The fifth season of Southern Charm was crazy, dramatic, and over the top, but was that by design? The rumor mill has been working overtime, but a new theory is striking a chord in a number of fans who are trying to solve the puzzle and figure out if Thomas Ravenel or someone hired a hospice nurse from Santa Barbara, Ashley Jacobs, to play his girlfriend for one season, hence the talk at the reunion of an NDA.

With all of the behind the scenes legal action, it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole and keep track of the moving parts. One of the lawsuits involves a woman, Luzanne Otte, that Ravenel was courting before and during the time he met Jacobs. Like Jacobs, Otte’s home base is California, and after a short time, Ravenel was also talking about the idea of moving her to Charleston, perhaps to be on the show. Otte said no, and after eight dates, she broke things off with Ravenel when he allegedly became scary.

But now, after months of alleged online harassment and cyberbullying by Ravenel, Jacobs, and a PR firm hired by the two, Otte has hired the high-profile law firm of L. Lin Wood to sort out this mess, have it cease, and likely seek damages.

#bravo #SouthernCharm #ashleyjacobs SHAME ON BRAVO and Southern Charm producers! A source has come forward stating Ashley Jacobs was a hired actress with a one season contract to play TRAV girlfriend on show. Bravo and Haymaker are trying to HIDE this truth, this show is a fake — HospiceCA (@IraTroubles) July 30, 2018

This scenario dovetails with the latest Twitter rumor that Ashley Jacobs was hired by Ravenel or Bravo to be a spoiler this season, bring major drama, and/or throw Kathryn Dennis off of her recovery game. A Twitter user who calls themselves “HospiceCA” (long rumored to be Jacobs) started posting over and over again that Ashley Jacobs was hired to play a role.

“Shame on BRAVO TV AND THE PRODUCERS OF SOUTHERN CHARM. there is a reliable source stating Ashley Jacobs was hired to ‘play’ the role of TRAV girlfriend and signed NDAs. Ashley Jacobs contract was for 1 season and she had a role she was hired to play to spice up the show. # shame.”

Fans watching the Southern Charm reunion heard Kathryn Dennis clearly talk about a business arrangement between Thomas Ravenel and Ashley, and Dennis said that Ravenel told her that he made Jacobs sign an NDA (a non-disclosure agreement that would stop someone from revealing certain information) at the beginning of their relationship. Jacobs lost her composure after Kathryn called her out, but Andy Cohen did not follow the line of questioning, despite Jacobs screaming “liar” at Dennis.

Charleston City Paper picked this up too, and Craig weighed in with a legal opinion, wondering just what kind of legal agreement Ravenel struck with Jacobs, and why he was still in a partnership that admittedly was making him miserable.

“Anyway, Kathryn claims that Thomas mentioned having Ashley sign an NDA. Suddenly, the lawyer in Craig emerges – roused from a thousand-year slumber – and he suggests that maybe Thomas allowed Ashley to get close, maybe too close, and she may one day testify against Thomas in court.”

Adding fuel to this fire is the fact that Jacobs seems to have disappeared from Thomas Ravenel’s Instagram page. He now posts pictures of his family, his children with Kathryn Dennis, and Dennis herself, but Jacobs is gone. Her recent statements allege that their relationship is better ever since the Charleston Police started investigating allegations of rape against Ravenel, but he has not mentioned Jacobs in social media posts in over a month.

In fact, Ravenel has shared several days at the beach with his children and their mother, Kathryn Dennis.

The theory that someone hired Jacobs to play a role on Southern Charm has legs, and fans want to know what’s up.