For Carl Radke, one of the highlights of the shoot summer house’with The new season mended his friendship with costar Kyle Cooke.
“I love Kyle to death,” Radke tells PEOPLE. Despite their split last season, he expected to spend time together over the summer as he planned his canceled wedding to Lindsay Hubbard, as Cooke was “on the road” with his marriage to Amanda Batula in 2021.
“I was just looking forward to getting back to a really good place with Kyle,” he says. “And that’s what we did.”
The couple also renewed their business relationship. Radke, who was vice president of sales for Cooke’s Loverboy beverage brand before resigning in February 2023, rejoined the company to launch a new line of non-alcoholic sparkling teas in December.
“My role in the company is a bit different,” he says, explaining that he is now focused exclusively on non-alcoholic products.
Courtesy of Loverboy
Summer houseCarl Radke Rejoins Loverboy to Launch Non-Alcoholic Teas with Kyle Cooke: ‘A Whole New Chapter’
Radke, who spoke openly about his struggle with alcohol and partying, celebrated three years of sobriety in January. The death of his brother, who struggled with addiction and mental health issues in 2020, prompted him to seek help.
“I love what we’re building and I’m very passionate about it, and I feel like we’re making progress with what we’re doing right now,” he says. “It gives me a lot of purpose and a lot of focus.”
“I talk publicly about not drinking and my journey, but now I have something, even another layer,” he adds. “I actually have something to offer people.”
Radke says that when he left his full-time job at Loverboy, he was still “cheering” the company on the sidelines.
“I’ve always felt that when you leave a company and you can come back to a company, I think there’s a lot of positives in that,” he says. “Yes, there was tension with Kyle, but I felt like [when] I stepped back, it was very respectful.”
Cooke feels equally positive about his friendship with Radke.
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The cast of the 7th season of “Letnikovac”. Clifton Prescod/Bravo ‘Summer House’ Carl Radke says he quit Loverboy after friendship with Kyle Cooke ‘got complicated’
“We’re awesome,” Cooke tells PEOPLE. “I think that whenever you go through a challenging time with someone, whether it’s your best friend or your significant other, and it’s someone you care about, someone you love, if you come out on the other side of it, you’re probably going to be stronger in the end.”
Cooke says the long hours at Loverboy took their toll on Radke before his departure last year.
“There was a lot of pressure and weight on everyone else’s shoulders,” he says. “I think it hit Carl. We missed our personal friendship and I think that bothered him, and he just felt inauthentic, pushing away alcohol like a sober person.”
But now that they’re working together again on alcohol-free drinks, Cooke says, “We’ve never had it better.”
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Echoing comments he made to PEOPLE when announcing the launch in December, Cooke says he’s “super excited” about the alcohol-free line.
“You can crush them at any time of the day,” he says. “When you hold this at a party, no one’s going to say, ‘Oh, what’s up, loser?’ A beautiful Polish spring.’ No, you look like you’re part of the party. It’s a game. It’s part of the psychology I learned from Carl. It’s just about having something in your hand that’s not a topic of conversation.”
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Source: HIS Education