Paige DeSorbo said she decided to leave Bravo's Summer House because she had an "overwhelming sense that [she] couldn’t go back," telling Byrdie that she would have been "doing a disservice" to the show if she returned.
In a joint cover story with fellow alum Hannah Berner, DeSorbo, 32, said the production demands and the way moments are framed on reality television made it impossible for her to participate at the level the series expects. "They expect a certain level of showing up, and I couldn’t give them that," she said, adding that being on reality TV can feel like "brainwashing" because it does not reflect ordinary life.
DeSorbo reflected on her final season, which documented the end of her relationship with fellow Bravo personality Craig Conover. She described the breakup storyline as difficult to share on camera and said she feared leaving the show might end her career. "There’s an element of thinking you need that show and network," she said, crediting Berner with reminding her that the network is not the sole arbiter of her career path.
Rather than return to the shared Hamptons house where cast members spend summers, DeSorbo spent the season focusing on the "Giggly Squad" podcast she co-hosts with Berner. The two said they started the podcast partly because production steered the television show away from highlighting their friendship. "We’ve had people [from ‘Summer House’] verbatim say to us, ‘We don’t want to focus on your friendship this season,'" DeSorbo said. Berner added that the podcast format gives them more control over how their conversations are presented: "When you’re on TV, you can say something personal, but you don’t know how it’s going to be framed and in what context."
DeSorbo announced in June via an Instagram Story that she would not be returning to Summer House. In that message she called her time on the series "one of the most rewarding chapters" of her life and thanked castmates, fans and the NBCU family. DeSorbo joined the Bravo series in its third season and became a fan favorite, while Berner — who debuted alongside DeSorbo — left after two seasons amid on- and off-camera fallouts.
DeSorbo and Conover began dating in 2021 after filming Winter House together; their split was publicly announced in December 2024 on DeSorbo’s podcast. On Giggly Squad she said, "Craig and I have decided to no longer be together. I love him. I think he loves me. I think we will remain friends. No one did anything. It wasn’t a bad thing," adding that the two had spoken openly about their differing wants for the future. Page Six and other outlets have reported that DeSorbo has since been linked to marketing executive Joe D’Amelio; representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
DeSorbo and Berner’s comments add to ongoing conversations among reality-TV participants about the pressures and editing practices that shape the genre. The two said their podcast allows them to address personal topics on their own terms and counter how those topics might be reframed on television. DeSorbo concluded her interview with Byrdie by assuring fans that she is not stepping away from public life entirely: "You haven’t seen the last of me, I promise. So much more to do together."