RHOSLC Season 5 Premiere: Five Key Takeaways

After last season’s drama Reality Von Tease, more eyes were on the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 5 premiere bigger than ever. It was clear the producers knew this if the RHOSLC ultra-dramatic pre-credits sequence was any indication.

In the Season 5 premiere, it’s been nine months since Heather Gay had her big moment in Bermuda, and two months since they got back together. Lisa Barlow threw a “Besos”-themed Galentine’s Day party for all of her girlfriends, including the three new RHOSLC cast members. In no “Monica Garcia is Reality Von Tease” twist, the night ended in shouting matches instead of sisterhood and solidarity.

Viewers were worried that Season 5 would be a disappointment. Those fears were stoked when Monica claimed that the producers wanted her to return. But Lisa and Meredith Marks insisted that this is actually the best season yet. We’ll just have to wait and see if that’s the case. The premiere certainly gave us a lot to talk about. Now, let’s unfurl our scrolls like Angie Katsanevas and take a look at the episode’s biggest moments.

Who’s the real RHOSLC villain, Whitney or Lisa?

Now that Monica is off the show, viewers have been wondering who the villain of RHOSLC would be. In early February, Whitney Rose threw Lisa under the bus on (what else) Nick Viall’s podcast. The show played a clip of Whitney declaring, “Lisa has always been the bad guy!” This clearly didn’t sit well with Lisa, who decided that Whitney was actually the bad guy.

Lisa was mad at Whitney for showing up at all (who’s to tell her Whitney would never miss taping the first group event of the season). Whitney didn’t say hello to Heather – as we know, all is not well between the cousins. Bad Weather is over, it’s Bad Leather now. Whitney even made a sarcastic comment to Angie about how Lisa and Heather are best friends now.

Lisa repeatedly called Whitney a liar. And, as we saw in the season preview, Justin Rose eventually intervenes to tell her to stop. She also accused Whitney of using her “hilling” trip to feel morally superior. Meredith and Heather also brought up old issues with Whitney. By the end of the party, Whitney was starting to feel hijacked. At least she had an ally in her friend Meili Workman. And Angie K, who Lisa and Heather were very upset about. We got a hint of what led to Angie and Lisa’s feud.

Whitney was certainly very rude at the party. She called Lisa “self-absorbed” and left after giving her the finger. But Lisa should remember that many viewers don’t like to see a cast member get taken advantage of. So it’s not set in stone that Whitney is the bad guy. In fact, Lisa just named another woman as the ultimate villain of Season 5.

Meredith talked about the bath Bumps bombs at RHOSLC premiere

We all know that baths are Meredith’s thing. In case anyone forgot, the opening scenes showed Meredith taking a bubble bath in her new home. After coming for Meredith’s tub last year, Whitney launched a bath bomb as one of her business ventures. Since baths are Meredith’s thing, she was annoyed. While Meredith accused Whitney of copying her, RHOSLC’s Wild Rose insisted she wasn’t, and a new little feud was born.

But of course it wasn’t all about the bath bombs. Meredith was still angry about the way she was attacked last year. And she wasn’t happy with how they left it at the reunion.

Angie K wasn’t over it either, as we saw with her scroll (shout out to the editors for giving the scroll its own music cue). Angie brought up the rumors and meanness, the Greek mafia gossip, and Meredith telling Monica she could press charges against Angie. It’s clear Whitney and Angie are a team this year, and Meredith isn’t a fan. The opening teaser also showed Meredith yelling at Whitney for looking through her phone.

Mary Cosby is playing pretty well (…to a point) on RHOSLC so far

Perhaps Mary Cosby’s return to full-time came with some strings attached. Like, at the very least, pretending to be friends with the other women. Because in the premiere, Mary was acting a little…friendly?

During the Season 4 reunion, Mary was asked if she liked one of her co-stars. Of course, she said Meredith, even though we know from the trailer that the two have a beef. She also said she liked Angie K, which surprised the RHOSLC Greek goddess. It turned out to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship! They even showed up at Lisa’s party with matching handbags and sunglasses. As Angie recalled, it started with her telling Mary that she had lipstick on her teeth. Then Mary invited her to Kathy Hilton’s Christmas party and the friendship was born. “Life is weird,” was basically Mary’s explanation.

Mary also complimented Heather for the first time ever. And Heather knew exactly why. Especially since Mary had body-shamed her on Watch What Happens Live the previous year. “I went from inbred to pretty and skinny,” Heather said, wondering if this was the beginning of a new friendship with Mary. There was a line, though. Mary wasn’t a fan of Heather’s friend Britani Bateman. Or her jacket, which Mary mistook for dirt. Or her confession that she kept sandwiches in her purse as a kid.

Bronwyn Makes a Big Impact on RHOSLC

All eyes were on Bronwyn Newport as she made her entrance – especially since her giant heart-shaped coat could be seen from miles away! Mary, playing nice, complimented her coat and defended Bronwyn’s look as fashion, not costume. Bronwyn also wore a fluffy red dress in her first confessional. The new Housewife joked: “I’m totally dressed as a Tim Burton character and I feel great, thanks for asking!” Bronwyn’s bizarre style has already garnered her a lot of attention before the premiere, with the actress calling her aesthetic “funny chaos.”

Lisa raved about her friend, calling Bronwyn “super fun, super smart, super crazy.” She also called her “over the top,” which feels very fitting. Especially when the show cuts to Bronwyn wearing a matching puffer jacket, bra top, hot pants and boots, while carrying a duck bag. As I wondered what the weather might be like that day, editors revealed it was 37 degrees.

It’s not just her wardrobe that’s over the top. She also has six dogs, all named after House of Cards (the American version, not the British original) characters.

Monica was never the (only) problem on RHOSLC

The opening minutes of the episode showed Heather admitting that disowning Monica wasn’t the end of the group’s problems. She called the group obsessed with receipts (and certainly implied proof, screenshots, and timelines). Clearly, her assertion to Monica that everyone in the group is truly friends (not to mention that group hug) might not hold up under scrutiny.

The dramatic ending that set up the rest of the season proved this, and perhaps gave a hint that Monica would appear (or at least be mentioned) later in the season. Heather was overheard chiding one of her castmates for reaching out to their “sworn enemy.” Whitney then said she needed proof of something. Did she reach out to Monica, who sided with Whitney after the premiere? It also seems that the Reality Von Tease revelation put the Real Housewives on edge. One of the ladies is accused of recording the others. And we already know that Heather is suspicious of Bronwyn.

It certainly seems like Monica, despite what Whitney said, wasn’t the only one with a “dirty little secret” on this cast. Thankfully, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City are keeping their mouths shut about it this season, just like they did last year. We’ll just have to wait and see if that means an equally stunning finale.

RHOSLC is available to stream on Peacock.

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