Camp is the point on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
RHOSLC Recap
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is perfect television. I’ve compared it to seasons 9 through 11 of The Real Housewives of New York. This got some pushback (from mostly annoying people!) who claimed the show doesn’t have the nuance and pathos that RHONY did. First of all, a lot of RHONY stans like to imagine they were watching Oscar Wilde's plays when the show was on the air. They were all drunk white women screaming at one another. The pathos came in their hunger for fame and relevance as their marriages and social status crumbled. There’s pathos in this show too. Sure, it’s camp. But as Ryan Petersen said in Paper this week with the RHONY reboot, “These chic ladies lack any real bite, and the cast’s cooler-than-thou attitudes feel put on. Ironically, the scene-chewery of Salt Lake City feels far more authentic.”
The thing that makes RHOSLC work is that from the first episode, it felt like Housewives on steroids. And as pop culture continues to parody the franchise and fans quote the series endlessly, the fact that these women know they’re creating television and because in such operatic, diva ways feels like you’re watching Gena Rowlands in Opening Night or Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard. The only point is that the institution of Housewives is crumbling! And these women know it. And that’s why the gladiator battles in the Coliseum now have sharks in them.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Season 5, Episode 12: “Mazel, Meredith”
Grade: A+
The day of Meredith’s bat mitzvah arrives. We see that she’s been practicing her Hebrew — so much that she’s even practiced in the bathtub, where she usually lives. Her entire family is there for her branded bat mitzvah — chilled Meredith Marks caviar and monogrammed yarmulke — even Reid, the hot straight son who refuses to be on this damn TV show. After what he experiences, I’m sure he will never appear on this show again!
Heather is the first to arrive with her daughter Georgia, and she snatches up an espresso martini, even though they get her drunk as hell. She’s in a blinged-out dress, and so is Bronwyn, who arrives after. They exchange pleasantries, which is not as shocking as the fact that I have switched back to Heather’s side in their fight after this episode? I know it’s shocking, but Britani’s fun chaos is also messy as hell, and we’ll later find out that maybe Miss Heather was right when she clocked her.
Whitney avoids Lisa and tells Heather she’s still mad at Bronwyn for lying on her. Now, Whitney, she didn’t lie. The editors showed that you said exactly what Bronwyn said! Britani, the Mormon who definitely doesn’t drink, shows up with a bottle of Josh wine. Whitney throws Britani a compliment that would be shade coming from anyone else: “I noticed you’ve been getting more daring with your nails!” They’re definitely… flashy. Lisa snarks to Angie, “I don’t do that, it’s a little bridge and tunnel.”
Meili and her hot husband arrive. Sadly, the hot husband vanishes for the rest of the episode. I’m sure the editors would’ve loved to drop Meili from this episode completely, but you can thank Bronwyn for all of Meili’s screen time this week. More on that later. The ladies wonder if Mary is going to show, given her fight with Meredith. I’m not even sure if Angie overhears this, but the editors close in on her face to pretend she has, in order to flashback to a scene between Angie and Mary.
Mary tells Angie she’ll consider coming to the bat mitzvah, but she has a lot going on. Mary is on the verge of tears but not ready to share with Angie what Robert Jr. is going through.
Back in the present, Britani is pressed about Angie calling her a “slut.” Btw, she’s mad that Angie says she was “fucking 10 guys.” If you recall, BRITANI is the one who said she was juggling 10 guys last week! Once again, she’s doing the most! But I can’t help but love the thirsty girl. I’m so glad she got a spot at the reunion! Meanwhile, the seating arrangement came out and Whitney is sitting all the way in Alibaba. Exactly what she deserves this season!
