Kelsea Ballerini Talked About Bidding on a Date with 'Southern Charm' Star Craig Conover
Kelsea Ballerini said bidding on a date with Craig Conover "haunts me forever."
Published Feb. 19 2025, 1:13 p.m. ET
Country singer Kelsea Ballerini has been in a relationship with Outer Banks star Chase Stokes for a few years, but her journey to finding happiness took a few twists and turns.
Before her romance with the iconic actor, Kelsea was married to Australian country singer Morgan Evans from 2017 to 2022.
However, even before that marriage, the "Half of My Hometown" vocalist almost dated Southern Charm star Craig Conover. Wait, what?! Here's the story behind this unexpected connection!
Kelsea Ballerini set the record straight about bidding on a date with Craig Conover.
Kelsea Ballerini and Craig Conover are not dating — but they almost went on a date!
In February 2025, Kelsea Ballerini briefly opened up about an unexpected moment from her past: Bidding on a date with Craig Conover at a charity auction featured in Season 2 of Southern Charm. While appearing in a clip for Cosmopolitan's "Cheap Shots" game show on Tuesday, February 18, Kelsea was asked about her surprising cameo on the Bravo reality show from 2014.
As she began reading a fan question about Season 2, Episode 11 of the show, the singer instantly recognized where the conversation was headed. Before even reading it aloud, she let out an exasperated sigh.
"Oh God," she said, sinking back into her chair. "It haunts me forever."
Though she only had 30 seconds to answer, the "Cowboys Cry Too" singer was determined to clear the air and set the record straight about the infamous scene.
"I don't remember... I know I'm timed, but I have to tell this story to clear this up," Kelsea explained, eager to offer more context when asked about how much she bid for a date with the Southern Charm star.
Kelsea revealed that she had no idea the show was being filmed that night. She had been in Charleston, S.C., on a radio tour, performing at a station event on a boat, when the Southern Charm crew showed up to film.
"I was on [a] radio tour, and I was doing a show for the radio station on a boat and they were filming Southern Charm on the boat, and I didn't know that, so I was just there," the Grammy-nominated singer explained.
At the time, Kelsea was a fresh face in the country music scene, simply hoping to gain exposure by playing her song "Love Me Like You Mean It." However, her label thought it would be a good idea to add her to the Southern Charm episode and have her bid on a date with Craig.
"I didn't know," Kelsea admitted, adding that she was "pushed into frame" to appear on camera without prior knowledge.
The Southern Charm clip then aired, showing Kelsea awkwardly laughing and sitting in a room full of people while the auctioneer raised the price for Craig's date.
Ultimately, the "Penthouse" vocalist clarified that she and Craig never went on the date, and what was supposed to be their romantic evening together was "auctioned off" by the radio station for charity.
"Some winner from the radio station got it," she revealed. "Everything is great, as it turns out, but that does still replay often. They got reruns — lots of them!"