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“Austen Kroll of 'Southern Charm' on Bad Blood with JT Thomas”
2024-12-06
In the highly anticipated December 5 premiere of Southern Charm season 10, Jarrett “JT” Thomas and Austen Kroll found themselves face to face. The events of season 9 had left a bitter taste, with Thomas attempting a “f—boy exorcism” on Kroll during the reunion. Kroll, expecting the worst, now had to navigate their interactions as the show continued.
A Tale of Feuds and Forgiveness in Southern Charm
Season 9: The Physical Fight and the Exorcism
During the Southern Charm season 9 finale, a physical fight erupted between Jarrett “JT” Thomas and Austen Kroll. This intense confrontation set the stage for the drama to come. Then, in a shocking turn of events, Thomas tried to perform a “f—boy exorcism” on Kroll during the reunion. The animosity between them seemed insurmountable at that time.After the fight and the exorcism, the two men went their separate ways. But as season 10 picked up, they were forced to confront each other once again. Kroll, who has been dating Audrey Pratt for 11 months, found himself in a difficult position. He had to decide how to handle his feelings towards Thomas and whether he could move past the past.The Season 10 Premiere: Reuniting at the Carolina Cup
When the group reunited at the Carolina Cup horse race in South Carolina, Kroll was faced with a new challenge. He had to figure out how to be around Thomas without punching him in the face. “I’m trying to figure it out on the fly of what am I going to do? How am I going to be around this person?” he said.Thomas, who had since resigned from the show, tried to make light of his return by distributing canes to his friends. But his gesture did not sit well with everyone. Patricia Altschul was genuinely offended by the gift, calling it “kind of a stupid gift in my estimation.”The Cane Incident and the Bad Blood
As Thomas handed over the cane to Kroll, the Trop Hop Beer founder asked if he planned to beat him with it. Thomas assured him that it was a symbol of a new beginning. But Kroll believed that Thomas had been “trying to very clearly be something that you aren’t.”The bad blood between them still lingered. Kroll admitted that he didn’t trust Thomas and that he couldn’t just forget the hurtful things Thomas had said about him during the reunion. “You don’t just slander someone with horrible and awful things for as long as he did at the reunion and then expect it to all be cool,” he said.Kroll’s Friendship with Craig Conover and Shep Rose
In addition to his feud with Thomas, Kroll also had to deal with his friendships with Craig Conover and Shep Rose. After Conover and Rose stepped away from their friendships with the reality star due to Rose’s excessive drinking at BravoCon 2023, Kroll found himself caught in the middle.While Conover was more inclined to cut people off, Kroll didn’t want to create a strict boundary. “I always feel like I’m caught in the middle with those two,” he said. “I have always said that Craig is over here on the far left and Shep is over here on the far right — not in politically speaking — and I’m in the middle somewhere.”But despite the challenges, Kroll’s friendship with Rose has improved. “I’m definitely glad where we ended and where Shep’s head space was at for these opening talks together — talks I’ve been wanting to have for ages, but maybe have been waiting for the right moment to have,” he said.Southern Charm airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.