The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast is speaking out about Lisa Barlow and Meredith Marks‘ differing reactions to Jen Shah‘s arrest.
After Lisa was seen crying and calling several attorneys as Meredith appeared unfazed, enjoying a warm bath while waiting for the cast to arrive at their Vail, Colorado vacation home, Whitney Rose, Heather Gay, and Jennie Nguyen shared their thoughts on their co-stars’ antics as Lisa and Meredith explained why they responded in the way they did to Jen being taken into custody on charges of fraud and money laundering.
“As we left, Lisa was like pacing the bus on the phone, she’s calling her attorneys, she’s calling everyone, she’s freaking out… And I just remember sitting and watching her being like, it was almost as if they were coming for her,” Whitney recalled on the November 14 episode of the RHOSLC: After Show. “She kept saying, ‘I’m calling my attorney. Same attorney as Angelina Jolie.’”
“She said, ‘You guys, you guys, I’m calling my security. My security is texting me,’” Heather added.
As Lisa freaked out about the legal drama that was unfolding, Heather and Whitney were growing increasingly concerned about Jen’s husband, Sharrieff Shah, and their two sons, Sharrieff Jr., 26, and Omar, 16.
“We were both very very worried about Jen and Coach Shah and their kids because if Coach Shah is in the hospital and Jen’s visiting him, somebody needs to make sure Omar is getting to football practice and Reefie knows what’s going on. We just were thinking about their families and about how to support our friend. We were not thinking about our own selves. We were not calling our 10 to 12 attorneys,” Heather noted.
When the ladies were then asked about where Lisa’s reaction was rooted, Whitney asked, “What is it usually rooted in when we project and deflect and make a big scene? It’s usually some sort of guilt.”
“I agree,” Heather replied.
But according to Lisa, her reaction wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
“All of my reactions were normal for me,” Lisa explained. “There were times where I was crying and then we would change the subject for a minute and feel happy. I think it was a lot for us. Emotionally, I went on a rollercoaster, one I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
“It weighs on you. Someone that we’re friends with is in big trouble,” she added. “We were all completely blindsided.”
During another segment of the RHOSLC: After Show, Heather said that when it comes to Meredith’s reaction to Jen’s brief incarceration, and the accusations being made against her, she wasn’t caught off-guard.
“Meredith is not surprised by anything. That’s kind of Meredith,” Heather explained.
“I think Meredith is very smart and she sensed something was off,” Whitney suspected. “So I think when she says, ‘It makes sense,’ she’s like, ‘I knew there had to have been something. Nothing adds up, nothing lines up in Jen’s life.’”
Lisa also took note of Meredith’s smarts.
“Meredith knew a lot about Jen. She had mentioned a few things prior. I’m like, ‘How do you know that?’ Meredith seemed to know more about Jen than the rest of us,” Lisa shared.
Although Meredith’s calm and cool demeanor was suspicious to some, Meredith said that while she looked unfazed by Jen’s arrest, she did experience some surprise.
“I should say, of course I was surprised she was arrested in that moment on that day. What I wasn’t surprised about was that things weren’t adding up to me with her,” Meredith said. “I didn’t understand what she did. I didn’t understand her business. I don’t think I know who she is. I had sort of put a lot of pieces together from the puzzle. I had caught so many different lies from her that I felt like I hadn’t ever had a real conversation with her. I did have concerns that things weren’t adding up.”
RHOSLC Live Viewing – This is also the live viewing thread for tonight’s all-new episode of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season two, so feel free to share your thoughts below as the episode airs at 9/8c on Bravo.
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