“Southern Charm”: Shep Calls Taylor's Prospects with Austen 'Slimy' as She Admits to a 'Moment of Weakness'

Craig Conover deemed Taylor Ann Green's closeness with Austen Kroll "messy" given her bitter breakup with Austen's pal Shep Rose — not to mention Taylor's friendship with Austen's ex Olivia Flowers

Thursday’s Southern Charm saw the cast in a fragile state.

“I’m about to call an at-home IV service,” Austen Kroll told Taylor Ann Green over the phone. “You should come join.”

Jarrett “JT” Thomas popped some ibuprofen and called his mom to complain about his hangover. Craig Conover and Shep Rose met up for mani-pedis.

Craig, 34, resumed the conversation about Taylor, 28, and Austen’s friendship, calling it “messy.”

“I know multiple girls that I used to date that he went and slept with after,” Craig said.

Shep, 43, concurred. “There’s a history of Austen wanting what I have,” he said.

Meanwhile, Taylor told Austen that she met someone the previous night who met her criteria for what she looked for in a man. “You have to be funny, smart and love Jesus,” she explained.

Related: Shep Rose Starts to Suspect Chemistry Between Ex Taylor Ann Green and Austen Kroll: 'I Would Not Be Surprised'

THE GIRLS RALLY AROUND TAYLOR

The ladies wanted Taylor to be supported in the wake of her breakup, so Venita Aspen invited Taylor, Olivia, 30, Leva Bonaparte and Madison LeCroy over to her house to hang out.

Olivia told everyone she ran into Austen, 36, when she was with a baseball player at a bar recently, and Madison, 32, claimed that baseball players trigger Austen, alluding to the rumor that she slept with Alex Rodriquez.

Then the attention turned to Taylor as Venita, 29, said: “We feel like you’re acting different than what you normally do.”

Referring to her shouting at Craig at Madison’s wedding party, Taylor explained, “I was really just trying to be like, ‘I miss our friendship.’”

Madison told Taylor she didn’t think Craig would ever pick her over his longtime friend Shep.

“Those guys are thick as thieves,” Madison said. “Like dating Austen, I knew from the very beginning, they were no longer my friends.”

Venita told Taylor that, while her emotions were valid, she needed to “pivot in public” when it came to dealing with the fallout from her breakup from Shep.

“I do want to heed their advice, but I wear my heart on my sleeve,” Taylor said in a confessional interviw.

Madison ended things on a positive note, telling Taylor, “I hope you know that you’re not alone.”

QUESTIONABLE MOVES

Craig found himself taking steps forward, too — but with his business rather than his relationship with Summer House's Paige DeSorbo.

Sewing Down South had grown to the point that it needed a warehouse, and it had a big deal with Kroger on the horizon. But the increased responsibility mean that Craig couldn’t spend the summer in New York with Paige, 30.

“If Paige doesn’t move to Charleston, that means we’re going to be long distance forever,” Craig told the cameras.

Related: 'Summer House' 's Paige DeSorbo Doesn't Think Craig Conover 'Would Really Vibe' in N.Y.C.: 'He'd Be Scared'

Austen met up with Rod Razavi, and Rod, 40, told Austen about his date with Olivia.

“I have some weird, awkward news for you,” Rod began. “I may or may not have been out with Olivia and we might have made out a little bit and I’m definitely interested. I mean, I want to be able to hang out with you and like, you know, have drinks and have a good time. I figured I’d just kind of tell you to your face.”

“You’re saying you’re going to ask her out or something?” Austen responded.

Rod confirmed that, yes, he wanted to pursue Olivia.

“She’s not my property, so I mean, I did see her out last weekend, she was kissing another guy,” Austen said. “You know, like she can do what she wants and Rod, I think you’re a f---ing great guy, but I can’t say that it doesn’t affect me to hear it.”

Austen suggested they take a shot.

“Cheers to being truthful with me, I suppose,” Austen said.

MORE EX TALK

Shep brought pheasant that he shot over to Olivia’s parents’ house (where she'd been staying after their relocation to Houston) and helped her change a lightbulb.

When they sat down to enjoy a bottle of red wine, Shep asked Olivia, “What’s Taylor’s current disposition?”

“She’s single,” Olivia replied.

After Shep clarified what “disposition” meant, Olivia said Taylor’s mindset remained “kind of the same.”

“Oh great,” he said. “She hasn’t progressed a bit.”

Related: Taylor Ann Green Admits 'Emotions Got the Best of Me' First Time Seeing Shep Rose Post-Split (Exclusive)

Shep brought up how JT dug in on Taylor and Austen’s friendship and how it made him question if anything happened between his ex and his friend.

“Don’t you think that if that were to be happening, she would be comfortable enough to tell me?” Olivia asked.

Shep didn’t know whether Taylor would tell Olivia. “I don’t know what to think because Austen was tongue-tied,” he continued. “Usually, he fights back or whatever. So I’m having some big questions about Austen’s trustworthiness.”

Olivia stood firm on her perspective that, if something happened between Austen and Taylor, her best friend would tell her.

“I hope that there’s not [anything going on] ‘cause that’s just slimy,” Shep said. “Obviously we both would be very disappointed in our friends.”

Related: Southern Charm: Taylor Felt 'Pushed' to Hook Up with Austen Because of Their Mutual 'Brokenness' (Exclusive)

Olivia’s conversation with Shep got her thinking, so the next day, Olivia met up with Taylor at a coffee shop. Before Olivia arrived, Taylor called Craig to apologize and invite him to her Day Breaker promotion event.

“It’s all good,” Craig said. “Definitely don’t stress about it.”

Once Olivia got there, she rehashed to Taylor what Shep told her about having suspicions about Taylor and Austen.

“Nothing is going on,” Taylor insisted. “And like, I will put my hand on a Bible. There is nothing going on.”

That left Olivia wondering, “What exactly is it that Austen’s so tongue-tied about?”

“After New York, when we were both not in good places with each of our — he was not in a good place with you, I was not in a good place with Shep — but we created, like, such a bond,” Taylor explained. “In the midst of that vulnerability and that, like, just absolute, like, brokenness and the two of us being pushed together because of our situations, I was like, ‘I mean, Austen is this something that we explore?’ I was the one that said it.”

Taylor explained that after she and Austen both talked to their families about the idea, they decided to stay just friends.

“The reason I didn’t like talk to you about it is was because you were going through so much already,” Taylor continued to Olivia.

Related: Shep Rose Says Austen Kroll 'Should Have Known Better' Than to Hook Up with Taylor Ann Green (Exclusive)

Learning about this for the first time left Olivia shocked, and Taylor understood why.

“It was a moment of weakness that I needed my crutch,” Taylor said. “And I wasn't going to God for my crutch, I was going to somebody else.”

Olivia asked one more time if anything happened to make Taylor consider a romantic relationship with Austen.

“[We] never hooked up, never anything,” Taylor said. “Swear on my life.”

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Southern Charm airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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