Kelsea Ballerini Shares Insights on Her Southern Charm Appearance and Date with Craig Conover
Kelsea Ballerini is clarifying the details regarding her auction date with Craig Conover nearly a decade after her appearance on Southern Charm.
Ballerini, now 31, reminisced about her season 2, episode 11 appearance on the Bravo series during the February 18 episode of Cosmopolitan’s “Cheap Shots” game. She stated, “It haunts me forever.”
The country artist disclosed on Tuesday that she does not recall how much she bid on Conover, 36, during her brief appearance as she was caught off guard by the auction that day.
“I was on [a] radio tour, playing a show on a boat. They were filming Southern Charm on the boat, and I was unaware,” Ballerini reflected. “I was simply there performing ‘Love Me Like You Meant It,’ trying to get the radio station to play my song.”
The Grammy nominee later shared that her team had other plans for her. “Little did I know, my label had arranged for me to bid on a date,” she added. “I had no idea.”
Ballerini recounted being “pushed into frame” where she placed a bid on Conover, ultimately bidding $5,001 for a date with the founder of Sewing Down South.
She noted that the date never happened as they “auctioned it off on the radio station for charity,” with the lucky caller eventually getting to hang out with Conover.
After the Cosmopolitan team joked, “You’re probably better off,” likely alluding to Conover’s recent breakup with Summer House star Paige DeSorbo, Ballerini laughed in response.
“Everything turned out great,” she concluded.
While Ballerini was taken aback to find herself part of Southern Charm in season 2, Conover was thrilled that she placed a bid on him during the occasion.
“I did not expect Kelsea Ballerini to bid on me,” Conover shared with the cameras in 2015. “I was anxious about the auction, thinking, ‘Oh, shoot, I hope it’s not someone strange or creepy.”
Once Ballerini “won” Conover at the Wounded Warriors event, they embraced in front of the crowd.
“At that moment, I’m dying,” Conover later admitted. “I’m so happy inside. I’m absolutely giddy.”
Rose, 42, expressed his displeasure that Conover was the chosen recipient of Ballerini’s bid. “It’s not fair. She’s a singer,” he told the cameras, predicting that Ballerini would find her date with Conover to be “underwhelming.”
Although Conover never went out with Ballerini, fans have witnessed his romantic ups and downs over the years on screen.
Conover had a relationship with co-star Naomie Olindo from 2015 to 2017 after their friendship commenced in college. He later dated Natalie Hegnauer for a year before their split in 2021.
Conover began a relationship with DeSorbo, 32, in the summer of 2021. The couple was together for three years until DeSorbo announced their split during the holidays in December 2024. They have both made headlines with their comments about the breakup, especially regarding infidelity rumors that surfaced in January.
Ballerini, on the other hand, has risen to become a prominent figure in country music since her brief stint on Southern Charm. Her romantic life has also become a significant topic in the media.
The “Cowboys Cry Too” singer filed for divorce from fellow country artist Morgan Evans in August 2022 after nearly five years of marriage. She began dating Outer Banks star Chase Stokes in January 2023.
