Welcome to Season 3 of Southern Hospitality! Last season, TJ and Joe Bradley had a huge falling out. Emmy got promoted to AGM, but that didn’t last very long. She also still didn’t get a ring from Will, who pursued his law school dreams. This year, TJ and Joe are still at each other’s throats. And there’s a lot of drama with Will and Emmy. Here’s everything that went down in Southern Hospitality Season 3, Episode 1: “Bottles, Balloons and Betrayal.”
What happened on Southern Hospitality Season 3, Episode 1?
We begin with a look back at Will and Emmy’s romance over the past two years. While Emmy claims to be super happy and in love, we cut to a big confrontation over Will’s allegedly cheating on her at law school. Joe says he’s “praying to God” it’s not true. New cast member Austin says it’s common knowledge, and new girl Lake also knows something. Maddi tells Joe that Bradley and TJ found out about a girl who Will wasn’t just sleeping with, but actually living with, and took to his law school prom. TJ warns Emmy that Will is bad news, yelling, “I bet you f*cked that b*tch.” Then, we cut to three months earlier.
There’s some changes at Republic. Will and Grace Lily left, while new cast members Austin, Lake, and Michols joined the team. Since last year, Maddi made peace with Brad. And she’s closer with Emmy, who blames Trevor for their falling out. Maddi is also dating Joe Bradley now. Yes, we’ll get to that later.
Meet Michols
The new AGM arrives – and no, it’s not Emmy. As we learned at the Season 2 reunion, that promotion didn’t last long. Leva calls it a “blessing in disguise,” and introduces us to new cast member Michols, who is a “gem.” Austin also joins as a bartender, but is less immediately successful as Michols. Molly even chides him for pronouncing espresso wrong (he says ex-presso).
The team loves Michols. Maddi jokes that she thought he was her dream man – until he revealed he’s gay. Still, they’ve become besties. TJ has feelings, gushing that he’s “nice to look at at work.” He doesn’t even mind when Michols reprimands him for not working – instead, he finds it hot.
Eventually, we learn that they shared a kiss in an Uber months earlier. But TJ pulls away because he wonders if Michols is too young for him. When he brings Michols a coffee, the AGM freaks out over what it means after their Uber kiss. He accuses TJ of sending mixed signals and playing with his emotions.
TJ and Joe still aren’t speaking
TJ is less fond of Joe, of course. At the beginning of the episode, he refuses to even serve him. The two haven’t spoken since the Season 2 reunion. At this point, at least, Joe admits that he “made out with Luann.” The girls call it “iconic,” but of course, Joe was still dating Danielle at the time.
Joe blames TJ bringing it up with destroying his and Danielle’s relationship. We once again see those nasty messages he sent TJ after filming. A producer asks why Joe was so angry at TJ when the story was already on Page Six. “Because Page Six wasn’t one of my best friends.”
Will wants them to squash the beef, but Joe doesn’t see that happening. He’s scared that TJ will try to sabotage him and Maddi.
Are Will and Emmy on the rocks?
Emmy still has her relationship goals in tact, joking with Will that he needs to “put a baby inside me” and propose. In a confessional, she says that one year of law school means one year closer to engagement.
While Will follows his dreams, Emmy’s also made life changes. She’s eight months sober, and is working out a lot. As in, it takes up most of her day. Will, who misses working at Republic, has his days taken up by school and internships. In a confessional, he says Emmy doesn’t get how hard it is.
TJ calls Mia, who is competing for Miss World. She’s going strong with boyfriend Troy, joking that absence (and naughty pictures) makes the heart grow fonder. Mia and TJ also talk about a relationship that maybe isn’t as strong – Will and Emmy’s. There’s lots of gossip over Will’s alleged comments about Emmy. According to Mia, When he was drunk at Republic, Will kept telling people that he hates Emmy and their relationship. TJ heard that Will doesn’t think Emmy is “his person,” and said she’s not fun anymore now that she’s sober.
Joe admits in a confessional that he heard those same rumors. But Joe claims he’s staying out of it this time, after what happened last year. Besides, it’s a little awkward, because he and Will made up. He even goes on a double date with Will and Emmy … and Maddi.
Joe and Maddi, sitting in a tree…
Maddi meets up with Grace Lilly, who left Republic after five years, and is focusing more on modeling. She tells Maddi that she did ayahuasca. Maybe she can bond with Shep Rose over this? In her case, Grace Lilly claims she saw Bob Marley and literally spoke to Jesus. Grace Lilly is also the one who breaks the news that Maddi and Joe are officially dating.
Joe is over the moon, claiming, “dreams come true,” and calling her his “future wife.” Maddi hopes this is the opposite of her former relationship with Trevor. Will puts his foot in his mouth by asking if there was any overlap between those two guys. But TJ and Brad aren’t convinced. “Once a cheater, always a cheater,” TJ says several times.
Michols’ birthday party brings drama galore
The episode ends at Michols’ 22nd birthday party. Despite Joe’s claims that he and Maddi are perfect, they hit a rough spot when he lets Michols’ balloons fly away. Maddi is a little dramatic about it, to be sure, seeing the balloons as their metaphorical “first child.” But Joe’s blasé attitude is the opposite of helpful.
Still, Maddi defends her man when TJ tries to warn her about him. Maddi knows all about Joe’s philandering past, of course. But she’s convinced things will be different. After all, they were best friends for so long.
Joe tries to get TJ to hash out their issues, but TJ claims he’s not ready. Judging by the preview, things will only get worse next week. Joe and Austin accuse TJ of telling people that Joe is gay. TJ also gets the cold shoulder from Michols. But despite all the drama and fallouts, we also learn that a potential romance could be brewing between Brad and Lake.
New hookups, rumors, and fights – looks like Southern Hospitality really is back!
Southern Hospitality airs Thursday nights at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY SEASON 3, EPISODE 1? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE DRAMATIC WILL AND EMMY FLASH FORWARD?
The post Southern Hospitality Season 3, Episode 1 Recap: Welcome Back to Republic! appeared first on Reality Tea.
from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2025/01/02/southern-hospitality-season-3-episode-1-recap-bottles-balloons-and-betrayal/
