In the Dec. 19 episode of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” it’s Day 3 of the “girls trip” to Bermuda. Monica Garcia reads the note her 7-year-old daughter, West, wrote in a birthday card to her: “Mom, I love you so much. I’m going to miss you so much, and I hope you have a great time. P.S. Please do not get arrested.”
Well, her daughters probably know her best.
That’s just the prelude to more fighting, as Meredith Marks defends herself against charges she’s behind attacks on Angie Katsanevas and argues with Monica; Monica argues with Heather Gay and Lisa Barlow; and Whitney Rose comes unglued for the weirdest of reasons.
Calling a truce
The morning after they had a big fight at dinner, Heather texts Monica and asks her to go on a walk on the beach with her. Monica agrees.
Heather apologizes for losing her temper. She correctly points out that the argument actually began earlier in the day, when Monica was pressing her to talk about her daughter’s sex life, and then criticizing Heather when she refused to do so. “You knew that that was a touchy thing … and you just dove in,” Heather says.
(Bravo) Heather Gay and Monica Garcia on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
Monica replies, “Now I know that certain topics are not up for discussion. And I apologize for that.”
(She didn’t know and found it odd that Heather didn’t want to talk about her daughter’s sex life?)
They hug and seem to have resolved their differences. And then they move on to the accusations that Meredith is behind an anonymous Instagram account that accused Angie of financial improprieties and membership in the Greek mafia.
In a confessional, Heather says, “This is about someone creating a fake social media account to spread lies and negative gossip about us. … It’s hurtful when a stranger trolls us. But to think that one of our friends would go so low to harm someone in our circle is the ultimate betrayal. It’s devastating.”
Whitney and Angie (sort of) play tennis
Whitney says she “grew up playing tennis. I’m no Serena Williams ... but I really do occasionally hit some balls around. And playing tennis is great for stress. And this trip has been pretty stressful.”
Angie says she’s “not good” at tennis, and she’s not kidding. She’s terrible. Whitney suggest that Angie “pretend” the ball “is Meredith” and hit it hard. They volley back and forth a bit, and Whitney demonstrates that she isn’t very good at tennis, either.
(Meredith Andrews | Bravo) Angie Katsanevas and Whitney Rose on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
Angie expresses continuing frustration about “Meredith spreading more rumors about me.” Whitney says the events of the previous evening were “next level of crazy to me,” because Meredith barely reacted “while everyone is coming at her … And then we get back to the house and she has cake with us like nothing happened. She really thinks that she can just skirt by without ... taking any accountability.” Whitney adds that, eventually, the other Housewives are going to decide they don’t want Meredith around. “It’s a crazy, psychotic dis-association.” Angie adds, “It’s unwell behavior.” (The psychological term Whitney is looking for is “dissociation.”)
The two also express surprise that Heather fought with Monica. And Angie once again attributes Heather not want to talk about her daughter’s sex life, or her own, to her “Mormon” upbringing.
Whitney complains that Heather “doesn’t want to talk about her own sex life, but she’s OK to talk about everyone else’s, which [expletive] triggers me.” In a confessional, Whitney says she just finished reading Heather’s book, “Bad Mormon,” and “it just rubs me the wrong way” that Heather wrote about being the photographer for her boudoir photoshoot.
What is a catamaran?
Lisa hires a catamaran for the women to go on an outing. She keeps calling it a yacht, and she clearly isn’t sure what a catamaran is. “It’s just, like, a super sick strong boat,” she says. (The show’s editors helpfully insert a graphic with the correct definition: A boat with twin hulls.)
Meredith says in a confessional that she was “hoping to have fun with friends” on the catamaran. “But it’s very clear that everyone is trying to kind of ice me out. So I am on an island, and I don’t mean Bermuda. I mean, I am completely alone.”
(Meredith Andrews | Bravo) Lisa Barlow and Angie Katsanevas on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
Whitney quickly finds a metal railing and starts pole-dancing on it.
Heather talks one-on-one with Meredith, telling her, “I, too, was blindsided” by the accusations that Meredith is behind a fake Instagram account that has been attacking Angie. Meredith says that’s not true, and Heather replies, “I do not understand this mess that you’ve gotten yourself in. And I also do not understand your lack of a reaction.”
Meredith says she is “trying to process all this because there’s a lot of elements here that aren’t adding up,” and she again denies the accusations.
The conflicting stories
According to Monica, Meredith told her about the Greek mafia controlling Park City in the past, and she asked Monica if she thought Angie could be in the Greek mafia. Meredith then called Monica and asked if she had gotten DMs with documents about financial improprieties regarding Angie’s business, which Monica then found. Monica deems this suspicious, because the call came right after they’d talked about rumors about Angie.
Meredith’s version of events is decidedly different. She says Monica “went into great detail on all kinds of rumors and dirt on Angie.” A few weeks later, Meredith went to lunch with Monica, and Meredith repeated a story she’d heard about a Park City venue that “had been run by the Greek mafia. And Monica asked me, ‘Do you think Angie is a part of it?’ And I said, ‘I have no idea.’”
Weeks later, Meredith says, she “received all kinds of documents and information about Angie” in a DM from the anonymous Instagram account. That information “referenced a bunch of stuff that she had already sent me” about Angie. “So why wouldn’t I ask her, ‘Did you get this?’”
(Once again, it’s worth pointing out that, earlier this season, Monica said Meredith was spreading rumors that Angie’s husband was having affairs with men. It turned out that that was what Monica assumed Meredith was talking about when she said she had dirt on Angie’s marriage — and that Monica was the person actually spreading the rumors.)
n a confessional, Heather says, “At this point, I don’t even know who to believe. It seems like Monica hasn’t really told us the full story. But Meredith’s history with DMs and digging up dirt isn’t making her look any better, either.” Back on the boat, Heather tells Meredith she’s “got to go take care of it … the sooner the better.”
Meredith vs. Monica
Meredith pulls Monica aside to talk to her, which upsets Monica — she was about to chow down on a taco. Meredith wants to get Monica to acknowledge that (a) she never accused Angie of being in the Greek mafia; and (b), that she never sent accusatory DMs from a fake account.
“First of all, I never came out and said, ‘Meredith sent me these,’” Monica says. She does not admit that she expressed suspicions that Meredith did it, and agreed when other Housewives expressed their suspicions. Monica adds that they “absolutely had a conversation about [Angie] being in the mafia,” but she does not address who brought it up. Monica says that conversation was “serious”; Meredith says, “I did not really think that”; Monica’s voice goes up a couple octaves as she starts losing her temper. Again. And Meredith says all of this “is stuff you told me, Monica.”
(Bravo) Monica Garcia and Meredith Marks star in "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
In a confessional, Monica says, “This just sucks. I thought Meredith was my friend, and I definitely feel like she’s leaving me hanging out here to dry.”
Back on the boat, Lisa starts yelling at Meredith, calling her a liar and telling her. “Just admit it — you [expletived] up,” Lisa yells. “You’re hurting good people. Stop it.” Meredith denies that she’s lying, and tells Lisa to stop yelling at her. Lisa continues yelling at her: “You’re a[n expletive] mess, and you’re losing all your [expletive] friends because you can’t stop lying.” Meredith replies, “Oh, I have many, many friends.” And Lisa shoots back, “OK, you’re not going to have have many, many more when they see what a liar you are.”
Heather asks Lisa if Monica is going to get “a pass” on this, because she was also involved in the false gossip about Angie. Lisa says no, adding, “At least Monica’s being honest about it.” (That remains to be seen.)
Angie calls Meredith a liar, and Meredith again denies that. And Angie declares, “I own the streets of Salt Lake City because I am a[n expletive] reputable business woman.” (Angie owns the streets of Salt Lake City? Really?)
Whitney declares that she believes Monica “because I participated in rumors, gossip and [expletive] behavior with Meredith last year. … I see the pattern.”
Meredith’s calm demeanor cracks; she’s “very irritated” because “everyone’s narrating me. Don’t narrate me!”(Narrate? Huh?) Meredith yells that she’s “getting really [expletive] pissed off,” and storms away. In confessional, she says, “If you guys want to believe this woman [Monica] over me, that’s on you at the end of the day. Like, I’m not going to pour my energy into some morons trying to accuse me of things I didn’t do.”
( Jenny Kim | Bravo) Meredith Marks and Angie Katsanevas at BravoCon.
Meredith vs. Angie
Meredith approaches her nemesis and says they need to talk. She reiterates that “the reason I called Monica is because some of those things that were in some of those DMs were things that she had already mentioned to me. And that’s why I said, ‘Did you get a DM?’ That was it.”
Angie questions why Meredith even bothered with that, and wonders if Meredith is “possibly scared of me” because she thinks “I’m some terrifying Mafia member.” There has been no indication that Meredith is “terrified” of Angie. She’s made it clear she doesn’t like Angie, and says that’s because “I don’t like somebody yelling and screaming, and the way you treat me, Angie. ... It’s unpleasant every time and it just doesn’t stop. So I don’t know if we can reset and try to be pleasant. But you need to know that I am not out to get you.”
Angie says, “I just want to move forward from this.” In a confessional, she says she doesn’t trust Meredith “but if she’s willing to take accountability, I’ll give her the chance to prove herself. … But if she continues to try to destroy my reputation, then I’m done.”
Meredith goes and tells Heather and Lisa that “Angie and I spoke, and the final conclusion is — she’s taking out a hit on me.” Meredith laughs at her own joke; Heather and Lisa do not.
Back on the shuttle van
On the way back to the house, Meredith tells Lisa that she got a call from her son, Brooks, who told her he’s been signed by Ford Models, a high-profile modeling agency in New York City. Lisa is delighted. Monica, however, is ticked off to see Meredith and Lisa acting all chummy.
“Wow. This makes zero sense to me,” Monica says in a confessional, troubled that Lisa and Meredith were “screaming at each other — but now Meredith is kissing Lisa’s a--.”
Back at the house, Monica tells Whitney how she feels about Lisa and Meredith getting along. “I feel like it’s, like, Meredith now knows Monica is not doing what I want anymore. And so now I have to switch back to Lisa. And I’m going to make Monica the piece of [expletive] now.”
Whitney tells Monica she’s “exactly right. I believe you and I think that [Meredith]’s starting to realize that she’s not going to be able to get away with it anymore. … We’ll get to the bottom of it tonight.”
(Brett Colvin | Bravo)Meredith Marks, Heather Gay (behind Meredith), Monica Garcia and Whitney Rose at the launch party for Meredith's new jewelry line.
Another dinner, another fight
The women head off to a restaurant for dinner, and shortly after they arrive, Monica confronts Meredith. She says she’s getting “weird energy. And frankly, Meredith, I don’t like it.” Monica believes Meredith and Lisa getting along is some sort of plot against her.
“Am I not allowed to sit down and talk to Lisa? What’s wrong with that?” Meredith asks. Lisa says it’s like she and Meredith are sisters: “Me and my sisters fight all the time. I mean, I can be like, ‘Die, bitch,’ and, like, go shopping [with them] five minutes later.”
Meredith says that she “made a choice” when she and Lisa “reconciled our friendship to accept who you are. And part of who you are is you get heated. You have a bit of a meltdown sometimes, and you move forward.” Lisa agrees.
“But you’re mad at me!” Monica squeals, making this all about her.
Bell’s palsy
It’s not news to anyone who read Heather’s book, but when Monica jokingly wonders if she’s suffered a stroke that’s affecting her face, Heather talks about when she suffered facial paralysis. “It humbled the [expletive] out of me,” she said. “It felt like God struck me down.”
In a confessional, Heather says it was “really a horrible, horrible time of my life. Stress-induced. My husband had just left. I had three kids under the age of 8. And I got struck with facial paralysis, right as I was trying to enter the dating scene.”
Back at the table, she goes on to say, “It’s all in the book, ladies. If you’d just read the book.” Cut to Whitney, who appears to be angry.
(Bravo) Jack Barlow, 18, and his mother, Lisa Barlow.
Give Lisa some grace
Lisa’s son, Jack, is scheduled to leave for the Missionary Training Center in less than two months, and she’s fighting back tears. “It’s just ... I know he’s never really coming home again.” (Meaning he’ll be an adult when he gets back.)
In a confessional, Whitney says, “Lisa’s emotions and behavior have been all over the place the last few months. But hearing her open up and talk about Jack leaving, I’m sure it has something to do with that. So I think that we should give her a little bit of grace.”
Whitney comes unglued
The women get back on the shuttle bus and head to the Swizzle Inn, which Whitney tells them is the oldest bar in Bermuda. There’s a lot more drinking, which may explain what happens next. Lisa inadvertently sets things off when she asks who has read Heather’s book, “Bad Mormon.” Heather tries to keep it light, saying, “It doesn’t matter who’s read it. It matters who’s buying it.”
Whitney, however, decides now is the right time to confront Heather. She just (finally) read the book, and she’s furious that Heather wrote about when she was a boudoir photographer and took pictures of Whitney. “Last night, you were so uncomfortable to talk about sex with [Monica],” Whitney says, “… but you openly write about my sexuality in your book.”
As Heather correctly points out, “I told an anecdote about you soliciting me for a boudoir photo.” She did not write about Whitney’s sex life; she wrote about a sexy photo shoot in a way that was neither lascivious nor exploitative.
(Rich Polk) Whitney Rose at BravoCon.
And yet Whitney accuses Heather of being “hypocritical,” and she falsely accuses her of “sex-shaming” Monica. According to Heather, she told Whitney what she was going to write about her in the book, and even removed part of the story at Whitney’s request.
Whitney, who appears inebriated (again), says, “You won’t talk about your sexuality, but you’ll [expletive] exploit mine in your book to [expletive] sell it.”
Heather did not write about Whitney’s sexuality, and the book was not marketed by claiming she did so. In a confessional, Heather asks, “What is Whitney trying to do — take credit for the book being a bestseller because she and my friends are in it? It’s just not true. … She knows it’s not about her. It’s called ‘Bad Mormon,’ not bad [expletive] friends.”
Whitney won’t let go, repeating her false claims again and again. Heather has had it, telling Whitney, “You sound like an idiot.” Whitney shoots back, “You sound like a hypocrite.” Her expression makes it clear she thinks she’s scored a point, even though she does sound like an idiot.
“I’m an actual New York Times bestselling author,” Heather says. Whitney replies, “Good for you.” Heather calls her a “ridiculous bitch,” and gets up to leave. Whitney blocks her path, and Heather pushes past her.
Whitney follows Heather into the parking lot, yelling at her that she wants to “have a conversation.” Heather replies, “I don’t want to have a conversation with you. You’re drunk, and you’re crazy.” Whitney denies that, but she’s clearly drunk and, arguably, acting crazy.
Heather is furious. When a producer follows her, she tells the woman, “Stop talking, please. I just want to take a minute. I would like to have a think.”
Editor’s note • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.
