What to expect on the ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ Season 4

Season 4 of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” premieres tonight on Bravo and will probably determine whether or not the show has a future without one of its primary cast members, convicted criminal Jen Shah.

The SLC franchise, as it stands right now, does not seem to be thriving. I personally know four people who have been contacted by Shed Media, the production company that makes the show, and asked if they’d be interested in auditioning. And I don’t know that many people.

When last we left the women of Salt Lake, or more accurately, the suburbs surrounding Salt Lake, Shah had just pleaded guilty to criminal charges for her role in a telemarketing scheme. Since Season 3’s conclusion, Shah was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison, taking the cast from five women to four.

Time and previous franchises have proven that a “Real Housewives” city needs at least six women to thrive. So for Season 4, Angie Katsanevas, who was previously “a friend of” (or guest star) is now a certified Housewife, as is newcomer Monica Garcia.

Related

• Jen Shah sentenced to 78 months in federal prison

• When reality TV gets too real — behind the downfall of Salt Lake’s most notorious ‘Real Housewife’

Katsanevas and Garcia join Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Heather Gay and Whitney Rose , who have all been on the show since its beginning in 2020.

Additionally, chaos agent Mary Cosby — best known for marrying her step-grandfather and arguing with Shah for an entire season about the smell of hospitals — is back, after disappearing from the show last season. Whether she was fired for a number of problematic remarks or chose to leave of her own accord remains unclear, and her return, in my opinion, speaks to the producers’ desperation.

But Season 4 could be a turning point now that there are more feathers in the cast quiver, and more options for cast trip destinations. The women may now travel to locations outside of the U.S., something they couldn’t do last season due to Shah’s court-ordered travel restrictions. Those restrictions kept their trips to such exotic locations as Scottsdale, Arizona, a destination that would make sense if they were retirees who enjoy gold but they aren’t and they don’t (as far as I know).

But rumor has it the cast traveled to Bermuda for Season 4, an arguably much more exotic location than one state over and far more luxurious.

Luxury, and the escapism it provides the viewers, is what this franchise lacks most compared to series set in cities like Beverly Hills and New York, but the show might be moving in that direction. Since Season 3 ended, Heather Gay’s book became a New York Times bestseller and she moved into a home with more than 7,000 square feet. Once the underdog of the show, and often the target of Shah’s many outbursts, Gay seems to be well on her way to making her mark as a bona fide Salt Lake City mover and shaker alongside her castmates who wear exclusively designer and rub shoulders with stars in Park City. The previews for the season suggest that new housewife Garcia will feel like an outsider because of her inability to afford the lifestyle of the other women, which promises to be the most relatable storyline of the show so far.

If the first look trailer is to be believed, Barlow’s son Jack’s upcoming mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be a major plot point, which kind of makes me want to crawl out of my own skin from discomfort, but probably would be an interesting inside look for viewers outside the state.

Marks appears to be upset with Rose for remarks she may or may not have made about bathtub cleanliness. There seems to be a party where everyone wears a bonnet, which is such a ridiculous and delightful image it makes me want to crawl back into my skin. Everyone is mad at everyone else. Rumors abound about friendships, marriages and business acumen, including allegations of money laundering, which I hope are unfounded because I do not have the energy to cover another court case and conviction from this cast.

“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” may not be thriving in the wake of the Shah legal troubles and the oxygen those troubles took up on the show. But her absence might give the other women room to shine, or at least shine their designer boots after they wear them to shovel the walk.