How ‘Southern Hospitality’ Became Bravo’s Hidden Heavyweight

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Southern Hospitality has all the makings to be part of Bravo‘s upper echelon of unscripted television.

The show sports a dynamic cast full of a diverse group of nightclub employees based in Charleston, South Carolina. It, too, has a pre-existing link to another Bravo series, tied to Southern Charm alumni Leva Bonaparte who employs (most) of the cast at Republic Garden & Lounge.

But the main element making Southern Hospitality the network’s hottest upcoming series is its wealth of story. Maddi Reese is one of Bravo’s sprawling DJ personalities; her boyfriend, Joe Bradley, drew even more eyes to the series after an alleged hook up with RHONY‘s Countess Luann de Lesseps; Michols Peña, Lake Rucker and TJ Dinch have each opened up about what it’s like to be gay in the South; and on season four, Grace Lilly let viewers in on her substance abuse struggles.

It’s reminiscent of the golden days of Vanderpump Rules, where everyone on the cast is willing to bare all for the cameras among a group of close confidantes. That rawness is part of what Kemar Bassaragh, Bravo’s vp of unscripted lifestyle, tells The Hollywood Reporter sets Southern Hospitality apart from other reality shows.