Craig Conover is pulling back the curtain on his romance with Charley Manley — and let’s just say the vibes were not giving The Notebook.
On the “Southern Charm After Show,” Craig opened up about what really happened during their now-infamous canoe date at Whitner Slagsvol’s family farm in season 11, episode 11. While the setting looked straight out of a romance novel, Craig admitted the reality felt very different.
Canoe Date Drama on “Southern Charm” Season 11
Craig explained that the entire point of the canoe outing was privacy. After noticing that Charley sometimes seemed guarded in public settings around Charleston, he intentionally planned secluded dates.
“I would’ve never wanted to go on these, like, kayak or canoe rides if I wasn’t like OK, let’s just be us,” Craig said. “And instead, she was so guarded that you’re just like, alright, like, what are we doing here? … You could hear, like, a pebble drop.”
According to Craig, the silence between them felt painfully awkward — especially compared to how they interact off-camera.
During their FaceTime calls, he said Charley is usually more relaxed and “just laughing” with him. The disconnect left him questioning their future.
“It sucks because she, like, quieted herself to make other people comfortable,” Craig concluded.
Charley Manley Saw the Date Very Differently
Charley, however, had a completely different take on the situation. On the After Show, she described the canoe outing as “fun” — and even romantic.
On the February 11 episode of “Southern Charm,” she gushed to a producer, “This is so romantic. I feel like I’m in The Notebook.” Even after a brief snake scare, she told Craig directly, “This is really fun.”
What didn’t sit well with her? Craig bringing up Salley Carson mid-date.
“I didn’t want, like, our date to be focused on that,” Charley explained. “How about we, like, don’t talk about Salley on this date, you know? … I keep saying I want to make this opinion on my own, I want to find out for myself. Alright, let’s just, like, get to know each other.”
Inside Craig Conover and Charley Manley’s First Date
The canoe date wasn’t their first attempt at romance. In season 11, episode 9, Craig planned an oyster farm date specifically tailored to Charley’s interests — and to avoid what he described as Charleston commentary.
“I was like how fun will this be?” Craig said. “Also, it will get us away from the people in Charleston — and by people, I mean our friends.”
Charley praised the effort.
“It was seriously so fun,” she said. “He knows how much I love oysters… I appreciated that the date was an experience.”
She also nearly had a fashion emergency before that outing. Her Toteme rain boots almost didn’t arrive in time.
“Luckily, I know the route of my UPS driver,” Charley shared. “So, I was able to wear those boots. I wore little overalls. They were cute. It was hot.”
She rated the oyster farm date a “nine out of 10.”
