I am already annoyed at Bravo for their lack of accountability when it comes to men of Southern Charm. For years, there have been three culprits, Shep Rose, Craig Conover, and Austen Kroll, who have continuously stepped out of line, often disrespecting those around them.
Season 9 took a deep dive into Austen’s shady love life, and if you thought being caught in a threesome by your girlfriend wasn’t bad enough, it did, in fact, get much worse. Austen had two women fighting over him (why?) and relished the attention, leading to one major blowout with his bro, JT Thomas.
I also can’t kick the feeling that there is a double standard going on. Over the years, there have been plenty of Real Housewives who have gotten into brawls (not today, neck), which have led to physical altercations. Some have even been fired, with Monique Samuels coming to mind. But still, these men of Bravo seem to get a pat on the back with no consequences whatsoever. Austen Kroll shoving JT doesn’t seem to have bothered Bravo producers one bit. So what’s going on here?
Monique vs. Candiace
I can’t lie; I have been over Candiace Dillard Bassett for a while now, and her triangle corner only annoys me more. However, back in Real Housewives of Potomac Season 5, Candiace and Monique lost their way and couldn’t find their way back to peace no matter how hard they tried. While at a winery tasting, a finger point led to a thrown wine glass, which led to a chase around the barn. As Candiace asked, “Are you gonna drag me?”
Monique kept flipping the singer’s hair with everyone knowing who didn’t invade someone’s personal space. Monique saw red, latching onto Candiace’s hair, and refused to let go. The whole scene was intense to watch, and it led to Monique leaving the series after Season 5.
Austen vs. JT
During the Season 9 finale, Austen and JT’s feud got so heated that the Trop Hop owner shoved the rookie right off his pedestal. After professing his love for Taylor Ann Green, JT was given no hope that he would ever get his girl. Taylor, in fact, was hoping to get back with Shep and threatened once again to use Austen as her stepping stone. Beside himself with anger, it made total sense why Austen’s next comment would have set Little Napoleon off. Austen quipped, “You’re finally on eye level with me.”
JT didn’t stand for any of it and clapped back, yelling, “You’re a snake and a coward. You have been the genesis of why there’s so much pain and tears. Everyone here has said you are an arm’s-length friend who cannot be trusted around any woman.” In the next cut-away scene, Austen shared his view, noting, “Now I get it—he’s jealous of me. JT is so jealous of me. He wanted Taylor so bad, and I get the girl. JT doesn’t. Guys like JT don’t get the girl. I get the girl.”
During the scrap, Austen hit his breaking point and pushed JT right off the stool. After nine years of the show, Austen pretended to be shocked that a physical fight had just taken place. But like all Bravo viewers, JT seemed to think Austen had just punched his card, noting, “You hit me first. Guess what? You fu*king lose. See you never again.”
Were Their Physical Fights Different?
Technically, no, a fight is a fight. A Bravo cast member put their hands on another Bravo cast member. As far as I can remember, that just isn’t allowed. However, this may have been an unwritten rule, and much has changed regarding reality TV.
Things get tricky when the network gives a hard edit like it feels they have done in Southern Charm. It doesn’t seem like producers showed exactly what went down, even though it does look like Austen was the first to push, causing JT to fly through the air.
If Austen’s claims are true, viewers should have been allowed to see the rest of the footage, which probably would have had to include JT jumping for the headbutt. With the Real Housewives of Potomac fight, it felt like we saw a lot more of what went down since it was all pretty rough. Personally, I think Austen should be held to the same standard as Monique, but we all know that most likely won’t be happening.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK BRAVO HAS A DOUBLE STANDARD FOR THEIR TALENT POOL?
