‘Summer House’ Finale Recap: Paige Tells Craig He’s ‘Dead’ to Her Following His Failure to Deny Cheating Allegations

Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover: A Breakup Story

It’s not every day you see the intricacies of a relationship unfold on screen, but for Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover, their romance – and eventual breakup – played out in full view. Paige’s decision to part ways with Craig made headlines during the season 9 finale of their reality series. I couldn’t help but think, maybe there’s more beneath the surface.

Paige, 32, shared with her friends Amanda Batula and Lindsay Hubbard that she ended things with Craig after Thanksgiving 2024. The turning point? His reluctance to publicly clear her name amid rumors of infidelity. “I made the right decision,” she told them confidently. When those rumors surfaced, Craig’s response was less than supportive. He told Paige he wasn’t comfortable addressing the allegations at that moment, leaving her feeling unsupported.

The fallout from Craig’s stance was significant for Paige. “After that I was like, ‘And, now you’re dead to me,’” she admitted candidly. The cameras stopped rolling three months later, capturing the unraveling of their three-year relationship. By January, as filming resumed, Paige was ready to share her side of the story.

A poignant moment came when Paige’s father called her shortly after the breakup. “I feel like your personality is back,” he remarked, noting how vibrant she seemed compared to before. It struck me as a reminder that sometimes others see changes in us before we do ourselves. Amanda echoed this sentiment on the finale, admitting she sensed something different about Paige over the summer.

Paige reflected on an incident from her podcast tour last fall when she had a panic attack, which felt like a revelation about how she’d been changing over time. By November 2024, during Thanksgiving with Craig, she experienced a pivotal realization about their future together. “He’s like, ‘Do you ever fantasize about us hosting holidays with our kids?’” she recalled him asking. Initially saying yes felt almost automatic until she realized it wasn’t honest.

Feeling that Craig deserved genuine love led to a difficult but necessary conversation. “I can’t pretend that we don’t have these issues,” Paige told him, understanding that their differences were insurmountable. When Craig visited New York in December hoping for a face-to-face talk, his mention of an engagement ring – yet unseen – only deepened her doubts about his sincerity.

The alleged ring became a point of contention in their story. Paige expressed skepticism to her friends: “It doesn’t exist, Lindsay. We’ll never see it.” Even though Craig claimed during the season 10 finale and reunion that he intended to propose, Paige wasn’t convinced by his narrative.

Despite everything, Paige maintained she handled the breakup announcement respectfully. The revelation that Craig didn’t counteract the cheating rumors highlighted what she saw as an imbalanced relationship dynamic. As someone who fiercely supported him in public – fighting off rumors and standing by him – his silence was telling.

In retrospect, Paige acknowledged how life’s unexpected paths don’t always align with dreams but can still lead to contentment. Her closing thoughts were reflective: “I think [our lives are] actually way better.” It reminded me of something I read recently on BBC, where similar themes of personal growth often emerge in celebrity narratives.

If you’re curious about how everything unfolds on-screen, tune into Bravo as the season 9 reunion airs on Wednesday, May 28 at 9 p.m. ET.

For more context, see this BBC Entertainment overview.