Zach Gilford Breaks Down His Bravo Hot Takes — Including Why He’s Team Craig Conover (Exclusive)

Zach Gilford isn’t just a Bravo fan, he’s a viewer with some hot takes — starting with Team Craig Conover over Team Paige DeSorbo.

“I’m Team Craig, on the record,” Gilford, 43, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing season 3 of Criminal Minds: Evolution. “I haven’t followed it that closely. I just saw the last episode of the Southern Charm reunion, but [I think] she did him a little dirty. Although if you watch the show, it was like, ‘Bro, she’s just not that into you.’”

Gilford praised himself on being a big Southern Charm fan, adding, “I’ve watched it since the beginning, and it’s just, like, I don’t understand how it is just a constant train wreck starting from season 1. … I think it’s been cool to see them all do their version of growing up, though.”

While Gilford did see Conover’s perspective more, he admitted that he isn’t as up to date on Summer House. In fact, Gilford may be one of the few Bravo fans who would rather opt out of situations where shows overlap, as on Winter House or Peacock’s The Traitors.

“When they do Winter House and Craig comes over and Austen [Kroll] is there, I’m like, ‘You guys should stay on Southern Charm.’ I kind of hate it when they bring all the reality stars together. That’s just me,” he explained to Us. “When you bring in characters from all the [reality TV] shows and do an Avengers of reality TV, [I get taken out of the show] because this is the least real thing in the world. These people would never have anything to do with each other. Some people like it, though.”

Gilford’s surprising insight also extends to Below Deck. As Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen fans know, Gilford has a bone to pick with most of the cast after previously questioning how much they complain.

“I love Below Deck. I’m so far behind. I’m, like, two seasons behind — but they’re such babies. They’re the biggest babies in the world,” he quipped. “[They get] to sleep for nine hours. I’m like, ‘Are you kidding?’ ‘The job is so hard.’ I’m like, ‘It’s two days.’”

Gilford used his own experience to try to relate to the Below Deck cast, adding, “First of all, I’m a parent. I’m like, ‘That’s all day for the next 18 years.’ Second of all, I used to lead backpacking trips for high school kids in Alaska. So I would be in the mountains in a tent, sleeping in the dirt for four weeks and these kids’ lives are on me. So you never sleep.”

He continued: “I never was like, ‘This is so hard.’ You’re making thousands of dollars to work on a yacht.”

Despite his criticism, Gilford wouldn’t pass up a chance to appear on an episode of Below Deck.

“I would love to be a guest stew or deckhand,” he told Us. “But the shows are so fun. I only have time for that. When I did WWHL, I was with one of the OG Housewives, so I binged that season of her show. I was like, ‘I’m kind of into this. But I don’t have time.’ I can’t have another reality show because besides that it’s Survivor and Top Chef — and then I’m done with reality TV.”

Gilford’s main focus has remained on playing fictional killer Elias Voit on Criminal Minds.

“No matter what [role] it is, I try to make people like the character. No matter what they’re doing or how bad they are. It’s fun, especially with someone like a serial killer. Or even when I worked on Good Girls, I was a guy who cheated on his pregnant wife and I was like, ‘But I want everyone to like me,’” he quipped to Us. “The thing is just about making people likable and to draw you in.”

Gilford continued: “I feel very, very fortunate and lucky — especially as the guy who started out as Matt [Saracen on Friday Night Lights] — the nicest guy in the world. For a long time, all anyone wanted me to do was be the nice guy. I am still kind of being the nice guy, [but] I just happen to have done bad things [on screen as Voit].”

New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution air Thursdays on Paramount+.