A few Southern Charm castmates have been struggling with their personal affairs in recent years. Kathryn Dennis is reportedly still having issues concerning child custody arrangements with her ex Thomas Ravenell. Alum Naomie Olindo (who left the show after Season 6) lost her father to cancer in 2019 and later found out about her doctor boyfriend’s cheating in 2021. Olindo is finally returning once more to the Bravo series, and she dropped a F-bomb while discussing all the particulars.
Fans first learned about Metul Shah’s cheating when Naomie Olindo bared it all on her Instagram last year. After the two broke up, it would eventually come to light that Olindo had signed back onto Southern Charm as a “friend of the show” for the upcoming eighth season. Coincidence? Not exactly. On the Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast, the reality star shared what it really took to find herself back in the Bravo fold, saying:
I had to like beg my way back. I was like, ‘Guys, please. I know I quit, and I know I told everybody to fuck off, but please I’m very depressed and I really want to come back. I don’t know what I’m going to do if I’m back in Charleston’ and they’re like, ‘All right.'
The star further explained that the real reason she quit the reality show in the first place was in fact for the sake of Metul Shah. She thought she was prioritizing a “healthy and loving relationship.” When that didn’t turn out to be the case, she wanted to return to the show because of how it “opens doors for so many opportunities” – for both business and pleasure, as viewers well know. The Bravo alum continued that because everyone already knew why she broke up with Shah, there wasn’t any issue “sharing” more about it with her former cast. She reflected, “I was like, ‘Why not?’ Just tail tucked between my legs, I was like, ‘Hey, can I come back?’”
Some of the details that will likely come up in Season 8 of Southern Charm could be how Metul Shah supposedly mistreated the former star. Naomie Olindo revealed that he would actually “scream” at her and call her names throughout their relationship, which quickly turned into “narcissistic” role-reversal when she tried to leave. Apparently, she found out about the cheating when she logged onto his computer and found “a year’s worth” of texts and “explicit pictures” of his ex.
Speaking of exes, Southern Charm’s eighth season will see a tricky entanglement of several former flames. Madison LeCroy and Austen Kroll are both returning after last year’s disastrous reunion that saw accusations surface of LeCroy allegedly sleeping around with none other than Alex Rodriguez. She has since gotten engaged to a new man, but the issues (and shade) with Kroll continued amidst filming. Likewise, Naomie Olindo returns to the cast, which includes her ex-boyfriend before Metul Shah: Craig Conover. On what fans can expect of their once-unique dynamic in the new season, Olindo said:
Oh, my God, yeah. He's dating someone who I really like. Paige [DeSorbo] is great. I mean, I don't know how to answer this. You'll just have to watch the show, I guess. I aired it all out on there.
The drama seems as hot as ever for Naomie Olindo and the Southern Charm cast. All there is to do now is wait. The official premiere of Season 8 isn’t known as of yet, but expectations are for the spring. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend's list of 2022 TV premieres to learn what's coming this year.
