'Summer House' star Carl Radke reflects on season 7, his proposal and what he's do differently

Carl Radke is reflecting on how his engagement to Lindsay Hubbard played out on "Summer House." Gibson Johns interviews the OG cast member about all things Season 7 of the Bravo hit, including what it was like watching his proposal back on TV, how Danielle Olivera's reaction to the news differed from what he expected, whether he would've handled any of it differently and what the audience doesn't know about the leadup. They also discuss where his friendship with Kyle Cooke stands now, his desire to raise more awareness about addiction, what he hopes the future of the show looks like and the latest on his wedding planning with Lindsay.

Video Transcript

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GIBSON JOHNS: Hi, guys. Welcome back to "We Should Talk," a pop culture interview series from "In The Know." I'm your host, Gibson Johns. And today on the podcast, we have Carl Radke from "Summer House."

You know, when I think about people on Bravo who have shown the most growth, who we've kind of been there for the ups and downs along the way, Carl is definitely at the top of that list. You know, he-- I've interviewed him almost every season of this show, and in this interview that we just had-- we went on for almost 40 minutes-- it's one of the most engaged, thoughtful conversations I've ever had with him, probably the most. And he just seems like he's in such a great place. Him and Lindsay are very happy.

And I think-- you know, I think when you're watching the show right now, it seems like we're at this place where like so much is broken, there's so much fractured in this group, perhaps past the point of no return. But after talking with him, I don't think that's necessarily the case. You know, it sounds like there's some sort of resolution that happened at the reunion. Not with everything. I don't think that's the case with Lindsay and Danielle just from certain clues that I've been picking up on.

You know, Carl had some really incredible answers, especially as it came to his proposal and sort of who he told and who he didn't tell. You know, there's a lot that people-- that wasn't shown on the show that people don't take into consideration when they're discussing this. You know, I asked him point blank, why didn't you tell Danielle and does he regret not doing so, and he had some great answers there. I got a lot of background information on both the proposal and him being hospitalized the day before. You know, we went long on that.

And we also discussed him and Kyle, and it sounds like there's a lot of hope for them moving forward. They really got into a settled place. And I think that, you know, they went to Everett's wedding, Lindsay's ex from early on in "Summer House's" run. They went to his wedding in Ireland a couple of weeks ago and Kyle and Amanda were there, Carl and Lindsay were there, and it sounds like they had a great time together, they hung out after hours, they had some emotional conversations, they danced. And that, to me, shows a lot of hope for sort of the core of this group and how they move forward.

And so I think that viewers might feel like, OK, what's going to happen with "Summer House?" Do they need a big shakeup? And maybe they do, but also, I think there is a possibility that a lot of these people can still move forward together and find a way-- find a path forward.

So I loved my conversation with Carl, one of my favorite interviews in a while, and I think you guys will enjoy it too. So keep listening for my interview with Carl Radke from "Summer House." Tune in to "Summer House" on Mondays at 9:00 PM on Bravo. And if you enjoyed our conversation, please give us five stars on Apple Podcasts or follow us wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks, guys.

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All right, so we are here with Carl Radke from "Summer House." Carl, it has been a long season. How are you doing? Thanks for being here. But first, how are you doing?

CARL RADKE: I'm in good spirits. You know, I just got back from Florida with Lindsay's family. We were in the Keys for a couple of days. And prior to that, we were actually at a good friend of ours' wedding.

So we've had a good couple of days. Obviously, the engagement episodes have been playing the last couple of weeks. But I'm hanging in there. I'm really happy to see some of it played back and it's very emotional. But some of it definitely has been hard. But you can see the smile on my face. I'm in good spirits today, so.

GIBSON JOHNS: Good. Good. I'm glad to meet you on a good day.

CARL RADKE: Just trying to move forward.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, there we go. And I'm assuming that kind of-- I mean, you guys have been traveling a lot. I assume that that kind of gets you out of the bubble of like in New York, paying attention to social media, watching the episodes. Like does that help with this experience of watching it all back?

CARL RADKE: I mean, I think it does. You know, I've learned over the years, you know, how to kind of consume our show. I think the first three seasons like, I mean, a lot of us would get together and watch it and drink and--

GIBSON JOHNS: I remember that.

CARL RADKE: --go on Twitter, go on social media, and you're like, you know, clapping back at people. And I've learned over the last-- at least since season five just dealing with a lot of really personal things that have been very tough publicly, but you know, I've watched it on my own time. But I think getting out of the city, spending time with friends and family and people that really know you for who you are really helps a lot. I mean, obviously, I'm so proud of being on "Summer House," but it's nice when you're just with friends and family where we don't talk about the show or we don't talk about some of the drama going on.

So yeah, being away for a week was just what I needed. I'm actually leaving again this afternoon.

GIBSON JOHNS: Of course.

CARL RADKE: I'm surprising a friend for his dental school graduation, so.

GIBSON JOHNS: Amazing. I love that. That's so fun.

All right, so let's get into-- I mean, the most recent episode was the engagement episode. And you know, again, it's been a long season, but that episode is so fresh and I'm just-- I guess I'm curious first what did the experience of being on the ground that day doing the proposal, how does that compare to sort of what we saw and the experience for you watching that back?

CARL RADKE: Yeah. No, I mean, it's funny, I really don't think people truly, truly will ever understand all the things that I tried to do and went to do and really focused on making this as special as possible. But you know, it started back in like, I mean, literally, in "Winter House." I was sitting on the lake ice fishing with Luke and Kyle and I had mentioned, you know, I'm really serious about Lindsay. They actually didn't show that aspect of it. They showed me talking about my relationship. But I kind of planted the seed then because I really felt very confident about it.

And then at the end of May, I literally drove out to the Hamptons. I was doing some Loverboy stuff and I stopped in at Dockers, which is a restaurant we love, Lindsay loves. And the owner Larry is a great guy, but he doesn't allow filming on like busy weekends because it's very disruptive and, you know, it just can be too much for his staff to deal with. So he's always been like, we love you guys, but come like Sunday afternoon or come during the day.

GIBSON JOHNS: Or late night. Right. [LAUGHS]

CARL RADKE: So I sat down with him and I was point blank, I said, Larry, like I want to get engaged to Lindsay this summer. I want to have somewhere to take her after and maybe surprise her with a few friends or family. So he was very gracious and very supportive. And that was at the end of May.

Then early June, I met with the jeweler Nicole Rose. She has an office here in the jewelry district. We sat down, we looked at different options and put some money down and made a decision. And then she was traveling basically until August, so I couldn't even get the ring until then, which was fine. I needed more time to plan. Wanted the summer to get started.

And then truthfully, you know, for the next, I think, couple of months, it was kind of like figuring out our way in the house and trying to just keep moving forward and trying to be happy. Because I really had hoped that we could do an engagement in the Hamptons. I just-- that's where Lindsay and I really have built our friendship and our foundation, and then, obviously, the last two years, just our relationship and our romance. You know, I just thought it'd be really special to do something on the beach.

So there was a period of time where I was actually really toying with, is this something we should do for the audience? Should we do this privately? But I actually talked to my mom, I talked to my stepdad even. And we've been sharing our lives for seven years, the good, the bad, the ugly, I know I just posted on Instagram the other day. But I mean, no joke, like we've-- Lindsay and I and a few others, Kyle, Amanda, really bared it all on this program. And the thought of not maybe showing some of that next step of our chapter, I was like, this is something that's going to live on forever, we're going to have this memory, and I thought it would be really cool to like do it in the Hamptons and incorporate the show if we could.

So shared with some of our behind the scenes folks what I was hoping to do and trying to figure out when the right weekend would be. But the big part of it was talking to our parents. And I called her father.

It was probably early August I placed the call, actually in Pittsburgh on a Loverboy trip. Nervous as hell, called him at like 8:00 in the morning and I said, hey, you know, I just wanted to chat with you. I want to ask Lindsay to marry me. Just wanted to get your kind of, you know, formal approval.

And we had a really, really nice conversation. He was very supportive. I've known her father since like 2018. We met as friends.

GIBSON JOHNS: Right.

CARL RADKE: And having their support and her stepmother was on the phone call as well. I was crying in the airport terminal--

GIBSON JOHNS: Aw.

CARL RADKE: --8:30 in the morning before I boarded my flight back to New York. Once I got their approval, then I started thinking, OK, if I'm going to do this, how can I make this as real as possible? And I've been inspired by other friends who've got engaged that had their mom and dad were there right after or some other friends were there. So I go, OK, why don't I ask them to see if they can come to the Hamptons? And they were the one sticking point to see when they could come, and they could come on August 27th.

So they were locked in. Then from that point, it was like, OK, I got to figure out how I can make this airtight, secret, no one knows. Because Lindsay is really intuitive. I think--

GIBSON JOHNS: Of course. Yeah, she's so savvy. She knows-- she can pick up on the cues. Come on.

CARL RADKE: Yeah. And I thought, honestly, Lindsay, if she had another career, she'd be a detective. Because she would--

GIBSON JOHNS: [LAUGHS]

CARL RADKE: And she knows that I say that. She's definitely very-- she picks up on stuff. She's not easy to hide [BLEEP] from. And yeah, like I just-- I did all that I could, I thought that made sense to really keep it a surprise.

So fast forward a couple of weeks, it's the middle of August. I have now told Kyle. He was actually sitting on this couch in our apartment at the house warming, and showing him the ring. And those moments are really special. Like I watched that back with Kyle and it really makes me--

GIBSON JOHNS: That's cool.

CARL RADKE: Yeah, like having his support and having his confidence boost, because I know he's been down that road, you know, and how difficult and scary it can be, especially just in general, but the cameras being there and all this pressure of it. But having his support was great.

So Kyle knew about it. I talked to Andrea about it. And then I asked Chris Leoni, our friend who's also a photographer. I thought this would be a great way to kind of get his support and also get his photography skills and capture kind of that surprise moment.

But leading up-- this literally-- this is the Wednesday before I'm getting engaged. They didn't they didn't use this in "Summer House." But Chris and I were supposed to "get coffee," and I ended up going to Nicole Rose's jewelry office, which they do show me looking at the ring. Because I had to figure out a way to lie to Lindsay about where I'm going Wednesday afternoon. So I tell her-- so I told Chris, I go, hey, dude, we're getting espresso this afternoon.

GIBSON JOHNS: [LAUGHS]

CARL RADKE: Wink, wink. And then, you know, I had a lot of folks that I-- really that were involved on the Bravo side production wise. And it was just-- there was a lot of pressure. I was feeling so much like, OK, I want this to go right. I want her to be surprised.

So I think I have it all squared away. We go to a concert the next day in Long Island at Jones Beach.

GIBSON JOHNS: OK.

CARL RADKE: It was Elle King and Chris Stapleton performing. We're huge fans of Allen Chris. And Lindsay and I had had a really busy day. I was driving out to the Hamptons-- or driving out to the concert. I was drinking Red Bulls. I didn't drink a lot of water.

Lo and behold, like a few hours into the concert, I got incredibly lightheaded and dizzy. And literally, my knees were shaking and I-- you know, I don't drink alcohol. I wasn't doing any drugs. I just was like exhausted and dehydrated. But I-- basically, Lindsay found a wheelchair that I basically collapsed and fell into, and then they wheeled me out of the stadium. And ultimately, I had to go to the ER because they were so concerned about my heart rate. Lo and behold, it was literally just stress, dehydration.

That next day I'm still in the hospital Friday at noon. And I'm like-- I've got the ring in the car. Lindsay still has no idea what's going on. She's being so supportive at the hospital making sure I'm OK. And we call, you know, Kyle, we call the rest of the house like, hey, I'm still in the hospital. Like I can't make it out there tonight.

GIBSON JOHNS: Was there a moment-- was there a moment where you were like, am I even going to do this weekend anymore?

CARL RADKE: Well, there is something that wasn't even shown. I mean, the previous weekend, there was a lot of drama surrounding me and Lindsay and the rest of the house, and there was a kind of a big blow up in the kitchen where I kind of just was like, guys, like we need to stop, like just trying to kind of settle it.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah.

CARL RADKE: And she was really upset and almost kind of hinting that she was like, I don't know if I want to come back next weekend. But I was like, no, we're coming, like we're coming.

GIBSON JOHNS: No, we're coming.

CARL RADKE: You know, let's work through this. And luckily, you know, she was-- after a day or two, we were kind of, OK, let's go back out. Let's just keep moving forward. Let's keep trying to have fun.

And then, yeah, like that Friday, getting out of the hospital, I was like, OK, once we're out, I'm like, I think we can still pull this off. Her parents are still coming. I got a good night's sleep that Friday night. We stayed at a friend's in the Hamptons, and then we arrived that Saturday at the house.

And that was the same day that, you know, I had told the group-- everybody thought we were going to a bonfire on the beach. That was the hook. And then after bonfire, we were going to Dockers as a group for dinner.

GIBSON JOHNS: Right.

CARL RADKE: So the theme of dress was always going to be elevated beach. Girls are going to want to wear something a little nicer because we're going out to dinner and after. That's how the--

GIBSON JOHNS: So the shoulder pads aren't an indication that Lindsay knew necessarily.

CARL RADKE: The comedy is this. I mean, I think it's pretty hilarious that Paige told her to wear that. If you watch the scenes back, Lindsay was like, hey, should I wear this one or that one? And Paige tells her to wear it and then gives her a hard time about her shoulder pads. Which I thought she looked beautiful. She had no idea.

GIBSON JOHNS: That's great.

CARL RADKE: She had no idea. But literally, it's-- there was so much to try and make sure that she didn't know.

GIBSON JOHNS: Of course.

CARL RADKE: I asked her earlier in the week about getting her-- like are you getting your nails done? She's like, no, I won't have time. And I'm like, [BLEEP]. And then you didn't have a spray tan. So like she was not prepared. But what people forget is she was all done up to go to the beach. We film a reality show.

GIBSON JOHNS: Exactly. You're always-- the women are always in glam. They're always doing something for these moments. Yeah, exactly.

CARL RADKE: So long story short, I mean, listen, I did what I thought was best to make it as special as possible for Lindsay, for making it as special as possible for me and the moment. You know, it was really complicated. I really worked really hard to make it special. But leading up, I don't think people really understood how much there was going on.

GIBSON JOHNS: Right. It's almost like there was-- there were a lot-- there were way more cooks in the kitchen than people realized, right?

CARL RADKE: It's unbelievable. I was talking to Lindsay's dad. He goes, I actually don't even realize-- he goes, I don't think you were going to be able to pull it off. He didn't think I could do it.

But you're right, too many cooks in the kitchen. It was-- but I want to just to say this. I did not have a panic attack. I know I made a joke about that on the show and in my confessional. No, I was stressed out.

GIBSON JOHNS: You were good.

CARL RADKE: I was exhausted. Not a panic attack. I still wanted to marry her, I just didn't want the surprise to be blown.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, nothing to do with the relationship, exactly. It was literally what was happening in your body. So the fact that there were too many cooks in the kitchen, there were so many people that knew about this, does that impact, you know, who else you tell? Is that part of it?

CARL RADKE: Yeah. I mean, I-- listen, I wanted to keep it-- especially in the house, and based upon everything I had been experiencing. I mean, just in general in the house, let's be honest, you need to be very careful with who you're sharing things with, and especially surrounding a lot of the girls. I just didn't-- I didn't have that relationship to talk to-- like I didn't really talk to Danielle much about Lindsay and I's dynamic.

I mean, since we had started dating, Danielle and Lindsay had been on a trip to Mexico and Danielle-- basically, it was like no, like she wasn't very-- like didn't want to hear about it early on. And then, you know, over time, Danielle seemed to warm up to it. But I never felt fully comfortable being like, hey, Danielle, I want to do this sweet thing for Lindsay or what do you think? Like that wasn't my relationship with Danielle. And probably because just the history of us and some of the dynamic going on.

GIBSON JOHNS: Right.

CARL RADKE: It wasn't like to exclude Danielle. I just wasn't that comfortable sharing stuff sometimes. So yeah, when it came to choosing who to tell, I was going to tell the guys, Kyle specifically because he'd been down that road, Andrea because we're very close and he loves me and Lindsay, and then Chris was another part that I just felt like it was appropriate. But the girls, just in my mind, based upon some of the stuff that had gone on, I was like, it's not worth it. I need to make this a surprise.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah. So I guess like just to-- I guess to some people, and obviously to Danielle and Robert, like grouping Danielle in with the girls is a sticking point I think because of Lindsay and Danielle's long friendship. And obviously, they were having issues that summer. But I guess in hindsight, do you wish you had told her to avoid some of that or do you stand firm in your decision not to? I'm just curious, like with some space from that moment and kind of seeing some of the things play out, do you think about that differently at all?

CARL RADKE: I mean, I absolutely do-- absolutely think about it differently. I mean, I think you can see it in the moment where Kyle is telling me at Dockers that Danielle was really upset. I mean, I'm-- in that moment, like it all hit me, like holy [BLEEP]. Like that was never my intention to hurt Danielle and make her feel excluded.

You know, looking back, I can totally see how her showing up to Dockers and seeing other girlfriends of Lindsay's there without her knowing, I can totally see that being really hurtful. That was not my intent. And I actually have the text messages I sent Lindsay's girlfriends. I never said I was getting engaged. I said her parents are coming as a surprise.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, interesting.

CARL RADKE: And I-- literally, I still have the texts to all those girlfriends I texted. But the other part is they had to travel to be there. Danielle and the girls, I knew that they were already going to be at Dockers because that's what we were doing as a group anyway. And sure, it was an oversight a little bit. Had I-- looking back, yeah, I honestly wish I had maybe mentioned something to Danielle in a way that would have made her feel less shocked. Yeah.

But truthfully, when you watch it back, I mean, even when she-- I told her about the ring shopping.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah. And she's screaming into the pillow.

CARL RADKE: Which was like-- I actually almost don't even remember that moment because it was so jarring that I almost just like put it out of my head.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, makes sense.

CARL RADKE: But still, I wasn't feeling like totally confident to give Danielle like, hey, I'm doing this, that, because it just didn't feel like she wanted us to go out anyway.

GIBSON JOHNS: Totally.

CARL RADKE: So yeah.

GIBSON JOHNS: And Kyle told you at the party Danielle had an intense reaction, just FYI, kind of gave you a heads up. But when you saw it on the show, how did that compare to what you sort of pictured in your head as to how she reacted? Like did it meet what you thought it was? Was it more intense?

CARL RADKE: It was more intense than I ever envisioned. You know, Danielle obviously has-- she has her emotions. She's valid in feeling these feelings. I think it's hard to kind of watch that back and see-- you can really see her struggling.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah.

CARL RADKE: And obviously, you know, Donia, one of Lindsay's best girlfriends, is like, listen, like I really-- you need to kind of get your [BLEEP] together here.

GIBSON JOHNS: Totally.

CARL RADKE: And I appreciated that from Donia, her saying that. But yeah, it was surprising to watch back. It's such a big moment, such a special day for us. And the thought of that little part of it maybe overshadowing it.

And Lindsay and I talk about it a lot. I mean, I'm not going to let that overshadow it, you know?

GIBSON JOHNS: And you shouldn't.

CARL RADKE: It's something that I think Danielle hopefully will learn from. I've certainly learned a little bit from it. But my intention was never to like, this is something I'm going to use to like break Danielle's back with the relationship. It really wasn't that. But I can see how Robert and Danielle might-- me looping her in with the rest. But based on her behavior all summer, she was spending a lot more time sharing and talking with that other group anyway.

GIBSON JOHNS: Totally. And then kind of thinking about your conversation with Robert and-- I mean, the last line of that conversation was pretty shocking to me, when he said that you guys are people he used to know who are now engaged or something like that.

CARL RADKE: Yeah.

GIBSON JOHNS: And then also just pairing that with how Danielle was reacting to everything all summer and then now knowing that they were having their own troubles. Does that reframe any of-- the fact that they broke-- ended up breaking up in the fall, does that reframe anything for you, again, in hindsight? Because, obviously, it's easier said than done.

CARL RADKE: I was always a big fan of Robert and Danielle. I mean, like I said to Danielle during the season, you know, she moved in after two months and no one, none of us were like, take a break, whoa, whoa. Like we were always like she's happy, Robert seems like a great guy, follow your heart, go for it. So like I was always very happy for them.

I did pick up on I think over last summer just Danielle was in a relationship, but really, Robert was never around. And to no fault of each other. It's just that's the dynamic that they had. And that had to be really, really hard on Danielle and I think Robert too, where you have kind of this bizarre you see each other one day a week relationship. And I think, yeah, like I think some of that pressure of they've been dating longer than us, maybe they haven't been as far along.

And I think some of that comes out. I think, you know, whenever you're hurt and really upset, you know, I think people have different ways of expressing it. I just-- at that point with Robert, you know, he hadn't been around a lot. He hadn't been witness to some of the things he's only hearing Danielle's side.

But I also-- in that moment, I'm just like, how the hell did I get made to feel like I fucked this up? How the hell did I get myself in this position where the most special moment I'd always dreamed of is now being clouded by who I told and how I told people? And it broke me and that's my reaction. I mean, I stormed off. Luckily, Kyle came to talk me off the ledge, but it still didn't calm me down. Because I think after that I was like, why didn't I just do this privately, you know?

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, it sort of confirmed your worst suspicions of like, what could go wrong if I did this on the show with all these people who feel some type of way about us?

CARL RADKE: Yeah. I mean, it's-- I will say and this is touched on on the reunion, you know, I did talk to Robert like about a month ago and I'm glad we spoke. I mean, he was very apologetic and I think-- you know, we had a really nice conversation. Because I do like Robert. You know, I don't know the full specifics of her and Danielle's history breakup and all that. I'm rooting for both of them at the end of the day.

But I think-- it is weird watching it back. I do feel like they were coming from a place of like a lot of projection.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah.

CARL RADKE: And kind of almost some jealousy in a weird way of like where we're at. I just wish they would have just been happy for us.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, no, I agree. And I also think that some of that got lost. Obviously, it's been mentioned, but like something that got lost in some of that reaction is like you and Lindsay have known each other for six or seven years at this point. You've been through a lot. Like she's been there for you and vice versa. And so there was-- you guys could skip that getting to know you phase of a classic relationship. Like I just feel like that was not really taken into account with some of this stuff. And I'm-- I just wish it was brought up more, you know what I mean?

CARL RADKE: Yeah. Well, and that's-- trust me, I wish I wish the same. I think, you know, anybody, like the true OGs who've been following us since the beginning, like you can understand it. I mean, even outside of Seasons 1 through 6, I mean, Lindsay and I spent a ton of time together as friends and building this foundation. And the trust we have and kind of the care for each other, that was always there. And I just had always thought, OK, like they're happy.

Now, if last summer we came in we were-- like we were Season 4 chugging Fireball, yelling at each other, and then making out 10 minutes later, like--

GIBSON JOHNS: That could be cause for concern. Exactly.

CARL RADKE: Exactly. But I think people's cause for concern last summer is that we're being fake, we're putting on a show, that we're perfect. And listen, I'll be honest, I came in last summer wanting to make sure we were in a good place so there wasn't the arrows and the pointing. Because I had seen Kyle and Amanda and some of their ups and downs being the center of everybody's conversation. And I was like, we're actually really happy. Sure, we still fight. So it was hard because we couldn't win either way. We're too perfect or we're a mess.

GIBSON JOHNS: Right. Right. And I remember watching when you guys showed up to "Winter House" last season. And I was like-- I sort read some of that reaction and I was like-- and I know that aired after you guys film "Summer House" so you couldn't really have that in mind. But like I saw that and I was like, I don't know how this season is going to go for Carl. Is it just because I saw how some of the house is reacting to you guys as a couple?

CARL RADKE: Yeah, I mean, we-- trust me, I was excited to go into "Winter House." Lindsay was too. I think both of us were like, OK, we're in this new relationship that happened. Kyle and Amanda have been great friends. Luke was there. You know, obviously, there were some tensions still maybe from previous summer, but I don't, we're always trying to move forward and not dwell on old stuff.

But we walked in and it was pretty apparent that there was a lot being talked about behind us in our timeline and Austin and the wedding. And this is all stuff that Lindsay and I have talked about--

GIBSON JOHNS: Of course you have. Yeah. Exactly.

CARL RADKE: It was tough, but I will say, even-- there's moments on that "Winter House," the two or three days we were there, we had a lot of fun. I don't think I was just privy to some of the negativity until after watching it back.

GIBSON JOHNS: Sure. Sure.

CARL RADKE: Which was surprising, but also sometimes not surprising.

GIBSON JOHNS: Exactly. So I hope that-- were you guys able to once-- I mean, because this happened towards the end of the summer, the end of filming, once things wrapped up, once some of-- you got some space from the share house, do you feel like you guys were able to sort of like settle in the happiness of being an engaged couple? Like were you able to really soak it in once some of the drama was not in the house with you?

CARL RADKE: Definitely. I mean-- and like I said, there was plenty of supportive folks in the house and it was a special moment. I think we were just, at that point, after Labor Day, like most summers, we were burned out and just tired. I knew I needed a break. So we actually went to-- right after filming, went to Los Angeles and we filmed that Marshall's commercial.

GIBSON JOHNS: Right. Right. Right, right.

CARL RADKE: And then from there, we went to Europe for about two weeks. We went to London and then we visited Andrea in Verona, where he's from.

GIBSON JOHNS: I remember that.

CARL RADKE: So that was actually the best-- kind of an engagement moon. We were really able to kind of enjoy ourselves, enjoy what the moment was. And then once we got back to New York, I think Bravocon kind of brought it back a little bit to where the summer was, a little bit of maybe the awkwardness or some of the weirdness.

But I don't know. I mean, I'm so-- like we're having kind of a second rebirth of it enjoying the engagement again.

GIBSON JOHNS: Good.

CARL RADKE: Yeah, I ran into someone on the street and they said, congratulations on your engagement. I'm like, it was an August, but thank you.

GIBSON JOHNS: But it's like it's kind of like it just happened, you know, for so many people.

CARL RADKE: Yeah. So we get we get a second round of it.

GIBSON JOHNS: That's nice.

CARL RADKE: You know, we're trying to enjoy the happy parts. Because it really-- I'm really proud of how it all turned out.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, you should be. So good.

When it comes to you and Kyle, Carl-- because I talked to Kyle at the beginning of the season, and obviously, things airing can change things. Filming a reunion can change things. What does that look like for you guys going forward? It seemed like both of you during "Watch What Happens Live" appearance, things like that, have expressed, you know, hope that there is a friendship there in the future. It may not be the same. But what does that-- how are you feeling about that, about your friendship with Kyle right now.

CARL RADKE: Yeah, I mean, I'm in the best place I've been in with him I think since last year before some of the tensions started. And you know, I give Kyle a lot of credit for being proactive and reaching out to me.

GIBSON JOHNS: Good.

CARL RADKE: He's-- you know, after the big dinner scene-- which we do talk about at the reunion and I'm proud of how that kind of was able to kind of resolve and move forward. But yeah, I mean, he did apologize over text and him and I have talked a lot. We've gotten together two different times to try and continue to move forward, because there's just so much love between the two of us. I'm really-- I still have the Loverboy stuff up. I'm very--

GIBSON JOHNS: I see it. Yeah, amazing.

CARL RADKE: Still very proud--

GIBSON JOHNS: You're still such a supporter of Loverboy. And you're an investor in it, so it's like you want it to succeed.

CARL RADKE: I'm still very proud of what we've built. I always will root Kyle and Amanda on. I'm always their biggest fan. It's been-- you know, I think once I've separated from the business-- I haven't been with Loverboy since right before Christmas, which has been the best thing for me. And I think the separation will allow us to really find this newfound friendship. And like I said, watching it back and seeing Kyle's support in the pre-proposal moments and just trying to rally and support me and Lindsay, that really means a lot. Because I-- we've always been really highly supportive of Kyle.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, 100%.

CARL RADKE: So to get that in return was huge. So yeah, like I have a different perspective now. I certainly need to take responsibility for how I communicated and handled a lot of my frustrations with him. And he's not a mind reader and he deserved probably better, clear communication.

And I, quite frankly, understood why he was frustrated with me, which is this all kind of spilled out into the summer. Which, as Kyle always says, summer should be fun and not focused on the work drama or some of the personal [BLEEP] that like-- is kind of negative. I mean, I know people want to see us have a good time. But unfortunately, it was just the way it came out.

But yeah, like I saw Kyle and Amanda in Ireland.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, right, you guys were at Everett's wedding. That looks amazing.

CARL RADKE: OG Season 1, Everett and his now wife Courtney. You know, they were very close to the four-- or the two of them. And then Kyle and Amanda were there. So it was actually like almost, in a weird way, just what we needed. We realized, I think, being away from all the nonsense in the States, in New York, just how much love there is.

You know, we did run into them inadvertently in Dublin. We went to the Guinness factory and they happened to be there at the same time. We knew they were there. We just were kind of doing our own thing. But we saw them, gave them a hug, said hello.

GIBSON JOHNS: Good.

CARL RADKE: We saw them at the wedding. We sat next to them at dinner. Kyle and Amanda and I and Lindsay, we danced all night. We ended up back in their hotel room having a late night just talking. And it was--

GIBSON JOHNS: I love this.

CARL RADKE: It was-- I was crying. I know we were all crying at one point because there is just a lot of love. And I'm always trying to find ways for us to kind of remember why this bond is here and what we've been through and just try to work through some of the old [BLEEP]. Because there's still-- you'll see on the reunion, there's still some old things that pop up.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, interesting.

CARL RADKE: I think it was important to kind of address that and hopefully put it to bed forever.

GIBSON JOHNS: And I also like to hear that also just from like the Lindsay-Amanda aspect of it all, because I feel like that-- I mean, we've taken Loverboy out of the equation, but I feel like Amanda and Lindsay have also had their issues. Because I feel like Amanda is with some of the other girls in the house, so it's-- I'm happy to hear that, you know, you four can have a moment like that where it's kind of separate from the rest of the house, just for the sake of you guys being two couples who are long friends to be able to hang out and have fun together.

CARL RADKE: Yeah, no, I've always-- I've said this before, but I think, you know, I actually-- I don't if you remember, but after I "fake married" Kyle and Amanda at the end of Season 5 and I'm telling Amanda like, I can't wait to find my person so we can do double dates. And I've always had this notion that the four of us should be hanging out all the time. And yeah, I mean, listen, we certainly have a bond and a friendship. I think, moving forward, it's going to be a lot easier to do that.

But Lindsay and Amanda, I mean, they were dancing all night. They had a good time. I feel like they both were able to hear each other and have just quality conversation. And Kyle and I are, I think, like most guys, can kind of like, you know, we're good, dude.

GIBSON JOHNS: Brush it off. Yeah. Totally.

CARL RADKE: But I will say that, you'll see at the reunion, I think it was emotional, it was intense, but I'm proud of I feel like how Kyle and I were able to talk and address some of it.

GIBSON JOHNS: Good. Carl, you mentioned that not being involved day to day with Loverboy has been really good for you. It's like the best thing for you. And I'm just like so proud of you for how much growth you've shown. I mean, we've seen you go through so much on this show and it's just-- you just seem like you're in such a great place. You're so at peace with sort of where you are in life. And it's so-- it makes me and I'm sure a lot of people very happy to see that.

And you know, I would love if you could just speak a little bit too, again, not having Loverboy in your life, but also, how that ties in with like any more work you want to be doing in terms of like, again, using this huge platform you have to talk about your sobriety, talk about addiction. I saw you hung out with Zac Clark recently from "The Bachelor," from "The Bachelorette," who I love. I've interviewed him before. He's a great guy. And he does some really cool work in that space. Talk to me about sort of where-- what you're thinking about going forward with that, because it's-- you have such an opportunity, I think, to speak more about it.

CARL RADKE: Yeah. Well, no, thank you for saying that. I mean, I'm-- it's no secret I've been through a lot and I take that seriously the opportunity that I have, which is ultimately to help other people, which is something-- a notion that I didn't realize until early on in my making a lot of changes and stopping drinking and really addressing my hard drug issues and mental health. That if I took better care of myself, that that literally just inherently will help others, seeing that I've been able to take steps and to do things that are actually helping me out and being a better human and being healthier.

So yeah, I've really taken a pause, obviously, from the Loverboy side, which has been great. You know, I've done a few things with some non-alcoholic brands, which has been kind of fun. But yeah, I'm actually doing some stuff with Talkspace, which is a mental health platform. I'm really going to be leaning into Mental Health Awareness month, which is right now in May. I'm working on a podcast centered around sobriety, a mini series that's going to be kind of a limited six to eight episodes--

GIBSON JOHNS: Cool.

CARL RADKE: --where we're going to talk-- like the Lala Kents of the world. Even the Jason Waller from "Laguna Beach."

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, Jason. Uh-huh.

CARL RADKE: There's a lot of different reality people. There's other musicians and artists and actors and friends that I think have stories that--

GIBSON JOHNS: I'm excited for this. This will be awesome.

CARL RADKE: So I want to lean into that. And I do like-- whether it's Talkspace hopefully is going to have some opportunities to do public speaking. You know, I'm not perfect at all. Like I want to make sure I can facilitate and share and help connect.

Because it's not just me. You know, like I'm learning every day. But I want to help connect these dots because I do have that audience that's now kind of looking for me to share more or talk more. I mean, I get messages probably four or five a day, your story on "Summer House," getting sober, your loss of your brother, it's helped me. And like that's what it's all about. Like that's a gift that I just don't take-- I don't take very lightly.

GIBSON JOHNS: And it sounds like now you're going to have more things to point people to, which is really cool, like more tools, more things to listen to. And that's what it's all about, really.

CARL RADKE: Yeah, because I know it helped me. You know, I listen to-- you know, I love sports, so a lot of athletes that have talked about their journeys. Kevin Love, basketball player, he talked about his mental health. You know, some of the addiction stuff from like Bradley Cooper and other celebrities. That's the stuff that I connect with. And I'm like, well, there's other people who identify more with watching "Summer House" and things going on in their life, so why not share mine?

So yeah, I'm really going to lean in to like the story and trying to be as authentic as possible. You know, Kyle has talked about a non-alcoholic Loverboy, which, you know, we'll see what happens with that. You know, I'm not sure what's going to go on with that.

But I've got a lot to look forward to, I think. You know, I did go to college for TV and film. I have produced a documentary. I produced a feature film. So I'm also looking at being involved in a movie on the producer side, which may film at the end of the year. So I'm-- you know, I got some things cooking.

GIBSON JOHNS: Lots of-- yeah, lots of things cooking. Yeah. And I guess like to wrap it up a little bit, you know, I think there's been this sort of point of conversation that sort of like, at what point do you outgrow a show like "Summer House" or even just the lifestyle that's involved in filming?

Obviously, you can be sober on this show and then have fun, as you proved this summer. But like-- I guess, like how are you thinking about what does the future look like when it comes to you and maybe some of the other longer-serving cast members on the show? Like what does it-- what does that look like? What do you hope it looks like? Because I think that there's this sort of a big question mark of like is-- like I don't know. I think that it's just an instant conversation that I don't know what the answer is to it.

CARL RADKE: Yeah, I mean, listen, I don't think Kyle, Lindsay, or myself could have ever imagined after Season 1 we would have been at Season 7. I think we were just hoping to get to the next summer. You know, listen, it's such a big part of our life and it's been so authentic, because that's what we do in the summer. You know, I just had always had hoped it would evolve and grow with us, which I feel like "Summer House" has.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, I think so too.

CARL RADKE: I do think there's-- I'd like to think there's another year or two left on our belts. I'm learning to come into my own about how to talk and be emotional and navigate living in this house. But I've watched myself back and I-- there's a lot more that I'm like, OK, like I want to come back and I'm going to be a lot more vocal, a lot more opinionated. I'm not going to be quiet. I'm not going to run away from challenges. So I think there's more to wanting-- more to me wanting to be out there.

I think Lindsay and I certainly-- I think our relationship is interestingly-- it'll be interesting kind of in a second year. Because we do have our own personalities. Lindsay still is, I mean, one of my favorite reality TV people.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, she's-- you're both very good at what you do, but I think that she is like--

CARL RADKE: Unbelievable.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah.

CARL RADKE: She's so dynamic. She's got a big personality. But I also-- I think as she navigates some of this negativity, I really hope there's a future where Lindsay can really just enjoy herself and not feel like there's a lot of commentary about everything she's doing.

So I don't know. I like to think that we can keep the OGs--

GIBSON JOHNS: I hope so.

CARL RADKE: --for another year, and the Sam, the Corey's, the Gabby's, the Chris's, maybe Andrea's and Luke's. You know, nothing shading the other girls. I just-- I think we need more guys. And I like having-- mixing in with some younger folks who still like to do crazy [BLEEP] and get weird.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah. [LAUGHS]

CARL RADKE: Because if I didn't do that Seasons 1 through 5, we wouldn't have a Season 7.

GIBSON JOHNS: There we go. I mean, you guys are why we-- if you look at Season 1 and 2 of that show, you might not have thought would get to Season 7. So I think that's-- it's an accomplishment in and of itself.

So to finish this off, wedding plans, what's the latest? When's it going to happen? Do you want it to be filmed? Where are we at right now?

CARL RADKE: Yeah, I mean, obviously, we want to have the cameras there, if they're willing to be there. Fingers are crossed. I say that because, you know, you've seen the journey, all this--

GIBSON JOHNS: Let's get to the end. Let's get to the loop. Yeah.

CARL RADKE: And I've always been, again, inspired by Kyle and Amanda for-- I give them a lot of credit. I mean, Kyle proposing to Amanda is still one of my favorite moments on the show's history, and their wedding day was also one of my favorite moments in the show and being such a special part of that. I think that makes our show just like it has a thread, it has a depth, it has an authenticity to it. And the thought of being able to showcase some of our wedding and next steps, I'm all about it.

We're getting married in Mexico in November. We are actually going to go down in June to kind of look at everything and make sure we're tasting all the food, checking out the mixology. We're going to have mocktails. We're going to have performances.

So yeah, we're moving everything along. I think Lindsay can throw an event like that.

GIBSON JOHNS: Listen, that's her background, you know? Yeah.

CARL RADKE: She's good at that. But you know, her and I, she's done an amazing job. She's definitely done more than I have. But I'm trying to be as supportive fiancee and trying to help as much as I can.

And yeah, it's really up to now we're about to send invitations out. We're finalizing the invite list. We've been tweaking the website that we have, which you'll see soon hopefully. And yeah, it's-- wedding planning is not for the faint of heart, I must say. We definitely had--

GIBSON JOHNS: As I've heard.

CARL RADKE: We had a few wedding fights already, but it's brought us closer.

GIBSON JOHNS: And that's par for the course. That is par for the course.

Well, Carl, Thanks so much for being so generous with your time today. Again, it's been so fun watching you guys on this show for so long and I hope it continues. And I'm glad that, again, it seems like some of these issues that we've seen on the show this season-- some of them have been settled, some of them not but you know, we'll get there.

CARL RADKE: Yeah. No, Gibson, I always appreciate, you know, all your support. And obviously, you're an OG of the show too. You're like our 13th cast member in a way.

GIBSON JOHNS: [LAUGHS]

CARL RADKE: But no, it's been a-- Season 7's definitely been interesting. I think the audience really will hopefully watch the reunion and get a real glimpse of some of the things that we talk about and how it's moved forward. But I will say, after walking out of there, I feel pretty good about--

GIBSON JOHNS: Good.

CARL RADKE: --the core of what was going on. I feel really good about it. So it's not going to be easy. It's going to be this roller coaster of a reunion. But--

GIBSON JOHNS: Those are-- the best ones are. The best ones are, so.

CARL RADKE: Thanks again for--

GIBSON JOHNS: All right, We'll talk soon. Yeah, we'll talk soon. All right, bye, Carl.

CARL RADKE: Thanks, Gibson.

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GIBSON JOHNS: Thanks for tuning into "We Should Talk." I hope you enjoyed the interview. You can find out more about "In The Know" at intheknow.com. You can follow me Gibson Johns at @gibsonoma on Twitter and Instagram. And you can listen to all of our interviews, past and future, by searching "We Should Talk" wherever you get your podcasts. Hope to see you next time.