Heavy/Bravo/YouTube Monica Garcia, Whitney Rose, Meredith Marks, Lisa Barlow, Angie Katsanevas, Heather Gay
“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” newcomer Monica Garcia shocked her fans, co-stars, and the show’s production team by hiding the fact that she was at least partially behind the Instagram account Reality Von Tease all season long. After her secret came out in the explosive season 4 finale, fans wondered if Garcia would be able to return to the series for another season, or if there was too much bad blood between her and the other Housewives.
In a January 19 interview for The Hollywood Reporter, three of the producers responsible for the show’s success opened up about whether or not they think Garcia will be able to come back for a second season, and how they felt about being blindsided by the Reality Von Tease reveal.
NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Senior VP Noah Samton told The Hollywood Reporter that he has had countless conversations about Garcia’s future on the show with showrunner Lori Gordon and Shed Media Senior VP Lisa Shannon.
“She is a great cast member,” Samton said. “She’s open and vulnerable and she represents a different kind of person in Salt Lake than we have on the show. She comes from a different background and there’s a lot about her that the audience can relate to in a way that’s different from the other women. But at the same time, there’s the deception, there’s the relationship with the other cast members. It’s a really complicated puzzle. From a rating standpoint, you would want to find a way for her to come back. But it’s really challenging in this situation. We’re just trying to figure it out.”
Shannon added that there are a lot of unknowns as Garcia’s situation is unlike anything they’ve dealt with before on the show. “I mean, it was one thing with Lisa and Meredith and the ‘piece of s*** garbage whore,’ all of that [infamous hot mic moment]. But this is a different beast than I think any of us have dealt with. So we’re kind of moving our way through it,” Shannon said.
One factor that could influence Garcia’s potential to return is her relationships with her remaining cast members. Co-star Heather Gay made it clear to People in November 2023 that she had no intention of filming with Garcia again after both the Reality Von Tease reveal and the legal battle between Gay’s business Beauty Lab and Laser and Garcia.
Fans Want Monica Garcia to Do a Reality Competition Show
Fans have weighed in on both sides of the debate, with some vehemently opposed to Garcia returning to RHOSLC and others demanding her return.
Garcia shared a fan video on her Instagram page on January 22 calling for her return. In it, the fan says, “I feel like for years Housewives fans have wanted someone to just step up and unapologetically be a villain, but also entertaining. That’s Monica!”
While some users may not want Garcia back on RHOSLC, some users thought she’d be a great fit for certain reality competition shows built around lying and deception, and shared their thoughts on Twitter.
“The Real Housewives franchise is not for Monica… but! She’s going to do great on other shows… #HouseofVillians #TraitorsUS #bigbrother etc. I honestly can’t wait to to see her on other platforms, because she’s definitely going to those calls! #RHOSLC,” one fan wrote.
“IDK about another season but Monica Garcia will absolutely be on The Traitors 3,” another user added.
“❄️❄️Me, to the Peacock execs about NEEDING Monica VonTEAse on the Traitor season 3,” a third user wrote alongside a throwback video of Teresa Giudice shouting “Get her ass back here!” at a previous New Jersey Housewives reunion show.
❄️❄️Me, to the Peacock execs about NEEDING Monica VonTEAse on the Traitor season 3 #RHOSLC #TheTraitors2