Shai Fruchter says Ariana Biermann and Charlie Zakkour are keeping their distance after their Season 2 hookup.
The “Next Gen NYC” star, 25, broke the news on Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast.
Fruchter told co-hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real that “a lot has happened on the rest of the season [and] since filming.”
“So much has happened that, one, it’s hard to keep track of, and two, it’s just so many mixed emotions coming in at once,” he continued.
“When it’s that overwhelming, and [there’s] that much confusion, you kind of have to keep it a little cordial and separate for a bit,” Fruchter added.
An inside source previously confirmed to Page Six that Biermann, 24, and Zakkour, 31, “hooked up” while filming the second season of the Bravo series.
“It did happen and the situation will play out in the second half of the season,” the insider elaborated.
Zakkour first expressed interest in Biermann during the debut season of “Next Gen NYC.”
At that time, Biermann was still in a relationship with Hudson McLeroy.
Biermann and McLeroy, 24, dated on and off for nearly a decade before calling it quits in October 2025.
They rekindled their romance earlier this year.
Biermann recently confirmed they had broken up again.
At BravoCon 2025, Biermann declared she wouldn’t touch Zakkour with a “10-foot pole.”
By the end of that same weekend, she had traded her first-class plane ticket for a seat in economy next to the crypto trader.
Zakkour wasn’t the only one pursuing Biermann following her latest split from McLeroy.
“Next Gen NYC” newcomer Liam Obergfoll had also taken her on several dates and introduced her to his family during Season 2 filming.
Obergfoll recently shared an update on his own status with Biermann.
“We’re talking. We’re just talking,” Obergfoll said.
“[We’re] having fun, but keeping it casual,” he added.
In the viral moment that started it all, Zakkour made his interest in Biermann known during Season 1 while she was still with McLeroy. The tension simmered for months. Biermann shut him down publicly at BravoCon. Then came the shocking plane seat swap. The hookup happened while cameras rolled for Season 2.
“Next Gen NYC” airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.