ourselves ever. And I think people think that we were in the hot tub alone. I'm like, I guarantee people literally don't care enough to know who is in the hot tub when it's not something we could be ponder all day, every day.

[Ronnie Chieng]

And Abby says, yeah, I think he made that clear, though. And he goes, yeah, but then why are people so confused that we didn't hook up? She goes, because we were in a hot tub till 4 in the morning, Craig. It's like, yeah, but people were confused that no one was hooking up. So Craig is still misunderstanding this whole thing.

[Paige DeSorbo]

Thing.

[Ronnie Chieng]

People aren't mad at you because you led Sally on. I don't think anybody in the audience is like, wow, Craig really led Sally on and then dumped her. The reason people were against you was because Sally said she liked you. And instead of just being like, oh, I'm sorry, this isn't going to work out. And just like, being sensitive, you were like, no, this isn't going to work out. And then went to the group of the entire cast of men in the show. We're like, oh, my God, you guys, Sally's insane. She's like a tornado. She's not to be trapped, trusted, and acted like she did something wrong to you. That was the problem. It's not that everyone thought you and ditched her. Like, he just never gets it, you know?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Sandy's like, show of hands. Who thinks Austin has fomo and Craig's the only one who raises his hand. And Wittner's like, crickets. Crickets. So Andy's like, last season, Austin, you felt like Craig wanted to stay home and hide out, but here he was ready to go out. So you had to. So you had. So you had to feel kind of good about that, right? Like, now he wants to go out. Out. It's. It's what you were asking about. So why are you so upset? It's like, well, because it turns out it's quick. Craig's like, but you were like, the fact that you were hanging out with girls in your hot tub is. No, I thought it was. Look, I thought I was doing gentle ribbing. It was gentle, gentle ribbing. And it was a poke. That's all. Just a poke. Yeah, but poking someone until they break down is called manipulation. I was like, okay, like, Craig is clearly asked, what do you call poking people until they break down to chatgpt? And they're like, well, that's a great question. Some might say that's called pestering. Would you call it manipulation? I could see it being called manipulation. Great. Thank you so much. That's all I need. Defense rests.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah. So he's like, the point I was trying to get across was, you know, we're trying to talk about a bunch of stuff, and then he brings up the alcohol, alcoholism thing, and he's like, but I was being vulnerable. Yeah. And I was freaking out because it's being thrown in my face. So this. The soul Craig thing, you were using that. You were using that to manipulate. So stop it. Were you pretending you weren't. You never stopped drinking. You were even drunk when you said it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So this poking and poking and poking, the manipulate. By the way, Craig is the biggest manipulator, and it's a manipulation that he accuses someone else of being a manipulator. It's like a meta manipulation. Yes.

[Ronnie Chieng]

You know, so let's see. We're talk.

[Ben Mandelker]

Basically says, yeah, Austin's saying, like, I never know which version you're of Craig is gonna show up. Is it gonna be like, the fun Craig. It's gonna be the fun, smiling Craigy, or is it gonna be the Craig that we saw that night? You know? And then Andy's like, austin, you had a bigger issue with Craig, and that's been on. That's been on your mind. So it's about the whole addiction thing that surfaced at the end of last season. And Andy says, you accused him of manipulating that conversation. What did you mean by that? So Austin's likes. He basically says, look, when we sat down on the beach, you know, there's a lot of stuff that I was trying to get across about how I was feeling. We're gonna, like, clear the air. And Craig essentially was like, well, look, I have an addiction. I have a drinking issue, and I'm just trying to focus on that. So awesome. Tabled everything. Because this was such a big admission for Craig, and it was a vulnerable admission, and it was really very. Like, it was important that I kind of made everything seem small, I think is essentially what Austin was saying. And I was just so happy that Craig was opening up to me that, like, I felt like that's what we should just, like, focus on. So essentially what he's saying is I had all these issues, and Craig basically put the kibosh on them by dropping this thing that felt like a very vulnerable and bonding thing at that moment, but then come to find out, you know, actually, like, he's still drinking, and, like, it just now, in retrospect, it feels like a manipulation.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, not only that, it's like, it's this whole thing on camera. And Craig dropping that on camera knows it's a stopper. Because if Austin starts arguing with him while he just said, I'm an addict, then Austin would be completely ripped apart for that. And it was Craig manipulating the situation. And proof, he's like. And what? Yes. And as proof, what you guys didn't see was right after that, he was walking up to the crew being like, oh, my God, did you guys cry? Like, wasn't that good? Were you guys, like, crying at that moment? Greg, like, he just shot a movie scene. He's like, whoa, nailed it. Did you guys cry? Like, how many tears were there? Raise your hands. Thanks, you guys. Thanks. Thanks. I'd like to thank craft services, my agent, Jack. Thank you, Jack.

[Ben Mandelker]

I only said that because I was so vulnerable and freaking out about embarrassing. Freaking out and how embarrassing it was that it would be like, I was worried it would be thrown in my face. I love, by the way, this is like, the new thing on Bravo is to take a victory lap because you are vulnerable. I think it's great when people are vulnerable, but, like, you don't win an award for it.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I'm sorry, but it's a lot of these shows you do.

[Ben Mandelker]

They do.

[Ronnie Chieng]

They always congratulate themselves. Like, oh, my God, I was so vulnerable. How could you do this to me?

[Ben Mandelker]

Wasn't I so vulnerable? So Austin's like, well, we moved on from that, and the drinking was still taking place. And I'm not the. Look, I'm not the drinking police. I don't care if Craig drinks. I promise you. But I was like, how are you gonna say this to me? And, like, now here we are, right? And so it's basically like, you, You. You, like, you. You played the card, but then you acted like you never played the card.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah, you played the card to get out of something in the moment, but you were never intending to actually do anything about being an addict. And I don't even think you believe you're an addiction. Addict, you weirdo. And Craig's like, but it was a year later. Yeah, but Craig, when you say you're an addict and you're worried about your drinking, that means you're an addict and you have a drinking problem. Like, you don't get to just pretend it never happened because it's a year later you.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's more like he's allowed to. He's allowed to not take care of it. Like, that's his right. He's gonna decide what, what path is best for himself. But when he uses that card to basically shut down conversation to be like, hey, give me a break, because I'm working on this thing. And then he goes back to like, oh, you weren't really, like, the sincerity of it is in question. Were you really working on it or were you just saying that to shut up Austin from lodging serious, you know, issues he has with you. Yeah.

[Ronnie Chieng]

And Rod's like, well, girlfriend, you did call me right after dinner to let me know that Austin was really out of line. And he's like, sorry, I can't. I can't see the next line because I'm rolling my eyes. But Chef's like, well, he was wrong headed because he was being completely naked. Naked and vulnerable. And I see where Austin's saying, but, you know, there were other arguments Austin could have employed. On reality tv, you're not supposed to interrupt vulnerable people. I'm Shep. I've learned things.

[Ben Mandelker]

Gosh. Well, I was surprised by the level of acrimony. You said you hate Craig. Gosh, my jaw was on the damn table.

[Ronnie Chieng]

And that was just while I was chewing. Sorry, Ben, go ahead.

[Ben Mandelker]

As they say in Cuba, my jaw was on the table. Sito. So, Andy, Espanol. Do you hate. Do you hate Craig? And I honestly thought Austin was like, no, I was just mad. He goes, yeah, sometimes I do hate Greg. And it felt really good just to say it. And I wanted to see if you would hit it, if it would hit you or affect you or if you just wanted to change in any sort of way. He's actually kind of like talking. It's like very bad melodramatic if you think about it. I mean, how many of these, these shows have we seen where the lady's like, I just want to get a reaction out of you. And he didn't even respond to me. I'm leaving yourself. But it's Austin instead saying it.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, it had the opposite effect because I said, clearly, this isn't a friendship anymore. So to me, if you say, hey, that's the end. Yeah, but saying I hate you is not this. You know, it's not saying the you said to me, Craig, which is unforgivable if you ask me. I mean, wow. You haven't built anything. Your life isn't the same as it was five years ago. You haven't done shit. You're a loser. I was like, yeah, but that's. It is mean.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's true, but it's also true.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Like, what you're saying about Craig is true, but what Craig is saying about you is also true. Like, you're both kind of losers and stuff's like, yeah, that wasn't a friend. Go ahead, Ben. I'm sorry.

[Ben Mandelker]

Gosh, thank you. I just was gonna advocate on behalf of. On behalf of Austin here a little bit, which is that Craig may have been right, but it was a dick thing that he was throwing in Austin's face, because I'm sure Austin's probably pretty aware of his own static position in life, so. Yeah, of course Hasla was gonna get mad after that. Of course. Thank you.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I gar scree. Well, you don't give a fuck about me, Craig. You just want to say nasty things, and you. You know, they're skating, and, you know, I've got a boiling point, and I cannot do this. It's a circle of bullshit. Okay, maybe we just need to quit now. We just to need. Need to quit it now.

[Ben Mandelker]

Greg, just want you to know I have such a boner with you guys fighting like this. Do you stand by Austin that Austin has nothing to show for the last five years? And Craig's like, no, it was retaliatory, which I'm allowed to do, but Austin's not allowed to. We were just arguing at the table.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Do you want to apologize? Yeah. Okay, I'm sorry for that. But I was mad that he kept attacking me and had a problem with everything I did. Chef's like, gosh, Craig, it's so hard for you to say I'm sorry.

[Ben Mandelker]

Trying to get an apology out of you is like trying to talk to a brick wall, which I actually do try to do every now and then because I really hit on everything in Austin. So now I'm just at walls, just making out with walls.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, I disagree. And you can't knock me down because mortar is holding me together.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, what does Charlie think about this? Well, after Wit's party, I was proud of. Of Craig for how we apologize.

[Ronnie Chieng]

What?

[Ben Mandelker]

What apology? I apologize right after. They just didn't air it. I sat you down and apologized. Which, by the way, is funny because when we see the clip, there's no sitting down. It's all standing. Yeah.

[Ronnie Chieng]

But Craig doesn't watch it, so he's like, they must have cut the clip, you know, Because I was like, well, how do you know if you don't watch it? But I guess he's thinking that they. They must have cut it. And Whitney Whitner goes wild. Claim wild. And so we see the unseen footage of Craig saying at the end of the day. Oh, so I guess it was unseen. I feel like I did see this, but whatever. He's like, at the end of the day, poor people are poor, and that. That's why they're poor. And I shouldn't have said the stuff. And I'm sorry, but, like, you just triggered me.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's not a good apology.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

I don't know what Charlie's even talking about. I feel like she didn't even see this. I think that probably Craig reported back a conversation.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah. So she's saying, I'm proud. Yeah, I'm proud of Craig for apologizing and because he said he did, but he didn't really.

[Ben Mandelker]

But, like, this is not like it. Like, Craig went off on Austin. Austin was. To be fair, Austin was making little digs all night, and he's, like, just ribbing. They were digs. There were passive aggressive digs. There's underlying tension between these two guys. Fine, Craig. But Craig was really mean when he popped off. And Craig thinks it's okay because he said this half ass. That's not even half ass. That's a quarter ass. I'm gonna say it's a fifth ass apology where he's like, well, I shouldn't have said it, but you triggered me. Me. So presently, Shep is like, gosh, you always say that, but you did trigger me. But you did trigger me. And Whitney Whitner's like, anything before doesn't count once you say but. And so then Craig's like, how many more times are you gonna attack me when we're filming?

[Ronnie Chieng]

I'm like, oh, gosh, you were the attacker. Austin's like, well, I would never say that. Kind of when my back is against the wall. I mean, everyone here has a traumatizing story with Craig there. Every. Every single person. Nah, not outside of filming. I mean, put me in a pressure cooker long enough and something's gonna happen. What are you talking about, Craig? You yelled at Sally outside of filming. She cried.

[Ben Mandelker]

By the way, I like Craig's justification. Like, you may be traumatized by me. But it happened during filming, so it's okay. Yeah. Traumatized you outside of filming? Only on camera, which is better. Yeah.

[Ronnie Chieng]

I didn't yell at Sally. Well, according to Sally and Charlie, you screamed at her.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah.

[Ronnie Chieng]

You yelled at me off camera in front of my mother.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay, guys, that's enough. Like, yeah, everyone. Everyone is like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't yell at her. You made her cry. Craig is like, listen, that's different than yelling. I think we can all agree making a girl cry is totally acceptable if you don't yell at her in the process.

[Ronnie Chieng]

So he's not winning. Everybody's like, no, Crash. Craig, you literally yelled at her and made her cry in front of her mother, period. And he's like, okay, so then you want to know how many bad moments everyone here has? Oh, okay, now it's everyone, but everybody does it. I'm loving this, that the cast is, like, holding Craig's feet to the fire because he cannot get himself out of one of these.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. And, you know, in the past seasons, and I think particularly was it last year, like, this has happened before where there's like, hey, but, Craig, you got really, really scary. But it usually seems to be contained to Shep and Austin, and here it really is. The whole cast is like, you are scary and you are mean to us. And Andy's like, well, you're saying you never yell at them except if they're on camera, and they're all saying that that's not a representation. So now he's, like, sad and looking down. So Andy is. He's just, like, reminders from of him. Say, when Whitney said, austin has a victim complex and Craig is a narcissist. I'm sorry. When Widner said this and that Austin has an act and Austin has a victim complex and Greg is a narcissist, it was like, wow, you just summarized their entire friendship in one sentence. Okay, Whitner, how are you able to wrap your head around that relationship so quickly?

[Ronnie Chieng]

I have eyes and ears. Okay, Craig did wit sum it up. He's like, no, because narcissists are people who don't have empathy. My. My therapist told me when I said, am I a narcissist? And she said, dong, no. Narcissists do not have empathy. And literally, as an empath, it would be impossible for me to be a narcissist. I do a lot of things wrong, but I'm far from being a narcissist. You are a narcissist. If you're asking chat GPT. If you're a narcissist, you're a narcissist. Non. Narcissists don't have to ask Craig.

[Ben Mandelker]

I feel like the most narcissistic thing you can do is declare yourself an empath.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Totally.

[Ben Mandelker]

For other people to say that you're an empath. Right? Yes.

[Ronnie Chieng]

So many narcissists on Bravo claim to be empaths. And Wit's like, well, I'm only going off what I see. You scream at people in the bar. And he's like, well, it's your first season. Wait, you don't know anything about this world. I thought that you guys were friends, like, long before this. Liars. You bunch of liars.

[Ben Mandelker]

And also, like, again, what a condescending and arrogant thing to say. I mean, this guy Whitner is. I get the sense that he's a bit more accomplished and successful than Craig is. And I'm actually a little upset that Whitner did not sort of snap back or defend himself and explain. Like, just as Craig has given himself the right to hear Austin's story about Audrey and driving up back and forth from Charlotte and then therefore. Or analyze the situation with analysis spray. And to be able to. To determine that Austin is not. Whatever. Whatever Austin. He felt about Austin and Audrey, Whitner is equally entitled to look at you and how you behave and the things you say and do and make other people cry and make a declaration of the fact that you are, in fact, a narcissist. Yeah.

[Ronnie Chieng]

It's literally your job to comment on everybody's stuff on these shows. They ask you. They ask. He was literally asked by Andy right now. And also, you don't have to know about being on reality tv. You're screaming at women in their faces, period. Like, it doesn't matter if you're on a reality show, you loser. So Andy asks Austin if Craig is a narcissist, and they're like, yeah, duh. This is crazy. What is some. This. That's some. That's what a textbook narcissist would say.

[Ben Mandelker]

That's the most insulting thing. You don't think I'm empathetic? Shut up, Whitner. You just got here. So, like I was saying, I'm not empathetic. And Austin's like, no, it's like, it's really mean to say that about someone. Calling someone a narcissist means they have. They're incapable of showing empathy, and everything they do is for show. And if that's how you believe about me, then you shouldn't be friends with me. I love.

[Ronnie Chieng]

He's not friends with you. He said multiple times today that he's not friends with you.

[Ben Mandelker]

And they have repeatedly said, everything you do is for show. That was like the whole thing this season is that. Or the last season was that Craig is trying to be Martha Stewart and that he bailed on plans with his best friend to go golfing so that way he could stay home and shoot videos of him gardening because it would be good for the brand. You were literally doing stuff to be presentational.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Yeah. He's like, oh, there we go again. Craig. Like, oh, you're like, you shouldn't be friends with me. You're a. Well, it seems like there's a lot more discuss. We're gonna leave it there for right now. Does anyone else want to call Sally a dumb slut before we go? Okay. Anybody?

[Ben Mandelker]

I do.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Okay.

[Ben Mandelker]

I do run in these streets. Watch out.

[Ronnie Chieng]

All right, we're gonna have a Sally Friday night and have a quick five. Okay? All right, everybody. So Craig. Craig leaves and he's like, this sucks. This is so unfair. And then he stalks off through the hallways, bitching to everybody who will listen. He's like, it's so clear. It's just, pile on Craig. And I'm just supposed to eat. I ate. Hate being here. I don't even know if I'm coming back anymore. And he's talking to his producer. He's like, waving the cameras out of the room like, no, we're dealing with baby Craig now. Go away.

[Ben Mandelker]

Craig, who has just spent the past 20 minutes of the reunion saying he doesn't yell at anyone, doesn't have tantrums, and he's an empath. And, like, he's being accused of being this terror has now gone off backstage and ranted and raved to all the producers. So who knows how he's going to

[Ronnie Chieng]

take his tours and go home.

[Ben Mandelker]

Home. What a lose. So funny.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Well, it was very funny. Yeah, it was very satisfying watching them just hand it to Craig and not fall for his again. It was so truly nice to watch Craig just go back and throw a. Vicki Gunvalson loved it.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's the best. Well, we loved it and we loved you. Thank you, everyone for being here. And we will catch you on the next episode. Bye, everyone.

[Ronnie Chieng]

Bye.

[Ben Mandelker]

Watch what crap. INS would like to thank its premium sponsors. Ain't no thing like Alison King.

[Ronnie Chieng]

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[Ronnie Chieng]

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