When Craig Conover’s dating life took center stage at BravoCon 2025, the Southern Charm-er didn’t hold back from spilling all the latest tea.
The subject arose multiple times during Day 3’s “It’s All About to Go South” panel on Nov. 16 in Las Vegas, beginning with the moderators asking what Craig’s DMs looked like, following his late 2024 breakup from Paige DeSorbo. “Well, it’s been a year, guys,” Craig noted. “So, I think we’ve both moved on with our lives. … I didn’t plan on being here, but I’m here.”
Teasing that fans can expect to see him “trying to figure out” the “next chapter” in his love life when Southern Charm Season 11 premieres on Nov. 19, he went on to detail a conversation he had with castmate Madison LeCroy, roughly six months post-split. “I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll start dating, maybe I won’t,'” the Sewing Down South co-owner recalled. “You can’t really plan your life out; you just have to take it with a grain of salt.”
Elsewhere during the BravoCon panel, Salley Carson teased that “people are gonna be shocked by” the complicated romance that arose between her and Craig — and several others, apparently — while filming Season 11. “I was obviously very attracted to Craig,” Salley remarked, before adding, “Throughout the summer, I definitely saw some different sides of Craig: some that I loved and some that I didn’t love so much.”
Craig, for his part, chimed in to say, “I’ll tell you this: It’s not a triangle. It’s a shape that has too many sides for me to know what it’s called. … I would say it’s more of a trapezoid than a triangle.”
As the Southern Charm trailer already previewed, one of the other people involved is Salley’s friend and newcomer Charley Manley. Craig further clarified that there “were lots of people that liked each other,” noting, “I think saying that it was a triangle is minimalistic for Season 11.”
Craig elaborated more about his dating life in his new chapter: “You’ll get to see me go through kind of a fear of rejection. … When Paige and I met, we met filming a show, so no one had to ever go out on a limb to ask the other out. … I’ve never just blindly asked someone on a date without actually knowing if they like me back or not.”
Because Craig had previously expressed interest in settling down and starting a family, one of the moderators also asked him to clarify if he was in a “more fun-seeking mode” in his dating life now, or if he was really ready to find his “person.”
“Well, lover-boy Craig didn’t work out, so party-boy Craig is here,” he joked, before admitting that he actually “didn’t know what to do” when he became single again.
“You get to see me figure all this stuff out,” Craig continued. “I think I finally stopped chasing to fill that void. I’m really fortunate; I’ve achieved a lot that I wanted in life, and I enjoy sharing that with someone. … But I don’t think it’s worth forcing it with the wrong person. And so, I have no idea what’s gonna happen.”
As the Southern Charm-er concluded at BravoCon, “I would like to have a girlfriend, sure. … And apparently when you stop chasing things, they might find you. So, hopefully that happens.”
Robert Irwin wears his heart on his sleeve.
Irwin, 21, took to TikTok on Sunday, November 16, to share his preshow rituals while competing on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars.
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“Every show day on Dancing With the Stars, I have two good luck charms that I bring with me. These things keep me close to home and to what’s most important to me,” he said, noting that he wears a green button-up shirt that once belonged to his late dad, Steve Irwin, and a gold ring.
“This is my dad’s shirt,” Robert said while smiling. “I was going through his stuff and I found this shirt. It’s absolutely tattered and has holes and is missing buttons,” he added before turning around and showing off the lived-in piece.
Robert then explained that he got the shirt “fixed up” and replaced the old buttons and patched up the rips.
“I like that it still looks and feels like him. This shirt definitely saw a lot. I guess it’s kind of a good example of how dad lived his life,” he gushed.
The wildlife conservationist explained that every morning ahead of a show, he puts on the button-up and wears it for his and Witney Carson’s “first rehearsal” of the day.
“It just keeps me close to home, it keeps me close to him. It feels like a big hug,” Robert continued. “Every time I step out into the ballroom, I represent my dad’s legacy, my home, my family.”
On Monday, November 17, Robert opened up about his second good luck charm — a gold ring that’s “really, really special” to him.
“A while ago, I was cleaning out my dad’s office, [and] one of the things I found was a set of keys from our original childhood home,” he explained. “I took those keys and got them melted down and turned into a ring.”
Robert then zoomed in on the design and showed the engravings, which read “1638” in honor of the Australia Zoo’s address at 1638 Steve Irwin Way.
He shared that he puts on the jewelry every Tuesday morning when he heads to the Dancing With the Stars studio.
He added, “It’s the most beautiful experience, and in some way, I want him part of it. This experience has truly changed my life. I know I wouldn’t be here without him and his legacy that I get to continue.”
Last week, Robert’s sister, Bindi Irwin — who won season 21 of DWTS — joined him on the dance floor for his foxtrot to “Footprints in the Sand” by Leona Lewis. They honored Steve, who died in 2006 from a stingray injury, with an emotional tribute. At the end of the routine, photos of his family were projected onto the dance floor, making Robert tear up. Bindi, 27, and Witney, 32, comforted him before he heard from the judges (who gave him a perfect score).
Dancing With the Stars airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.