Can you believe it’s time for the finale of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City? For the past 12 weeks, we’ve been #blessed as Bravo has brought us into the misunderstood world of Utah society and introduced us to the six stunning Housewives at its core. We got feuds about hospital smell and being a BYU good time girl. There was Sundance, fashion shows and Brooks Marks tracksuits. Mary Cosby spent five full episodes FaceTiming people from her closet. And the cast trip to Vegas brought all the conflict surrounding Jen Shah to an explosive, unforgettable head.
And now, the (supersized) season finale kicks off with all the ‘Wives back in Salt Lake City. Haunted by the memories of what they said and did in the city of sin. (Seriously, the montage of echoing flashbacks was both hilarious and startlingly effective…) Heather Gay is busy prepping for her grand re-opening of Beauty Lab + Laser. And learning the definition of the word “stanchions” along with the rest of us. Meredith Marks is showing off her culinary prowess by cutting up bananas for Seth Marks. And Lisa Barlow has had a change of heart because she’s invited Jen for a drink.
Whaaat? This is certainly an about face. After all, back in Vegas Lisa was the one who declared she flat-out didn’t want to be friends with Jen anymore. But apparently she changed her mind after running into a visibly distraught Jen in the elevator of the NoMad. And now she’s ready to hear her out. Jen arrives contrite. And mostly grateful that even one Housewife reached out to her after Vegas. She tries to articulate why she acts the way she does, and for once, I get it. Utah is an overwhelmingly white state. And as one of the few racial minorities, Jen goes through life with her guard up. Ready to fight at a moment’s notice. But she insists she just loves hard, and hates feeling misunderstood by the other Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
RELATED: Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Star Whitney Rose Thinks Jen Shah And Lisa Barlow Had A Master Plan To Go After Her In Vegas
However, there’s no real way of getting around all the gossiping she’s done regarding Meredith‘s marriage. It’s inexcusable. Which is exactly what Meredith tells Seth when she fills him in on the Vegas drama. Of course, the whispers about the Marks couple was happening long before the cast trip, but at least it all finally was dealt with head on. But you’d better believe Meredith uses the word “disengage” one more time in this conversation, though. She doesn’t think her marital issues are any of the ladies’ business. Seth, however, is of the opposite mind. He tells her to just be honest and open. It’s all out on camera anyway, right? Either way, at some point, Meredith will have to have one more conversation with Jen to put this to bed.
Meanwhile, Whitney Rose is wrapping up her personal storyline with her dad. He’s almost done with his sober living program, which means he’s ready to re-enter the workforce. And he has an audition to become an instructor at a hair school, with Whitney as his hair model. (Side note: hair schools are literally a dime a dozen in Utah. I can’t even tell you.) He jokes and snips his way through the demonstration, and Whitney is nothing but a proud daughter. However, the scene comes with a sad undertone knowing that Whitney’s dad isn’t currently speaking to her.
RELATED: Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Star Jen Shah Regrets Gossiping About Meredith Marks’ Marriage; Hints Whitney Rose Is A “Pot Stirrer”
Next, Meredith drops by Beauty Lab to catch up with Heather. And watching them sit down, it strikes me: is this the first one-on-one scene we’ve seen of these two all season? Normally, they’re on opposite sides but I like this dynamic. Heather is still torn up about the Jen situation. And Meredith’s the best person for her to talk it out with, because they’ve both been wronged by the tempestuous Shah. Tearfully, Heather tries to look at her relationship with Jen the way she would if her daughters had the same type of friend. As a mom, she’d tell them to value themselves, not get walked all over and kick her to the curb. And that’s the same advice she wants to give herself. But the question is whether or not she’ll take it…
Mary‘s finally left her closet! If only for choir practice at her church. Which mostly involves her demanding the congregation shower her with “love” and applause the moment she struts down the aisle. She then proceeds to fat-shame one of the musicians, berate various choir members and drill it into their heads to obey her. Frankly, the wide-eyed admiration so clearly seen on the faces of the flock are…concerning. Is this a cult? Mary may call the church her “rescue” but it’s really both the source of her ego and her bank account. And I’ll never, ever, ever get over the painting of her grandmother holding hands with Jesus in the foyer. Hang that in the Housewives Museum, STAT!
RELATED: Mary Cosby Fell Asleep At Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Season 1 Reunion
It’s finally time for Heather‘s opening, which serves as the big finale party! There are giant pink angel wings. Cotton candy clouds. A flavor-infused oxygen station. And a hot bartender, whom this particular recapper actually happens to have grown up with. And all the ‘Wives are invited, even Mary! (Note: this is the first time she’s filmed with the group since, literally, Sundance in Episode 7.) In a moment of eerie pre-pandemic foreshadowing, Meredith arrives in a sparkling, full face mask that is so high fashion, no one in Utah will get it. Lisa pulls her aside for a chat about Jen, and Meredith is dumbfounded that her bestie is giving her enemy a second chance. The Vida Tequila mogul insists she only wanted to hear Jen out, but it’s odd seeing these two BFFs at odds over, well, anything really.
Over at the oxygen station, Whitney fills Mary in on everything she’s missed. Which is basically half the season at this point. Though to be honest, I have a hard time paying attention to anything the ‘Wives are saying when they both have oxygen tubes coming out their noses. And then…Jen arrives. And the mood changes palpably as all the women see her walk in, draped in fur. The best moment is Mary’s reaction, a completely dismissive eye roll as Jen saunters behind her. These two definitely won’t speak for the rest of the evening.
RELATED: Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Star Mary Cosby Denies Leading A Cult; Denies Taking Money From Church Members To Fund Her Lifestyle
The first person Jen needs to speak to is Meredith. Who hilariously gets caught talking about “being around bad energy” with a random partygoer when Jen cautiously approaches her. Jen attempts to offer a Shah-thentic apology for ever entertaining any gossip about Meredith’s marriage. Which is a little rich considering she didn’t just entertain it, she full-on started it. But OK…However, Meredith is cold as ice. She frigidly tells Jen she needs to operate in her own space. Which means away from her. And admits via confessional that their friendship will likely never be the same. Meredith is done with Jen Shah. But it’s safe to say Jen thinks the conversation went better than it actually did.
The duo are interrupted by Heather, who’s looking for her own apology from Jen. Which gives Meredith the perfect excuse to pull the rip cord and, you guessed it, disengage from the conversation. When it comes to Heather, Jen simply doesn’t understand what she did wrong. Because apparently screaming in her face, pushing her, smacking her hand and forcing her to choose sides over her cousin isn’t enough of a reason. Not to mention generally treating Heather terribly as a friend and dismissing her feelings. All Heather wants is for their friendship to be equal. Not this one-sided game of blind loyalty Jen demands.
RELATED: Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Star Heather Gay Denies That Jen Shah Amps Up Her Personality For The Camera; Says She Has Reactions Like That All The Time
Eventually, their argument escalates and they’re joined by the other women. (Sans Mary, who’s probably off wondering what the “AF” on the napkins stands for…) Lisa tries to defuse the situation, but Heather isn’t backing down. And frankly, I’m proud to see her finally standing up for herself in this friendship. Even if Jen can’t grasp fully what she’s done, she wants to apologize and move on. But not before refusing to let Heather share her lip gloss. To be honest, the root of the issue doesn’t really get resolved before the ladies once again brush it under the rug. But hey, that’s what the reunion’s for, right?
And then, sadly, the finale ends. But not before we get our beloved “Where Are They Now?” cards over…surprisingly jaunty music. Seriously, where did the choir go? The music made absolutely no sense at all. Jen‘s hired her eighth assistant and is spending more FaceTime dates with Coach Shah. Whitney‘s working on a new skincare line. Lisa‘s not done becoming Utah’s own Warren Buffet. Meredith‘s still not moving to Canton, Ohio for Seth. Mary‘s venturing outside of her closet more often, while keeping her skeletons inside of course. And Heather‘s finally embracing her life as a “non-practicing Mormon” while searching for the perfect meatball lollipop. Next week, the reunion kicks off as the first debut season three-parter in Housewives history! Because the RHOSLC ladies are just that iconic.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF SALT LAKE CITY FINALE? DID JEN’S APOLOGY TOUR MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE? WAS IT WORTH IT FOR MARY TO EMERGE FROM HER CLOSET?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]