‘Summer House’: Carl Radke Gets Raw and Real – ‘I Have Nothing Else to Give Bravo’
In a candid interview, Carl Radke from Summer House opened up about facing his brother’s death, getting sober on camera, but also the season 2 storyline that continues to haunt him.
Radke admitted that after five seasons, he has nothing more to give Bravo. And said his trajectory on Summer House has shown every journey and evolution he’s encountered – good or bad. Radke acknowledged his early days as a f**kboy and his former allegiance to partying, ultimately bit him. Plus he reflected on the sexual encounter he had when he was a 21-year-old struggling actor that bubbled to the surface on season 2.
Carl Radke shares that he’s become vulnerable for Bravo
Radke admitted he wasn’t proud of his behavior in the past, but being on Summer House forced him to reflect on his actions and make changes. “I have nothing else to give Bravo,” Radke said on the Scissoring Isn’t a Thing podcast. “When I find out while filming that my brother died … there’s nothing else left to give Bravo. And as horrible as it can possibly be. But that’s what I mean, there’s nothing else.” Radke’s brother Curtis died from an accidental overdose while Summer House Season 5 was filming. He is seen receiving the news of his brother’s death on camera.
“I’m happy to be vulnerable and open,” he continued. “I have nothing to hide anymore if it makes it easier. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” After four seasons on Summer House, Radke surprised fans when he opened up about his relationship with alcohol, sharing he was sober.
“You kind of forget about the cameras to some degree, I think,” he said on Spilling the QuaranTea in April 2020. “Part of what I struggle with, and it’s very clear this season, what’s hard to watch … my alcohol intake.”
Adding, “I had a rough summer, had some relationships kind of fall through romantically. I think some of my behavior obviously helped that along. Also professionally I had some stuff that went on that doesn’t really get shown. So I hit the bottle; it’s been hard to watch, so I’m trying to make right, over the last few months. I’ve actually been sober.” His remarks were made long before he revealed his brother was an alcoholic, and only months before his death.
‘Summer House’ Season 2 storyline haunted Carl Radke for years, but he feels that he can face it
His relationship with alcohol and facing his brother’s death aren’t the only demons that Radke dealt with publicly.
Before season 2 began filming, Radke told former cast member Stephen McGee that he had a sexual experience with a man when he was younger.
In his early twenties, Radke had just arrived in Los Angeles, CA and he landed a part in a production. During the wrap party, Radke hooked up with a female cast member, however, the much older male director decided to join them. Radke recalled that everyone was drunk and high at the time.
Radke drunkenly shared the story with McGee and his friends, but he later forgot he had told them. McGee ended up telling the story to the cast during season 2. Radke was shocked and immediately denied it, which caused the cast to question their friendship with McGee.
Eventually, Radke came clean. “And I just said this story, I never, ever told anybody, ever,” he recalled. “I was traumatized. I was 21 years old, just moved to L.A. I’m now 32, before filming Summer House. I told Stephen this. And then later on and he brought it up on camera. And I admitted to it, I wasn’t gonna lie.” Since the season 2 fallout, Radke and other cast members have repaired their friendship with McGee.
However, reliving the story on camera was like being re-traumatized all over again. Adding, “I never thought in a million years I’d have to deal with that publicly. And I did and to your [the podcast host] point, my sexuality has been questioned since that.” He said his close friends and people who know him, know he is heterosexual. But he continues to get inappropriate images and propositioned on social media to this day.
