Ariana Biermann told the cameras nothing was going on. A source is now telling a different story.
The Next Gen NYC season 2 midseason trailer suggested a twist between Biermann, 24, and Charlie Zakkour. An insider told Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea that this hint is true.
“Ariana and Charlie hooked up,” the source said, adding that the trailer doesn’t capture the full picture. “It did happen and the situation will play out in the second half of the season.” Bravo did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
What The Trailer Actually Showed
The preview builds the case piece by piece. Charlie tells castmate Shai Fruchter on a call that “Ariana came over to sesh,” joking that Shai should “clutch your pearls, bro.” Riley Burruss calls them a “new dynamic duo.” Emira D’Spain shares that Biermann gave up her first-class seat to sit next to Zakkour on a cast trip.
When castmate Ava Dash pressed Biermann directly about her connection to Zakkour, Biermann denied any romance was brewing.
According to the source, that denial was not the full story.
Why This Hookup Complicates Things
The timing matters. Biermann recently split from her on-and-off boyfriend, Hudson McLeroy. She is open to meeting new people. Viewers have seen her flirt with newcomer Liam Obergfoll.
Zakkour adds a messier layer than Obergfoll did. In season 2, Zakkour and McLeroy formed a real friendship. McLeroy even told their friends he hoped no one would chase Biermann while he and Biermann dealt with their breakup. Obergfoll ignored that request first. Now it appears Zakkour did too.
It is not yet clear how McLeroy reacted to learning about the hookup, or what it did to his friendship with Zakkour. What is confirmed: Andy Cohen and Biermann both agreed during a recent Watch What Happens Live appearance that the fallout between the two men needs to be addressed at the season 2 reunion.
Where Things Stand With Biermann And McLeroy Now
Biermann’s relationship status with McLeroy remains its own open question. The two attended the Next Gen NYC party together on June 14, and when Cohen asked her directly where things stand, she gave a careful answer.
“I don’t know the best, like, wording for it. I mean, we are together but we’re still figuring it out,” she said. “I don’t want to have the back and forth again. I just want to make sure that we can both still grow independently.”
She was firm on one point, though: McLeroy and Zakkour are “definitely not” friends anymore.
An Important Clarification About Zakkour
Zakkour has stirred up debate beyond the show. It’s important to clarify what this controversy is about. In May 2025, police arrested cryptocurrency investor John Woeltz. They took him outside his SoHo apartment. He faces charges of assault, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, and criminal weapons possession, ABC7NY reports.
Zakkour was not accused of any crime in that case. Sources told Page Six only that he would sometimes “crash” at the apartment in question. Staying as a guest in someone’s home doesn’t mean you are involved in what happens there. Also, there’s no evidence connecting Zakkour to the charges.
That context does not erase his history of stirring conflict on the show, including a season 1 moment where he openly said he wanted to sleep with Biermann while she was still dating McLeroy, a comment that created real tension at the time. But conflating a housemate connection with a criminal case would be unfair to Zakkour, and the facts don’t support that leap.
What’s Coming In The Second Half Of The Season
The source’s promise that “the situation will play out” suggests this storyline is far from resolved. Next Gen NYC is heading into a complex love triangle. Biermann’s uncertain status with McLeroy, the broken friendship between McLeroy and Zakkour, and Cohen’s call for a reunion all add to the drama this season.
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