The RHOSLC: Is Monica Coming Back for Season 5? (UPDATED W BREAKING NEWS!)

January 22, 2024
ALEXANDER

The RHOSLC: Is Monica Coming Back for Season 5?

(SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE!)

When an Academy Award Winner (Jennifer Lawrence), a Congressman (Robert Garcia), and the world of social media start quoting from your show, you know it’s a hit. This year, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC) finale caused a sensation. No one could be prepared for what was to be revealed in the season finale.

The season preceding the megaevent was full of backstabbing, gossip, and sassy one-liners that audiences have grown accustomed to on any of the Housewives franchises. But this group of women took that beyond. Yes, they drink, curse, and shade just like all the other casts, but these women had a bit of a different bite to them. Maybe it was from all the charcuterie boards they consumed, maybe it was all of the drinks some of the so-called Mormons drank, maybe it was the snow, or maybe their questionable label clothing choices were to blame, but the season 4 cast didn’t waste any time in coming to play ball.

These women seemed to have saved the waning franchise. In other casts, we’ve seen this type of action before. But with cast members going to jail, husband’s sexuality being called into question, and drag queen Trixie Mattel getting involved, it just became a separate beast and brought some much-needed new attention to the Housewives world that has been on the scene since OC Housewives debuted in 2006. Everyone was talking about this series. We had to binge watch the series in two days just to catch up to everyone’s chatter about the RHOSLC finale.

(Spoiler Alert)

One of the Housewives in question is Monica with the four-changing last names. A single mother, trying to keep her house afloat while competing with the money and egos of the rest of the cast, we initially felt for her and wanted to hang out with her. We also felt for her and her strained family issues with her mom. We also liked the fact that she was honest about some of her past transgressions in the bedroom (the gays love to kiss and tell). She held her own against the rest of the cast, with some of the other women taking her under their wing. We especially liked it when she threw caution to the wind and totally gave in to a mega drag queen makeover, wig, big eyebrows, and all. But, little by little, red flags started to pop up. Her temper really started to flare up with her elements of her life were being called into question. She went from sassy diva to mean bully in a heartbeat. Not in a fun way. She was down and out mean, yet not too crafty in her attacks on the other women. Where were the fun one-liners? She would resort to mocking the other women by simply throwing their words back in their faces…but it wasn’t even funny and she came off looking like a first grader on the playground. Her façade was starting to slip.

In the finale, which was too convoluted to contrive, Heather (one of the other Housewives) confirmed with her investigative team that Monica had been behind the social media account titled Reality Von Tease (since been purged of most posts). Apparently, the account had been used to attack, troll, and reveal scandalous details about members of the cast for years leading up to the final moment. Monica, cornered, admitted that she was part of a team that ran the account but was not the only one to blame. And, during the reunion, we also find out Monica had been more involved in the Housewives’ lives prior to filming than when we thought, with a definite goal to be on the show. In true Monica form, she did not cower back but fired away in her usual style. Though she didn’t commit a crime (unlike former cast members), the other women felt slighted, lied to, and tricked. That account has attacked them all on a very personal level.

During the first two parts of the RHOSLC reunion, we see clearly that all of her cast mates (except for crazy Mary – don’t ask, she’s on some other planet) have abandoned her and haven’t spoken to her since filming. They are DONE! Even Executive Producer and reunion host Andy Cohen seemed perplexed by her lies. Her actions and ease in lying make us reconsider some of her tearful stories, such as not being allowed to see her distant family during a Bermuda trip – a real story or a tearful lie to get sympathy and screen time?

So here’s the conundrum, is she coming back? Should she allowed to come back? On one hand, Monica’s actions created the environment for one of the most talked about finales in Housewives history. She also is good TV as most of her scenes resulted in confrontations that went viral or became meme gold. On the other hand, she could become a liability for the show, and other cast members, if her lies have resulted in any legal action. Fans seem to be split. Some see her as a heinous villain, and some see her as a diva villain to be lauded. Monica seems to love the villain spotlight and has even embraced it on her social media.

Here’s the official word. There is no word yet. Even producers of the show have revealed that they haven’t been alerted as to who is coming back, and who is not. Monica went to her IG and also stated that she has not heard if she was coming back. Castmate Heather stated on her Twitter that she would not film with Monica if she came back. Some say that Bravo is waiting for the third part of the reunion to air this week to gauge audience response overall. Bravo letting bad behavior go unchecked hasn’t really worked for them in the past with OC Housewives Kelly Dodd, NY Housewives Ramona Singer, and SLC Housewives Jen Shah all being ultimately shunned by the franchise due to deplorable actions, actions that had been alluded to prior.

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A post shared by Monica Niki Garcia (@monicanikigarcia)

Hey, if anything, Monica probably has a seat saved for Peacock’s The Traitors!

Do you think Monica should be allowed back?

UPDATE FROM PEOPLE MAGAZINE: Monica will NOT be returning to the show. Bravo has not commented. Monica has removed all mention of the show from her bio and simply posted this dig: