Southern Charm is in a new era, and it’s undoubtedly working. Gone are the days of Kathryn Dennis and Thomas Ravenel and their disastrous spectacle. Viewers now are left with a show that keeps all the drama, but on a more relatable, fun level.
Central to this season’s mess is Taylor Ann Green, ex-girlfriend to the show’s aging playboy Shep Rose. They broke up at the end of last season due to Shep’s cheating and general mistreatment of Taylor.
Their breakup seemed like a good thing for Taylor. After Shep called her a “fucking idiot” on camera over a backyard game like a nightmarish toddler, we all knew she could do better. Then there was the cheating. When he admitted that he doesn’t care whether his partner finishes or not, it was clear that not only could Taylor do better, so could every other woman on the planet.
Instead of trading up, sweet Taylor went on a mission. It’s a mission we’ve all been on, and if you say you haven’t you’re either a liar or a saint.
Taylor was out for revenge this season. And she got that misguided revenge by messing around with any of Shep’s friends she could find. Is it all a little high school? Sure. But this whole group is living in Neverland, ardently refusing to truly grow up, so it fits.
Taylor’s role on the show thus far has been that of the sweetheart. She was soft-spoken, kind, and cute. This season, though, she is a woman scorned. And the rest of the cast isn’t happy with it. Some with better reason than others.
In the wake of her breakup with Shep, Taylor took up with the only cast member with an arguably more questionable reputation than Shep himself, Austen Kroll. They may have kissed, they may have done more, but as usual, the cover-up is worse than the crime. Lying to Olivia, her supposed best friend and one of Austen’s many exes, about the hookup was Taylor’s key mistake, and she paid for it.
Austen Kroll is a notorious fuckboy across the Bravo universe. From his home show to every other franchise he’s appeared in, Austen leaves a trail of hurt feelings in his wake. He’s the obvious choice for a revenge hookup, since Craig Conover is solidly taken, and the man must have something going on to get all these beautiful girls all the time. He also has notoriously questionable limits when it comes to friendship loyalty, or loyalty of any kind, and an apparent inability to say no.
It would be easy to paint Taylor as the villain here, and the rest of the cast has certainly tried. Olivia seems to forgive Austen but not Taylor, at least for a while, begging the question why is Olivia more upset with Taylor than with Austen?
Andy Cohen asked Southern Charm star Venita Aspen this very question on a recent Watch What Happens Live appearance, and she explained that they all expected this kind of behavior from Austen, but never expected this from Olivia’s best friend. So because he’s such a jerk that everyone expects him to continue to be a jerk he gets off the hook? Cool. Seems fair.
This hookup was a clear violation of the girl code, there is no two ways about it, and to a certain extent there is no excuse. But this is a reality show, in a group where crossing paths is fully the norm and always has been. (Is there even such a thing as girl code on reality TV? Or would every storyline completely collapse if these stars started playing by the rules of decency the rest of us usually follow? A question to ponder.)
Mistakes happen, and Taylor’s is not yet a pattern of shitty behavior, unlike Austen’s, and yet she’s not receiving an iota of grace. Except from the guy, JT, that clearly wants to fuck her. Which I guess is nice.
Austen is not Taylor’s only wild move this season. She sent a nude photo to the show’s resident producer who loves to put himself on camera, Whitney Sudler-Smith. He proceeded to send them to other members of the cast, which is a supremely shitty thing to do.
Look, the Austen thing wasn’t great because of the Olivia angle, but at least it makes some sort of sense. But Whitney?! I mean the guy is the king of douchebags. The Lord Farquad of Charleston. An absolute slimeball.
Do I give him money by watching his show? Yes. Will I continue to do so? Yes. But if there ever was a man that should stay behind the camera it’s Whitney, the most poignant example of a mama’s boy I have ever witnessed. There are a million better men to send revenge nudes to in this world. Taylor can do better. The banana slug on my front porch can do better.
Taylor quit her damn job for Shep, which was objectively a terrible idea, but now she is stuck with her main income (presumably) coming from all these crazy people on this show treating her like dirt. For a reason, sure, but come on. We’ve all been there.
Every girl I have ever met has been mistreated, stomped on, and handled it poorly. Heartbreak will make a girl do crazy things. Unfortunately, Taylor’s questionable mistakes air on national television, but Shep deserves whatever Taylor can toss his way.
The man-children on this show get away with murder while the women are left holding the bag, and maybe it’s time for the girls to get a turn to be messy and we can all let it slide just a little. Because we’ve all been there.
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