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Credit: Clifton Prescod/Bravo
Lisa Barlow and her Real Housewives of Salt Lake City co-stars opened up about where they stand with one another and where they go from here after Tuesday night’s season five finale.
As Heather Gay, 50, expressed hope for a future reconciliation among the group and Meredith Marks, 53, encouraged her castmates to “grow up,” Lisa, 50, who faced off with Whitney Rose, 38, on the episode, pointed her finger at inauthentic castmates as Bronwyn Newport, 39, accused her of failing to work on their friendship.
“For me, it’s like the way it’s always been,” Lisa began on the January 15 episode of the RHOSLC: After Show. “Since year one of all of this, relationships change organically. I’ve organically distanced myself from people [who] say dangerous things. With their words, they create bad, bad situations for people and harm good people. So for me, I’m like, I don’t care who anybody’s friends with. I know who my friends are. I know who I’m friends with, and organically, I have beyond distanced myself from the people that do things that are hurtful for me.”
“How do you clear the air with people that aren’t authentic?” she continued. “I’ve been told I’m sorry so many times, but when you do the same things … I’m sick of lip service. I’m sick of people that pretend to be your friends and talk bad behind your back.”
One person Lisa found herself on the outs with by the end of the season was Bronwyn, who came onto the show as her friend.
Looking back at their finale dinner, Bronwyn admitted that she’ll never have friendships that go beyond the surface with many of her castmates. That said, she’s hopeful to grow closer to Heather and Meredith in the future and believes she’ll remain friends with Angie Katsanevas, 51, and Whitney. As for Mary Cosby, 52, and Lisa, Bronwyn said she “adores” Mary and admitted her relationship with Lisa needs work.
“I don’t know that Lisa and I are done. But I know that we’re done for here,” she shared. “That last dinner really finalized some things for me. If you can’t show up in a space where you’ve agreed to be totally honest and to be receptive and to be willing to forgive, then I don’t know where she and I go from here.”
Although Bronwyn didn’t seem overly confident in their potential reconciliation, she said she’s “loved Lisa for a long time and … would like to continue to love Lisa for a long time.”
“But a friendship has to be two-way, and right now, her concern for herself is so far above her concern for anybody else in this group that I don’t know that anyone can have a fair reasonable relationship with her right now,” she explained.
“Not me,” Whitney replied.
Looking back on her past troubles with Whitney, Heather said that even now that they’ve mended their relationship, she doesn’t always feel super close to her cousin.
“There are times when I feel closer and times when [Whitney and I] feel more distant,” she noted.
She then moved on to the rest of the cast, confirming she has hope for their future civility.
“For these women, especially last year, there was a moment of absolute trust, absolute confidence, and absolute understanding. It didn’t last for long, but it lasted long enough to give me hope and faith and gratitude to each and every person,” she reasoned.
And Meredith seemed to agree, stating that if her castmates could “grow up,” they could function better as a group.
“If half of the group that has this tit-for-tat theory can move on and grow up and go beyond that and dig a little deeper, we can all do better,” she declared. “I’m trying to do better each day for myself. I falter all the time. I’m not perfect by any stretch. But just because someone did this to me doesn’t mean I’m gonna do that to them.”
Also on the RHOSLC: After Show, newcomer Britani Bateman, 53, who found herself in the midst of her castmates’ fury during their girls’ trip to Puerto Vallarta after she was caught recording them, admitted there were several co-stars she’d like to clear the air with.
“Bronwyn, Meredith, and Angie … We have some unfinished business. It’s hard. But we’re gonna have to have words,” she noted.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season five airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
