Southern Charm Season 10, Episode 1: Off To The Races

Season 10 of Southern Charm is finally here after debuting on Bravo on December 5, and the season promises to bring just as much drama from the Charleston crew as last season.

Before the premiere of Season 10, Bravo teased fans with the first six minutes of the very first episode and there was a lot to unpack. Viewers saw Austen Kroll in a new relationship with girlfriend Audrey Pratt aka "Pooks" and Taylor Ann Green calling her new boyfriend, Gaston Rojas.

What may have shocked viewers the most is seeing a new budding friendship between Jarrett "JT" Thomas and Venita Aspen. In fact, the network hinted that Venita and JT have an "undeniable attraction" and "connection that goes deeper than most." Will fans see JT and Venita's close friendship turn into something more?

Southern Charm Season 10 Premiere Sees Familiar Faces, New Flames

The first episode of Season 10 of Southern Charm opens with snippets of how life is going for the charmers after a very eventful Season 9. Everything seems calm and collective for the group as we see Madison LeCroy and her husband, Brett Randle cooking breakfast, Shep Rose reading a page out of a book before hopping in the shower, and Austen Kroll packing for a road trip with Craig Conover.

The beginning of the episode also introduces fans to Taylor Ann Green's boyfriend, Gaston, who she is seen briefly FaceTiming. Despite being a new face on Southern Charm, Gaston was also mentioned in the spin-off, Southern Hospitality, with drama surrounding him and Southern Charm newbie Salley Carson, but will get into that once the former Bachelor star is properly introduced.

Viewers also learn that Austen is in a relationship with a woman named Audrey, or should we say Pooks? In a confessional, Austen gives us a little more insight into his new romance. "I met Audrey last summer. She lives in Charlotte, and we've been officially dating for three months."

"There's pooks, there's pookie monster, there's pookapotamous."

Although viewers watched Austen in a fair share of relationships on Southern Charm, this one seems promising. In the episode, Austen confesses to Craig that he was the one that wanted to "define the relationship"—something he'd never done in his previous romances.

Venita Aspen Explains Her New Friendship With Jarrett "JT" Thomas

What fans may not have expected is seeing Venita Aspen and Jarrett "JT" Thomas having developed a friendship. In fact, the Season 10 trailer teased that these two may wind up being something more.

The first episode sees Venita explaining how she and JT became fast friends after their cast trip to Jamaica last season. "Ever since then, we talk every day, which is kind of wild to say. But I feel like we're just really close," she admits.

Fans also see JT walking around with a cane after an ATV accident while vacationing in Costa Rica. Thankfully, it doesn't seem too serious, but Venita is there for support as he picks out an outfit for the Carolina Cup, an annual horse race that the entire cast will attend.

While trying on different suits, Venita tells JT, "Ooh, that looks yummy on you." A shocked JT says, "Yummy! Did you just call me yummy?" Venita replies, "I mean, yeah. You look nice."

Shep Rose Wants His Bromance With Craig Conover And Austen Kroll Rekindled

When Craig and Austen arrive at Shep's family farm in Boykin, South Carolina, Shep immediately sits the men down to address their friendship or lack thereof. Both Craig and Austen are still uncertain about Shep after his Las Vegas debacle at BravoCon.

However, fans learn beforehand that Shep (who also traveled to Costa Rica) went on a self-discovery trip in which he took the pretty serious plant-based psychedelic, Ayahuasca, known to alter a person's thinking and "heal past trauma," according to Healthline.

According to Shep, his trip to Costa Rica changed his outlook on life and had him reevaluating his life choices. He cut drinking for the most part and was going to the gym. "3 years of therapy in 4 days," he shared regarding his trip.

Craig remained on the fence about whether Shep really wanted to change, and even told Shep that he purposely distanced himself so he would not fall into the same patterns of drinking irresponsibly and hurting his booming business. Craig tells Shep that he "needed to step back from people." Meanwhile, Austen seems to be more sensitive about Shep and their friendship, especially after the latter told him that he had a "raw" moment in which he saw Austen and his older sister who had passed away years ago in a dream.

"To hear that he had a vision about me that was powerful was like a sigh of relief."

After the men have their discussion, Shep says, "Let's have a reset." Here's hoping they rekindle their bromance.

Newbie Molly O'Connell Might Have A Thing For Whitney Sudler-Smith

Viewers are introduced to the first newbie joining the charmers—Molly O'Connell. A native from Charleston, Molly meets up with Madison LeCroy to choose dresses for the Carolina Cup. Introducing the new cast member, Madison shares:

"She's funny and she's weird in a good way."

In a blink and you might miss-it moment, while the women are in the boutique, Molly jokingly brings up that she once wore a weave. Molly was referring to her time as a contestant on Cycle 16 of America's Next Top Model, which saw Tyra Banks giving her a very uncomfortable weave during makeovers. In the clip, Molly also talks about her time modeling for the likes of Vivienne Westwood and posing for Vogue magazine. However, she shares that her thyroid issues had her gaining weight and losing out to modeling gigs.

Molly made it pretty far in Cycle 16 of ANTM, she was the runner-up, losing out to Brittani Kline.

After Madison and Molly choose their dresses, the latter reveals that she has a history with Craig. The two used to "sext" each other, but nothing ever came of it. In fact, Molly admits that she may have a crush on the much-older Whitney Sudler-Smith.

The Gang Reunites At The Carolina Cup

The last scene shows the cast all coming together to attend the Carolina Cup. We see Madison, her husband Brett, and Shep, Craig, Austen, all arrive first, while Taylor, Molly, Venita, JT, Rodrigo, his partner Tyler Dugas, and Leva Bonaparte all hopped on a bus to get to the event.

While on the bus, the gang discusses Austen's new girlfriend, Audrey. However, when Rodrigo states that they had been dating for quite some time, it doesn't add up with Leva, who sees something wrong with his timeline, as she has seen Austen with other women. Will JT use this against him later on?

When everyone is gathered at the event, there is a lot going on.

First, JT comes guns blazing ready to confront Austen and put their feud aside. He offers him a cane as a truce, telling him, "water under the Costa Rican bridge," to which Austen replies, "so f***** weird." In fact, JT handed out canes to everyone since he is still seen needing his or thinks it's just a fashion statement?

We see Molly fitting in quite well with the other women while watching the race. When she and Craig say hello to one another it doesn't seem awkward despite their sexting history. Craig confirms in a confessional that the two had sent risky messages to one another when he was single, but never met in person. In fact, he's even told his girlfriend, Pagie DeSorbo, about his past with Molly, which she found funny.

We also see Shep making his way to talk to his ex, Taylor, who he has not spoken to for quite some time. At this moment, Venita is heard stating, "I didn't know roses and thorns talk to each other." And, it's quite an awkward moment for the exes. Shep learns that Taylor had blocked him and doesn't seem to want anything to do with him. Their conversation is short-lived and Shep walks away.

Viewers also see Miss Patricia Altschul, her son, Whitney and his date attend the race. Seeing Whitney with another woman upsets Molly, which makes us wonder how much she really likes him and if we will see something happen between them in a future episode. We also get to meet another newcomer and Miss Pat's good friend, Ryan Albert, very briefly.

As Patricia greets everyone and sits with Madison, JT gets up to say hello and does the unimaginable—he hands her one of his canes. The women, especially Patricia, took great offense to this.

"You don't give a woman past a certain age a cane. Even if it's bedazzled in jewels from Harry Winston," Venita says in a confessional.

The episode ends with Miss Pat leaving the race, and JT continuing to have a hard time getting along with the rest of the cast. (JT resigned from the show ahead of the Season 10 premiere).

"Here's the thing about the South. Everyone can be huggy, lovey, kissy, cheeky, but there is the surface, and then there's the layers beneath. It looks safe, but it's not safe. It's like a charade," JT admits.

It then cuts to an intense dinner scene two months later. Viewers will already know, thanks to the trailer, that the cast is taking a trip to the Bahamas and, as we've already learned from last season, group dinners are never a joyous occasion with this bunch.

Season 10 of Southern Charm airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo and streams on Peacock the following day.