The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Recap: Spilling Tea

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I’ve never felt so uneasy as when I saw Bronwyn greet Todd at the airport – dressed in a giant inflatable sloth costume. She asked how his flight was, even though she knows he was caught looking at inappropriate photos on his last trip. It felt incredibly wrong to be making light of the situation with such a silly outfit, especially since Todd never seems to show any emotion. But if this strange gesture is the start of them working things out, then I guess I can accept it.

Given everything going on with Whitney, maybe a silly inflatable costume would be a good distraction. It’s obvious she and Justin are struggling – their business failed, and Whitney feels Justin is to blame for leading them into a multi-level marketing scheme. She’s angry at him, but also at herself for believing him. What makes this show work is that the women are incredibly honest, even when it’s difficult. Unlike other reality stars who try to appear perfect, the women of Salt Lake City readily share their struggles and vulnerabilities. They don’t shy away from anything, whether it’s financial setbacks or, like with Heather, even admitting to a very old and stained mattress.

Consider Bronwyn’s complicated relationship with her mother, which has been a major focus this season. It almost feels like showing all of this is a way for Bronwyn to confront and overcome her issues with her mother, Muzzy. This particular scene, where Bronwyn brings Muzzy to a sex shop to buy Pride flags as a protest against a Utah law, really highlights Muzzy at her best. Though it’s clearly uncomfortable for Muzzy, she seems to appreciate Bronwyn encouraging her to try new things. They even have a meaningful conversation about changing family patterns and Muzzy’s quiet pride in her daughter. It’s as if something shifted, and Muzzy realized that continuing to upset Bronwyn on TV wasn’t a good path forward.

What makes this show so special is its ability to seamlessly blend emotional moments with complete absurdity. One minute you’re watching a touching scene between Bronwyn and her mother, and the next, Angie is appearing as Betsy Ross on a deserted loading dock – and it just works. I didn’t even question it, especially when I remembered Bronwyn was throwing a “Boston Tea Party” themed celebration for becoming a U.S. citizen, meaning everyone showed up in colonial costumes. It’s a wonderfully unexpected mix, like The Book of Mormon meets Hamilton.

Why have a party on a loading dock? Over the years, the definition of a “party” on Real Housewives has become increasingly broad. Now, we’re at a party in what’s essentially a warehouse, decorated to look like a colonial setting. After giving everyone powdered wigs, Bronwyn explains the idea: they’re supposed to share all the gossip about each other to supposedly start fresh—though it’s clearly a producer-driven scheme meant to create drama.

Before we move on, there are two particularly memorable moments we need to talk about. First, Mary was confused about the hot dogs being served, jokingly wondering if they existed even before Christ. That comment is something I’ll never forget – it made me question when Mary thinks the American Revolution took place and I even pictured Jesus enjoying a hot dog! Secondly, during a quiz on the Constitution, Britani claimed to have been her high school’s valedictorian with a 4.2 GPA. I actually believe her, because being good at school doesn’t always mean someone is good with people. But more importantly, I really want to find a recording of her graduation speech and the song that was probably played with it.

Bronwyn shared some difficult truths with the group, and explained that even after things get messy, it’s possible to clean up and move on. She compared it to spilling tea – cleaning up the mess afterwards. It was a strange comparison, considering the situation they were in – more like a full-scale war with real consequences. But on second thought, maybe the comparison wasn’t so off base after all…

I feared this conversation would just rehash old drama, especially since so much had already been revealed this season. But Angie surprised everyone by bringing up something new: she admitted she questioned whether Lisa actually bought a horse. This was a detail that hadn’t been shared before. Lisa quickly responded, confirming she does own a horse – it’s not fancy, just for personal use – and is even considering buying another one. This was the first anyone had heard about Lisa’s equestrian hobby.

Angie asks, “What would you do with two horses?” It’s a surprisingly funny question, maybe the funniest one asked on the show. It’s funny because it feels both sincere – she genuinely seems to be wondering what someone would do with two horses – and subtly pointed, as if she’s questioning what this person would do. Before anyone can answer or ask about the horses, Angie abruptly ends the strange conversation by dramatically throwing her tea into their little ‘harbor’.

The other drama unfolding isn’t very compelling. Britani is upset that Jared found out about her flirting with the yacht crew, Heather vows to stop mentioning Todd’s farting during his affair, and Bronwyn admits to telling Meredith about Whitney. This, predictably, reignites their conflict, and Meredith and Whitney start arguing again about what happened on the plane. But with no cameras and no clear answers, I don’t find their back-and-forth worth paying attention to. What is interesting, though, is when Whitney insults Meredith by calling her an alcoholic and accusing her of drug use. Meredith immediately responds by offering everyone caviar and drug tests, stating that if she’s going to be accused of drug use – something she seems to have anticipated – they should all be tested.

I find the whole situation with Meredith Marks fascinating. It’s amusing to picture her excitedly ordering seven drug tests online and carefully wrapping them as gifts. I wonder what she would have done with them if no one had questioned her about taking pills. It’s clear she was thrilled when the accusation came up, because it allowed her to pull off a memorable moment.

This discussion isn’t going anywhere, even though it did lead to a nice exchange of gifts. Once everyone realizes arguing about the plane incident won’t solve anything, they’ll finally let it go.

Once they’ve reached this understanding, Bronwyn steps away to change outfits – something she’s particularly good at. She returns wearing a dress covered in the text of the Constitution and playfully suggests the women create their own set of rules, or amendments, to live by. They begin brainstorming ideas, essentially building a foundation for a better understanding amongst themselves. However, much like with the actual Constitution and today’s politics, it’s likely many of these new rules will soon be overlooked or disregarded.

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2025-12-03 05:55