Monica GarciajoinedThe Real Housewives Of Salt Lake Citywith the stunning news that she had participated as a witness in the federal investigation intoJen Shah’stelemarketing crimes. Shah is currently serving a 6.5-year sentence in federal prison. And that is just the first in a long list of shocking moments Monica brought to her first season as a housewife on the Bravoreality series. In the wake of the reveal in the season four finale that Monica helps to run Realityvontease2, a fake Instagram account, or “finsta,” that hastrolled the Salt Lake City housewivessince 2021, the newbie’s future on the show now appears uncertain, or at minimum, fired if you believe the reports surfacing.
The three-part reunion made clear that the other women are not comfortable filming with Monica next season.Speaking with producers,Variety confirmsthat season five will begin filming without her as “the cast need a cooling-off period.“Just after the final installment of the reunion aired, Monica posted a photo of herself onInstagramwith the “burn book” she created, with all the posts printed out from the infamous Instagram account in it.The caption underneath the photoreads: “Might publish a book. What, like it’s hard?” Considering Monica’s remarkable life so far, coupled with the alleged proof that the other Salt Lake City housewives engaged with the social media account that they claim to be victims of, her book would sell. The publisher should consider hiring a thorough fact-checking team, but certainly, it would sell. Monica would be fine with or withoutThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, because she is resourceful, not because she has the vast resources that the other women have at their disposal. But without at least an appearance from Monica next season, the other women will continue to play nice to the camera when there are real disagreements beneath the surface-level friendships they portray.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Set against the stunning backdrop of Utah’s mountain ranges, a reality TV series follows a group of affluent women navigating life in Salt Lake City. The show captures their opulent lifestyles, complex relationships, and personal and religious challenges, providing a unique glimpse into how tradition and modernity clash in a tightly-knit community.
Monica’s Contribution To Season Four Of ‘RHOSLC’ Was Epic
Viewers were hooked when Monica was first introduced on the show as someone who was once a friend and then an employee of the infamous Jen Shah. When asked byAndy Cohenhow best to describe their relationship, Monica replies:“I would describe it as friends first. And then I worked for her. And then… enemies, I guess?“Co-starHeather Gay, who remained questionably loyal to Jen up until the season finale,accuses Monica of using her friend to learn about the housewives, as a stepping stone to get on the show. “I think you had an agenda.” The question remains if working hard to earn a spot on the show - first as an assistant, then as a federal witness - makes Monica less relatable or less valuable as a housewife in any way. It understandably makes her less trustworthy to her co-stars, but that certainly does not make her less entertaining.
Monica proves herself to be shockingly forthcoming about her life during her first season onThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. She speaks about her affair with her brother-in-law. She features her incredibly toxic and tumultuous relationship with her mother. She also shares heartwarming time spent with her four daughters, highlighting her life as a single mom. At the reunion, even after being relentlessly badgered by her co-stars throughout the evening,she shows gratitude for the support she received from the other women for opening up about the process of being excommunicated and then eventually rebaptized in theLDS Church.What is shockingly refreshing about Monica as a housewife is how quick she is to hold herself accountable for her choices. Her apologies may sometimes be too quick to be believed, but Monica always has something interesting to say.
Mary Cosby Is the MVP of ‘RHOSLC’ For Exposing Racism in the Mormon Church
RHOSLC finally addresses the elephant in the room about the Mormon church history with racism.
Monica admits to having receiveda taste of her own medicinenow that her best friend and fellow Instagram authorTenesha Lucketthas released their private communications to Heather for them to be weaponized in her case against Monica. A humbled Monica, who better understands the harm she has caused to the other women now that she is subject to similar online harassment herself, should absolutely be featured next season.
Monica Seemingly Saved ‘RHOSLC’ and Should Return
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake Cityneeds Monica to move forward. She has proven herself to be someone who keeps other women on their toes. Monica may not be popular with the ladies, but she has demonstrated her ability to force them to talk about the husband, the black eye, the telemarketing scheme, or any other topic they would rather keep off-camera.The other Salt Lake City wives have gotten too skilled at showing only portions of their real lives.
Meredith Marksis always dependable for a quotable moment like this season’s “nastiness and rumors.” But the other women are quick to note thatMeredith prefers to work from the shadows and keep her hands clean.Anything that she is up to is certain to remain off-camera, and viewers only get to see the clumsy attempts her cast mates make at repeating the rumors she has prepped them to spread. While this can create entertaining levels of chaos within the group, a propensity for luxurious bathing and rumor-spreading is not enough to carry Meredith through an entire season.
Angie Katsanevasand Meredith prove at the reunion that they will go back and forth forever in an argument, at consistently increasing volumes, until they are somehow interrupted. Their feud this season lacks substance, however, since Meredith lacks transparency. Angie has proven herself to have an interesting life at home, and on a series where the premise is to share the reality of the cast’s daily life, her marital struggles to connect with her husband should make for relatable TV. However,Angie seems determined to portray their marriage as one that deals with only the occasional struggle in an otherwise perfect life.Without the drama of someone like Monica holding everyone accountable for portraying only a certain version of their “reality”, the group seems at a point with one another that their only options are to either argue incessantly or to play fake-nice. As Monica snaps at Angie when she tries to speak over her at the reunion: “Stop talking! This doesn’t even involve you, just like most of the season.” A season without Monica holding the cast accountable with hard-hitting questions and her chaotic energy will be a complete bore.
Just as other women need someone to keep them accountable,Mary Cosbyneeds someone to get along with. Monica seems to enjoy Mary’s energy, just as all women do, and shockingly, Mary seems to enjoy Monica’s company too. A season that allows fan-favorite Mary to be more than a fleeting presence would improve the show. While she provides zany commentary wherever she does appear,Mary’s blunt observations can alternate between entertaining and uncomfortable.As Andy notes:“But sometimes you say kind of horrible things to people’s faces.“With someone like Monica to balance out her less favorable comments, the duo could terrorize the other ladies without alienating them altogether.As Mary observes, she considers it a good thing in this group that she at least says things to people’s faces.
Whitney Rose, too, is someone in need of a cast member who can better understand her. The reunion made it clear that she and Monica might have more in common than they were ready to admit. Whitney extends compassion to Monica during a segment featuring her rocky relationship with her mother. Whitney’s struggles with her father have been featured on the show, and she leans over to tell Monica:“Until you have the opportunity to see it from the outside looking in, you have no idea how much you are being manipulated and abused and how toxic it is.“Even though Whitney made it clear she would need time away from Monica before trust could be earned back,there were also moments during the reunion when she was delighted by her cast mate’s antics.Whitney has shown her empathetic nature many times throughout the series, and the two women bonding over their similar traumas could provide a path forward in season five.
When Monica is activated, the most outrageous things come out of her mouth. She often manages to stun even the loquaciousLisa Barlowto silence. At the reunion, however, Monica can barely speak without Lisa interjecting loudly over her. By the end of the reunion, it is clear that Monica has lost her spirit after the women have spent so long overriding her explanations. As Mary observes:“I think they should hear her out. Like, I don’t think they’re letting her talk.“When backed into a corner, Monica can resort to ageist attacks and other childish insults aimed at the cast. However, the other women’s anger does not allow much room for explanation and Monica’s silence by the end of the reunion speaks for her. While she occasionally gets carried away in a tirade, and her stories are often too mixed up to make sense, when Monica does speak, whatever comes out of her mouth is entirely entertaining. If she were allowed to truly bond with other women, to be less defensive, and let her guard down among friends, she could evolve into a top-tier housewife.
Heather Gay Needs to Explain Defending Jen Shah
Heather needs to be held accountable next season for lying on behalf of Jen Shah. Monica is right to point out the hypocrisy of Heather holding her feet to the fire for a fake Instagram account when she soopenly defended her “ride-or-die” best friend, who has now been convicted of a felony.Andy notes the parallels between Heather lying about the black eye and Monica lying about the “finsta” account, and that both women have been somewhat traumatized by their relationship with Jen. He even asks Heather if the grace that she is asking for herself with the black eye scandal, should not also be extended to her co-star. If Monica had a little more fight left in her, she could have easily made a case for her own return next season based on Andy’s observations alone. However, as the reunion was wrapping up, Andy asks if the usually vivacious Monica has anything left to say to the other women. After a pause, she responds with a lackluster “No.” After being spoken over the entire evening, Monica has given up on trying to communicate at all.
If the producers ofThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake Citydo not intend to offer Monica a contract for next season, it would be to the detriment of the franchise. Filming for season five picks up on July 04, 2025. While producers have agreed the women need some time to rebuild after season four, the general attitude on Monica’s eventual return seems to be “never say never.” While the ladies are not eager to film with Monica yet, Andy Cohen recently referred to her not returning to film next season as a “break” rather than a permanent exit on a recentWatch What Happens Live. With her contribution to season four,Monica has more than earned her spot.For the franchise’s own sake, the “break” should see Monica return sooner rather than later.
Catch up on season four and past seasons of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Peacock.Watch on Peacock
