Heavy/Getty/NBCUniversal Lisa Barlow.
Lisa Barlow didn’t see a scenario in which she would film “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” with co-star Monica Garcia again.
On the RHOSLC season 4 finale, titled “Mysteries, Revealed?,” Garcia was discovered to be the mastermind of Reality Von Tease, a troll Instagram account that tormented the cast for years. Speaking with Deadline in January 2024, Barlow said “the trust is broken” with Garcia. “I could never trust her again,” Barlow added. “I don’t want her in my home, I don’t want her in my space.”
It turns out she won’t be in Barlow, or any cast members’ space, during filming next season. On January 23, 2024, Andy Cohen and RHOSLC showrunner Lori Gordon confirmed to Variety that Garcia will not return for season 5. “The women just need a cooling off period, and I think it’s just too soon,” Gordon explained. “They’ve articulated it. It’s too soon for them to reenter into a friendship — a trusting friendship. Not enough time has passed.”
The new season of RHOSLC begins filming on February 5, the outlet reported. Gordon did tease “never say never” when asked if Garcia could ever return in the future.
Lisa Barlow Says Monica Garcia Went ‘Too Low’
It would have been hard to imagine Garcia returning to film with the rest of the cast, which includes Barlow, Heather Gay, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose, and Angie Katsanevas. “We let you in our space and this whole time you were going online and bullying every single one of us,” Barlow told Deadline of her former co-star.”The way she was watching all of us and studying us, it felt so dark and creepy and so invasive.”
Throughout filming for RHOSLC 4, Barlow got into several arguments with Garcia. During one argument, Garcia called Barlow “fake” and added, “You are so ugly.” During a finale blowout in Bermuda, she called Barlow “Leather face with Trump hands.”
While Barlow admitted Garcia made for “great TV,” she said he went too low with some of her blows. “It was hard because, for me, it was dealing with someone that’s very sophomoric,” Barlow said. “I like to argue smart. Heather [Gay] and I can dish and take. I think with Monica it was a little hard because her jeers were so low. I mean, how do you respond to someone that’s saying, ‘Fix your face, you’re ugly.’ You can’t respond to that.”
Other RHOSLC Stars Hinted They Wouldn’t Film With Monica Garcia
BravoTHE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF SALT LAKE CITY — Pictured: (l-r) Monica Garcia, Angie Katsanevas
Barlow isn’t the only RHOSLC star who expressed reservations about being around Garcia again. Heather Gay previously told Variety she had no plan to ever film with the mom of four again. “I don’t think I ever will,” Gay said in 2023. “Ever. It’s pretty definitive for myself. I can’t speak for my other cast members but for me it is pretty clear.”
And during a January 2024 interview on the “Scheanangins With Scheana Shay” podcast, Meredith Marks admitted that while casting isn’t up to her, she also had no interest in filming with Garcia. “I mean for me, I would be avoiding,” Marks said. “I do believe everyone deserves a second chance but not always in the same capacity. And you know, it’s just kind of it.”
Garcia previously admitted she was unsure of her status on the Bravo reality show. During an Instagram Live just after the season 4 finale aired in early January, she answered a fan who asked her if she would return for season 5. “I have not been asked back yet,” Garcia replied on January 2, 2024. “I have no idea. So I do not know yet.”
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