Ariana Biermann ‘hooked up’ with ‘Next Gen NYC’ co-star Charlie Zakkour while filming Season 2

Ariana Biermann’s love life is about to take another surprising turn.

While Bravo’s newly released mid-season trailer for Season 2 of “Next Gen NYC” hints that something may have happened between Biermann and controversial co-star Charlie Zakkour, an insider exclusively tells Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” that the pair did, in fact, get together while cameras were rolling.

“Ariana and Charlie hooked up,” the source says, emphasizing that there’s more to the story than what the preview may suggest. “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.

In the midseason trailer, Charlie tells castmate Shai Fruchter during a phone call that “Ariana came over to sesh,” adding that he should “clutch his pearls, bro.”

Elsewhere in the sneak peek, Biermann’s pal Riley Burruss calls Biermann and Zakkour a “new dynamic duo.” Meanwhile, Emira D’Spain shares with the group during a cast trip that Biermann “gave up her first-class seat to sit next to Charlie” while traveling. 

When Ava Dash questions Biermann about her relationship with Zakkour, the daughter of Kim Zolciak denies that any sort of romance is brewing. 

But our source confirms that was not the case as cameras rolled. Biermann’s hookup with Zakkour came after the 24-year-old embraced single life following her split from longtime on-and-off boyfriend Hudson McLeroy. 

With their relationship behind her at the time, the reality star had been open to meeting new people — something viewers have already watched unfold through her flirtations with series newcomer Liam Obergfoll.

Now, fans will see another chapter of Biermann’s dating journey play out, this time involving one of the show’s most polarizing personalities. In addition to facing conflict with nearly every single “Next Gen NYC” star, off the show, Zakkour has been linked to a crypto torture chamber scandal. 

In May 2025 — just before the Season 1 premiere of “Next Gen NYC” — police arrested John Woeltz, a 37-year-old cryptocurrency investor, outside his SoHo apartment and charged him with two counts of assault, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a firearm, per ABC7NY. 

Sources later told Page Six that Zakkour, 31 — who was not accused of any crimes — would sometimes “crash” at the apartment in question.

Making the situation stickier is the fact that Zakkour had recently built a close friendship with McLeroy, 24, when he engaged in intimate relations with Biermann.

During Season 2, the two developed a solid bromance, with McLeroy making it known to several of the guys in their circle that he hoped no one would pursue Biermann romantically while they figured out the early stages of their breakup.

Obergfoll ultimately ignored that request, and it now appears Zakkour did as well.

It remains unclear how McLeroy reacted after learning about Biermann and Zakkour’s hookup or whether their friendship was affected by the situation. Also uncertain is the current relationship status between Biermann and McLeroy, who attended the “Next Gen NYC” party together on June 14. 

Biermann herself gave an ambiguous answer when asked where she stands with McLeroy during an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” this week. 

“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 did, however, tell host Andy Cohen that McLeroy and Zakkour are “definitely not” friends anymore. Both Cohen and Biermann agreed that the events leading up to the guys’ friendship fallout should be unpacked at the “Next Gen NYC” Season 2 reunion. 

The twist in Biermann’s love life is especially notable considering the history between Zakkour and McLeroy.

During Season 1, Zakkour stirred controversy when he boldly declared that he wanted to have sex with Biermann, creating immediate tension with McLeroy. At the time, the comments did not sit well with Biermann’s then-boyfriend, and the moment became one of the more memorable points of conflict in the series’ debut installment. 

Although the mid-season trailer for Season 2 only teases the nature of Biermann and Zakkour’s relationship, the insider emphasized to “Virtual Reali-Tea” that viewers will get the full story as the second half of the season unfolds. 

Whether the hookup develops into something more serious — or creates lasting fallout within the tight-knit friend group — remains to be seen.

Biermann has already navigated the ups and downs of moving on from a years-long relationship while testing the waters with Obergfoll. Adding Zakkour to the mix is likely to send shockwaves through the cast, particularly given his friendship with McLeroy and the complicated history they all share.

If the trailer is any indication, emotions will run high as the truth comes to light, setting the stage for one of the season’s most talked-about storylines. 

“Next Gen NYC” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo with new episodes available to stream the next day on Peacock.