Even though Next Gen NYC‘s Ariana Biermann declared that she would never touch Charlie Zakkour “with a 10-foot pole” at BravoCon 2025, some undeniably “flirty vibes” between the two sparked unexpected romance rumors afterward. On the Next Gen NYC After Show for Season 2, Episode 8, Charlie revealed what really happened with Ariana in Las Vegas when cameras weren’t rolling.
For starters, Charlie denied that he was “cuddling” with Ariana on his bed, as Shai Fruchter had claimed, when several of the Next Gen NYC Season 2 cast members convened in his hotel room for a late-night after-party. “We were all chilling in a room,” Charlie insisted. “I was sitting down at the foot of the bed eating a room service meal.”
Still, Shai maintained that Charlie and Ariana were lying together up against his bed’s headboard at one point. As Shai put it, the optics of that pairing were vastly different than, say, if it had been him or Riley Burruss lounging next to Charlie. Ultimately, Charlie conceded that Shai had made a good point about him and Ariana, “especially given the, like, stark contrast and the comment she had just made.”
To clear up any ambiguity, an After Show producer asked Charlie to confirm that “nothing happened” between him and Ariana during BravoCon weekend. “Correct, yes,” Charlie stated. “Nothing sexual happened between us at BravoCon.”
Ariana Biermann reflects on her comment about Charlie Zakkour at BravoCon
In a separate interview setup on the Next Gen NYC After Show, Ariana expressed regret for the comment she made about Charlie during November 2025’s “Battle of the Sexes” BravoCon panel.
“Where this all truly began, where I royally f–ked up is saying I wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole,” Ariana explained. “He times-tenned it. He’s like, ‘Oh, she’s gonna say this? Uh-huh. Watch this.'”
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When Season 2 newcomer Rowan Henchy noted that she was proud to see her “stand [her] ground” with Charlie while watching the BravoCon panel from back home in New York City, Ariana responded, “Period. And then Ariana just f–ked off, because what the hell?”
Charlie, meanwhile, denied that Ariana’s statement had “fueled” any potential romantic pursuit toward her. Even so, he added, “Did it make it hit a little bit sweeter? Maybe. But I don’t think it fueled me.”
Details on Charlie Zakkour and Ariana Biermann’s “flirting” at BravoCon
When BravoCon 2025 took place, Ariana and Hudson McLeroy had recently broken up, and she was also exploring a potential relationship with Liam Obergfoll. After doubling down on her panel comment in a confessional, Ariana predicted that her choice of words, coupled with her single status, might have sent Charlie on “a mission for that 10-foot pole.”
As mentioned, several cast members said that they all hung out in Charlie’s Las Vegas hotel room until 5 a.m. In a conversation with Shai, Charlie admitted that he and Ariana were “rubbing each other on the bed.” After the group dispersed, Ariana said Charlie texted her and asked if she left a vape behind “as an excuse to come back and sleep over.” Despite him adding, “Now’s the time to come do so,” Ariana claimed that she did not even respond to his message.
“Although he says a lot of out-of-pocket s–t and tells me to come sleep over in his room, like that’s Charlie,” Ariana reasoned in a confessional. “I don’t know. It’s funny, it’s fine. Like, honestly, I love the attention. It’s so fun.”
RELATED: Ariana Biermann Confirms She’s Single Again After Hudson McLeroy Reconciliation
During a group dinner afterward, Charlie joked about trying to “ruin” Ariana and Liam’s relationship. When she mentioned to him that “every single f–king camera” was pointed at them, Charlie added, “They just assume we’re a couple now.”
Their castmates, meanwhile, continued to clock the duo’s “flirty vibes” as the night went on, and their suspicions were only further raised when Ariana gave up her upgraded first-class seat on the return flight to sit next to Charlie in coach.
As Charlie declared to a producer, “I think she is just a girl with a crush and, you know, I can now see a clearer world in which I might have to step on Liam’s toes if the opportunity arises.”
As her dating life gets even more complicated on Next Gen NYC, don’t miss a complete timeline of Ariana’s relationship with Hudson.
