Why Does Zach Gilford Prefer Team Craig Conover Over Paige DeSorbo After Their Split?
Zach Gilford isn’t merely a fan of Bravo; he’s a viewer with some strong opinions — starting with his support for Team Craig Conover over Team Paige DeSorbo.
“I’m Team Craig, on the record,” Gilford, 43, shared exclusively with Us Weekly while discussing the latest season of Criminal Minds: Evolution. “I haven’t kept up with it closely. I just caught the last episode of the Southern Charm reunion, but I feel she treated him unfairly. Although if you watch the show, it was like, ‘Bro, she’s just not that into you.’”
Gilford takes pride in being a long-time Southern Charm enthusiast, stating, “I’ve been watching since it started, and it’s just a train wreck from season 1 onwards. … It’s been intriguing to see how they all evolve.”
Though Gilford tends to align more with Conover’s viewpoint, he acknowledged that he’s not as updated on Summer House. In fact, he may be one of the few Bravo aficionados who prefers to avoid crossover situations, such as those seen in Winter House or Peacock’s The Traitors.
“When they do Winter House and Craig is there with Austen [Kroll], I think, ‘You guys should just stick to Southern Charm.’ I can’t stand it when all the reality stars are brought together. That’s just me,” he explained to Us. “When you combine characters from different [reality TV] shows for an Avengers-style gathering, [it takes me out of the experience] because it feels unreal. These people would never interact. Some people enjoy it, though.”
Gilford’s unexpected opinions also extend to Below Deck. As Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen viewers know, he has some critiques regarding the cast’s frequent complaints.
“I adore Below Deck, but I’m quite behind — two seasons, actually — and they come across as quite pampered. They’re the biggest whiners in the world,” he joked. “[They get] to sleep for nine hours. I’m like, ‘Are you serious?’ ‘The job is so challenging.’ I’m thinking, ‘It’s just two days.’”
Gilford drew from his own experiences to connect with the Below Deck crew, elaborating, “First of all, I’m a parent. So I’m like, ‘That’s all day for the next 18 years.’ Plus, I used to lead backpacking trips for high schoolers in Alaska. I would spend four weeks in a tent on the ground, with their well-being depending on me. So you hardly sleep.”
He continued: “I never thought, ‘This is so tough.’ You’re earning thousands of dollars working on a yacht.”
Regardless of his critiques, Gilford would seize the chance to make an appearance on Below Deck.
“I would love to be a guest stew or deckhand,” he confessed to Us. “The shows are incredibly entertaining, but I can only carve out time for them. When I appeared on WWHL with one of the OG Housewives, I binged her season and thought, ‘I’m kind of hooked. But I can’t take on another reality show — besides Survivor and Top Chef — or I’m finished with reality TV.”
Gilford remains focused on portraying the fictional killer Elias Voit in Criminal Minds.
“Regardless of the role, I strive to make the character likable. No matter their actions or how vile they are. It’s enjoyable, especially with a character like a serial killer. Even in Good Girls, I played a man who cheated on his pregnant wife, yet I wanted everyone to like me,” he joked with Us. “It’s all about making characters engaging and drawing viewers in.”
Gilford continued: “I feel incredibly fortunate — especially considering I started out as Matt [Saracen on Friday Night Lights] — the nicest guy ever. For a long time, everyone expected me to always play the nice guy. I still find myself in those roles, but I’ve also portrayed characters with darker sides [like Voit].”
New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution premiere Thursdays on Paramount+.
