'Southern Charm' Tries To Intrigue

Bravo's new show Southern Charm premieres Monday night and to drum up interest, the channel has released an exclusive clip on their website of Southern Charm 's men describing the perfect wife. After seeing how this show is being marketed — maximum southerness all the time! — I wouldn't be surprised if this was done in order to rile people up because "Ick! Look how conservative they are. Look how they give into typical gender roles!" Well, I for one am not riled. I see through your tricks, Bravo! This clip isn't upsetting because the people say stereotypical things, it just makes it very clear that the show is struggling to present these people as interesting characters.

The clip starts out looking like a political ad which makes sense because it shows Thomas, a former state treasurer, sitting on a wrap around porch saying that wife material means "a good sense of humor, she can cook, religious." Are you surprised that's what a middle-aged former state treasurer from South Carolina wants? Didn't think so. Are you surprised that a Bravo reality show is this dull in the preview?! You should be.

Then there's Shep, a frat-tastic looking gent who wants "someone who's willing to look the other way at time and to call me out on all my bullshit." Shep doesn't understand that wanting someone who's willing to look the other way is bullshit, but that's because his role is supposed to be the young playboy who everyone loves to hate. I'm thinking everyone is just going to hate him because he's boring, but tries to hard to prove that he isn't. Boring is fine, in real life. I'm not hating on Shep — okay, I am hating on his idiotic statement — I'm just hating on Southern Charm's forcefulness.

Next up is J.D. who simply says, "you gotta wanna be around them." I agree! But that says absolutely nothing about him. This guy is not listed in the cast on Bravo's website which means he may have been added to the show late to make it more interesting. I'm thinking that didn't work at all.

Craig, is a 25-year-old law student who looks much older and want his wife to "be really hot." Who doesn't...? I guess...? Also, who doesn't... have personality? Craig.

Last is Whitney, a filmmaker, who says, "What makes a girl wifey material? How quickly she can pick up other girls." I'm not one hundred percent sure what this means. Does he want to have a three-some? Is he gay and wants a wife who can have her own relationship on the side?

Whitney's answer is definitely the most intriguing, but this clip points out the biggest potential problem with the show as a whole — these people wouldn't hang out with each other. It doesn't make sense why a 25-year-old lawyer would be friends with a 40-something politician or why any of these people would hang out with a young designer or a woman who was once on The Real World.

If you're interested in seeing how this all works out and how hard Southern Comfort tries to turn these peeps into over-the-top characterizations of themselves — I could be totally wrong about all of this — then come back for Bustle's recaps!

Image: Bravo.com