As the fifth season of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” winds down, the memory of Monica Garcia has never been more present.
The former Housewife blazed through season 4 by propagating rumors about her more tenured castmates before it was revealed that Garcia was allegedly the infamous “Reality von Tease.” The big news — and Heather Gay’s shout of “Receipts! Proof! Timeline! Screenshots!” — launched a thousand memes.
This week’s episode, which picks up on the girls’ trip to Puerto Vallarta, shows how much Monica’s “betrayal” (Heather’s word) has affected the group’s dynamic: The castmates watch suspiciously for signs of another transgression; meanwhile, Heather is on the prowl for new opportunities to play amateur sleuth.
Anyone naively walking into this atmosphere will get eaten alive. This week, it was Britani Bateman.
Britani hits ‘record’
(Bravo) The cast members catch Britani Bateman, right foreground, recording their conversations in a Sprinter van, in an episode of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
Britani’s problems start in the iconic Sprinter van, when someone notices that she has her phone out and is apparently recording the disagreement already in progress.
Several cast members, loudly and all at once, demand Britani to give up her phone and explain why she’s recording. The sternest voice is that of Meredith Marks, who from the back row of the van calls Britani “vile” and declares “I’ve had enough.”
Meredith is already unhappy with Britani, because Britani started a rumor the day before that Meredith was up late vomiting — implying that Meredith has an eating disorder.
Britani tells the others that she was only making a video of the Mexican scenery for her daughter — and that any recording of their conversation was accidental. But, the producers note, that’s the first of four excuses Britani gives, and the castmates aren’t buying what Whitney Rose in confessional calls “this little naive ‘I don’t know how to flip a camera around’” routine.
“We don’t even do that to each other when we’re hating each other,” Whitney tells Britani in the van.
Heather, in confessional, calls Britani’s recording “literally the worst invasion of privacy that we can imagine.”
Everyone in the van, except for Mary Cosby, yells at Britani. When they arrive at their destination, Britani goes off alone for a hard cry. Whitney tries to comfort her, though she seems to keep her emotional distance. In confessional, Whitney says, “We probably took it too far.”
The castmates had been on the way to an activity that trip-planner Lisa Barlow had scheduled for them: Driving ATVs in the muddy jungle. It’s two to a vehicle, and Heather isn’t thrilled that she’s paired with Britani.
Britani is driving, and Heather, in confessional, describes the ride: “Sitting in silence with the most-hated person on the trip. … I want her hands at 10-and-2, not secretly recording.”
Britani’s big secret
(Bravo) Bronwyn Newport, left, and Britani Bateman talk over lunch in Puerto Vallarta, in an episode of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
Back at the villas for lunch, Britani stays quiet — but soon faces more criticism over the recording incident. Heather says she’s sick of defending Britani, while Meredith adds, “You are a liar. I’m not OK with it. Period.”
Britani apologizes for recording, which she said she did with no ill intentions. Then, near tears, she declares that “there’s only one thing that I haven’t come clean about on this trip.”
After a dramatic pause, Britani tells them: “Jared and I, we do have a physical relationship.” That’s Jared Osmond, her on-again, off-again boyfriend. (Last month, Britani and Jared became “Instagram official.”)
Some at the table are unimpressed by Britani’s news, questioning the relevance of that bombshell compared to the alleged secret recordings.
But Heather, Whitney and Bronwyn Newport — who were raised in but later left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — all seem to grasp the weight Britani’s admission carries.
Britani has many relatives who are active in the faith; a couple of her brothers are bishops in the church, she says. “Me saying that out loud is going to change my life forever,” she tells the castmates.
Heather tells the others that “for her to say that is like coming out of the closet.” Whitney says she empathizes, because she was kicked out of the church for having an affair with her now-husband, Justin Rose. Bronwyn, in confessional, recalls the stigma she felt for years after she became pregnant before marriage while studying at Brigham Young University.
Bronwyn tells Britani that “you’ve got to stop internalizing that shame.” But Bronwyn doesn’t let Britani off the hook entirely, telling her that “you’ve also really got to stop saying, ‘I’m going to shame other people to keep a secret for myself.’”
Heather brings it full circle, connecting her own alienation from her Latter-day Saint roots to her current friendships with the Real Housewives.
“In my [Latter-day Saint] world, I have no value, I’m a failure, I’m a joke,” Heather tells Britani. “These women are the ones that have told me that’s not true.”
Bronwyn and Lisa, continued
(Bravo) Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks and Whitney Rose, from left, at lunch in Puerto Vallarta, in an episode of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
The van conversation that Britani’s recording interrupted immediately followed the end of the previous episode, when Bronwyn complained that Lisa wasn’t being a good friend.
That complaint came after Bronwyn opened up about her husband, Todd Bradley, and his past emotional infidelity. (On Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” after the Dec. 18 episode, the last one before the holiday break, Bronwyn clarified that there was no physical infidelity.)
This week’s episode begins with a game of “telephone,” where Lisa recounts to Meredith a talk she had with Bronwyn — referencing a separate talk Bronwyn had with Whitney, Heather and Angie Katsanevas. (Producers provide clips to help viewers keep track.)
In the latter conversation, Angie and Whitney both suggested that Lisa and Meredith may have shown sympathy for Todd, because they have been accused of being unfaithful themselves.
Angie raises the topic again at dinner that night, mostly to ask if Bronwyn was throwing Angie under the bus by later talking to Lisa. Bronwyn tells Angie that she only talked to Lisa about what she said, not what others said.
Bronwyn, in confessional, says, “This was about Lisa and I getting clear, and getting on the same page. I’m not going to be twisted into thinking I did something wrong here.”
Heather plays detective
(Bravo) Heather Gay, left, and Meredith Marks investigate whether there's a listening device planted in Meredith's room, in an episode of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
Before dinner, Meredith and Heather are talking about Britani — and Meredith wonders how Britani got the idea that Meredith had been vomiting.
Meredith says that she had a coughing fit in the middle of the night, and maybe that’s what Britani heard. But the villa rooms are well-insulated. So how could Britani have heard Meredith that?
Heather, apparently eager to exercise her inner Sherlock again, asks if Britani could have planted a listening device in Meredith’s room. They look around, and no such devices are found. Heather’s alternate suggestion is a sound check — having someone speak loudly in Meredith’s room, to see if people outside the room can hear it.
At dinner, Meredith asks Britani, point blank, “Did you put a recording device in my room?” Britani is shocked, and answers, “Absolutely, no.”
Mary is surprised by this accusation, saying in confessional that there’s no benefit to Britani planting a bug in Meredith’s room, because “Meredith is boring.”
After dinner, Meredith blows up at several of the castmates for gossiping about her supposed vomiting. Meredith goes into her room to talk to Lisa about how poorly she’s being treated, speaking loudly enough that no listening devices were necessary.
On that note, we were left to wait for next week’s season finale.
The season 5 finale of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” is scheduled to air on Bravo on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. Eastern time — 6 p.m. Mountain time on DirecTV and Dish, and 9 p.m. Mountain time on Xfinity. (The show streams the next day on Peacock.)
