‘Southern Charm’ Newbie Rod Razavi Didn’t Think He’d ‘Fit In’ At First (Exclusive)

There are quite a few new charmers joining Southern Charm in Season 9, but one of the incoming cast members wasn't sure he'd "fit in" with the rest of the cast — at least, at first. Rod Razavi came highly recommended by his co-stars when producers fielded ideas for who to add to the reality group ahead of Season 9's tapings.

"I'm pretty sure all the cast threw in his name when asked who we thought would be a good fit," Olivia Flowers told The Messenger at a September Bravo event in Charleston, South Carolina. "So he didn't have a choice. We were pushing it."

However, Razavi himself wasn't initially sold on the idea. 

"I've just been around these guys for a long time, and when they asked me to join, I thought, 'Hey, let me watch an episode or two,' and then I saw the first season. I went back and watched the first episode and thought, 'I don't know if I'd fit in here too well,'" he explained. "Then I took a couple of days, and I watched the first episode of the last season, which is [Olivia's] debut, and I thought to myself, 'I know everyone at this party, including the people in the background. This fits me well.'"

Still, Razavi hints that he won't be a lightning rod for drama in Season 9 — at least, he's tried not to be.

"I pretty much get along with everybody. I'm very much a Switzerland. As much as I shouldn't say it, I don't love conflict," he said.

However, his budding romantic relationship with Olivia, which is teased in the trailer for Season 9, is going to result in some tension with her former flame, Austen Kroll.

"Before I came on the show, of all of these cast members, [Austen was] probably the person I knew the best. So it's a kind of interesting dynamic to start off," Razavi teased. "My first time ever with a camera hanging around this group was to go on a date with Olivia, and not too long after is that conversation with Austen. So it's an interesting dynamic."

Fans will have to wait and see how Razavi and fellow newcomers Rodrigo Reyes and Jarrett Thomas really do fit in when Southern Charm returns for Season 9. 

Southern Charm Season 9 premieres on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 9/8c on Bravo. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.