Southern Charm Recap: Otherwise Engaged

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I want to quickly discuss three minor details from this episode that caught my attention. First, we finally learned the names of Salley’s chickens: Cantaloupe, Coconut, and Popcorn! While it’s funnier than giving them human names, I wonder if naming chickens after food is a little odd. And if you’re going that route, why not choose names like Cacciatore, Milanese, or Finger instead? It just seems more fitting, don’t you think?

Shep is back from a trip to Cuba and will be staying with Craig temporarily because his new house isn’t finished yet, while he’s making money renting out his old place on Airbnb – which seems a bit questionable, especially given the housing crisis. It raises a lot of questions about how he was even able to travel to Cuba. It’s unclear if Americans can easily get visas there for leisure activities like fishing, and whether he’d have no trouble re-entering the US. It makes you wonder if immigration authorities might get involved. It’s all confusing – did we acquire Cuba somehow, maybe as part of a deal with Venezuela? Living in England, I remember the UK giving back most of its Caribbean possessions, so I’m not even sure who controls those resources anymore.

Okay, so I need to talk about something potentially shocking: could Austen Kroll be wearing a toupee? There’s a strange moment at Rodrigo and Tyler’s engagement party where Austen tries to take a selfie with his girlfriend, Audrey, and suddenly says, “Oh my god, look at my toupee!” He quickly adds, “What the… it looks like I’m wearing a toupee. What was that?” While Audrey’s laughing, he even asks, “Do you still like me?” The fact that this scene made it into the episode makes me think it’s something they want us to notice.

It seems Austen accidentally revealed he wears a hairpiece – a toupee – to Audrey and the cameras. He quickly tried to backtrack, claiming he’d said it looked like he was wearing one. Then, realizing Audrey now knows his secret, he nervously asked if she still liked him. The whole thing is strange, though. It’s hard to say for sure if it’s even a toupee – his hair has always looked natural, and if it is, it’s incredibly well done. There’s no need to be embarrassed about it! Many women on these shows don’t always use their natural hair, so if Austen wants to wear a wig, that’s his choice. Overall, the scene felt awkward, confusing, and came out of nowhere.

The episode’s drama unfolded at Rodrigo and Tyler’s Greek-themed engagement party, and it all revolved around the complicated love triangle between Salley, Charley, and Craig, with Venita adding to the mix. Earlier, Venita had lunch with her mother, who pointed out that Venita hadn’t been a supportive friend when Salley needed her after Craig broke up with her. At the party, Salley made a striking entrance, clearly intending to get Craig’s attention. Venita attempted to reconcile with Salley, but Salley felt Venita was manipulative and dismissed her. Notably, the episode featured the first wig reveal not related to the usual Drag Race format.

There’s a lot of drama between Salley and Charley, all stemming from their feelings about Craig. Charley tells Molly she’s nervous about her date with him, worried things are awkward because of Salley’s feelings. Molly smartly points out that Salley didn’t care about Venita’s feelings when she pursued Craig, and just did what she wanted. So, Molly advises Charley to go for it and enjoy her date with Craig. Honestly, Molly just perfectly summarized everything – I’m starting to wonder if I should be more concerned about losing my job to her or to ChatGPT!

Throughout most of the episode, Craig is trying to prove he didn’t do anything wrong. When he explains what happened with Madison, he insists he didn’t encourage Salley. Madison points out that the hot tub, his flirting, and their texts definitely gave the wrong impression. Craig admits he knew Salley wanted to stay the night and that he simply told her to get home safely, which he saw as her signal. He claims he only wanted to be friends and says he offered to let her stay over as a friendly gesture. That explanation is pretty concerning. As expected, Shep defends Craig, saying he’s just naturally flirty and outgoing, and women often misinterpret his behavior.

Honestly, I’m just not convinced by any of this. Craig was clearly reeling from the Paige breakup and things were already messy with Austen and Shep, but if he genuinely didn’t know Salley was developing feelings, he really dropped the ball. He didn’t need to have a big conversation about just being friends, just a little bit of distance and some subtle cues would have done the trick. Fewer hot tub invites, maybe mentioning other women he was interested in – just something to show he wasn’t interested. It was awkward enough that Salley had to confess her feelings to him… in a feed store, of all places! He could have avoided all that by just being a little clearer about what he wanted.

When Craig talks to Salley, he surprisingly makes it all her fault. Salley isn’t bothered that Craig ended their friendship, but she is upset that he told their mutual friend, Austen, about it. Craig insists he never said that, despite clearly implying it. His reaction is baffling. He accuses Salley of believing Austen, whom he calls his “enemy,” and gets angry that she even discussed the situation with him. When Salley points out she didn’t know Austen was his enemy, Craig claims she should have known how Austen treats him. This is confusing, because if Craig sees Austen as an enemy, why is he still friends with him – and why is he even talking to him? It doesn’t make sense that he’s blaming Salley when he was the one who revealed the breakup. It seems Craig enjoys being in the wrong more than anything else – more than drugs, sex, money, or even an impromptu blues gig.

Following Rodrigo’s party, the group continues the fun on Shep’s party bus, setting the stage for a disastrous night. It’s a bad idea to keep partying with Shep after the initial event! This is where the conflicts between Craig and Salley, and Austen and Audrey, all come to a head. Throughout the episode, everyone urges Austen to be honest with Audrey about the fact that their relationship is likely ending. Even his sister, Katie, questions his commitment, asking, “If you’re not fully committed, what are you doing?” Austen himself compares the breakup to a looming disaster, something he’s desperately trying to postpone.

I was at the bar when Salley came over, totally dropping a bomb. Apparently, Craig swore up and down he didn’t say our friendship was over. Honestly, neither Salley nor I buy it for a second – the guy has a history of making things up, kind of like that Anna Delvey story. She also told me Craig called me his enemy, said we’re not friends at all. I looked Salley in the eyes, and… well, I admit I couldn’t help but notice she looked amazing. I pulled her close, smiled, and she smiled back. I ran my hand through my hair – okay, maybe it is a little too perfect – and she giggled, glancing between me and the bar. It was just… a moment. Meanwhile, poor Audrey was sitting alone, completely ignored in the crowded bar, with the blues music feeling more like a nuisance than anything else. It was almost symbolic, actually. There was this tiny meteor, barely visible, speeding towards Earth, getting closer and closer… like something bad was about to happen, and no one even noticed.

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2026-01-22 05:55