IT'S A FEMININOMENON!

Nobody does it quite like the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Forget the rumors and nastiness you think you know: hear firsthand about the friendships and fallouts that have made these women the best in the biz

- by ELIZA THOMPSON

In its nearly 20 years on air, Bravo's Real Housewives franchise has been everywhere from the pristine coasts of Orange County to the glittering highrises of Miami and the gilded penthouses of Manhattan. So when the juggernaut landed in Salt Lake City in 2020, the first question on many viewers' minds was: Why? No shade to the Beehive State, but what could these landlocked Mormons possibly have on the former soap stars of Beverly Hills and the walking catchphrase factories of Atlanta? The answer, as it turns out, is everything.

From the moment in episode 1 when Mary Cosby said Jen Shah smelled "like hospital," it was clear that The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (Tuesdays at 8 P.M. on Bravo, streams next day on Peacock) was a different beast: a heady mix of drama, religion and federal crime that is unmatched in both hilarity and heart. For every moment of pure reality-TV id-Angie Katsanevas calling Meredith Marks a "trampoline with eyes," for example - the women of the Mountain West have countered with tear-jerking scenes that are relatable even if you've never lost a $60,000 ring in an airport bathroom. "The snow, Mormonism and their unique history with each other make them their own universe," Bravo bigwig and Housewife whisperer Andy Cohen tells Us. He calls the RHOSLC season 4 finale, in which Heather Gay unmasked erstwhile costar Monica Garcia as the mastermind behind gossip account Reality Von Tease, "one of the best single episodes of television in Bravo history."

For our annual Reality Stars of the Year issue, we asked all seven current SLC stars - OGs Lisa Barlow, Cosby, Gay, Marks and Whitney Rose, plus newer additions Katsanevas and Bronwyn Newport- to channel another set of legendary women, the cast of ABC's late lamented Desperate Housewives, and spoke to them about what it's like to be part of the best Housewives iteration on offer.

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