Despite what the critics — and Austen Kroll’s former flames may think — he and Olivia Flowers are still going strong as season 8 of Southern Charm airs on Bravo.
“We are in a good place. We had an incredible summer together and traveled and we’re still good,” the 30-year-old exclusively told Us Weekly, confirming that they aren’t seeing other people. “We’re just having fun. We traveled a bunch this summer. We went to really cool places, and you always get to know someone on another level when you travel with them. And we got to kind of relax once the cameras left and the shows stopped. We just kind of really got to know each other and figure out if this was something we wanted and we’re definitely in each other’s lives.”
The Bravo newcomer added that “despite how it looks on the show” she’s not in rush to get married, explaining that the diamond ring on her finger on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen earlier this month was just a “gorgeous” ring from a stylist.
Olivia further admitted that she got her “ear full of opinions from people” about Austen before they started officially dating.
“But I had hung out with him a couple times and we always just had fun and pleasant times,” she explained. “So I didn’t really let other people’s opinions or preexisting drama sway me either way.”
That preexisting drama will play out on the show, however, with Summer House’s Ciara Miller set to come into town during the Thursday, August 11, episode — after Austen is upset over the fact that Olivia brought a date to the dog wedding at Patricia Altschul’s house.
“[Ciara] was in town and they did end up all going out that night. And of course, I was a little taken aback, but I was more so taken aback that he was upset about my date if he was gonna go and hang out with his ex,” Olivia told Us. “So that was more where I was coming from with my frustration, but we recovered from it and move[d] forward. And that’s what happens when you’re in that weird gray area with someone.”
While Olivia hadn’t watched season 6 of Summer House — which featured Austen in a love triangle with Ciara, whom he dated on Winter House, and Lindsay Hubbard, who he had hooked up with in the past too — while filming Southern Charm, she was clued in later.
“I didn’t watch it during filming and then it just kept hearing about it and it was talked about, so I went to see what all the fuss was about,” she told Us. “But again, it was before me. So I wasn’t really weighing in on what I thought or what I thought went down. Just thought they had moved past it.”
While fans will have to watch Thursday’s episode to see what unfolds with Ciara, the nurse revealed during the Summer House season 6 reunion that she and Austen did hook up in the fall before ending their relationship for good.
Another one of Austen’s exes — Madison LeCroy — has gotten in the middle of Austen and Olivia’s relationship. After Olivia called Madison “homegirl,” the hairstylist fired back by calling her “homely” and “homeless.”
“I went from homeless to full-on trash in less than a day. I thought that was impressive,” Olivia told Us, calling her costar “calculated.”
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She concluded: “I don’t think much of her.”
Southern Charm airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. For more from Olivia, watch the video above.
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