By Mackenzie N. Wofford 

(Image From, ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ Sets Cast and Season 5 Return Date) 

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is Bravo’s newest addition to the beloved Housewives franchise. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the series explores Mormonism, social control, and the performative nature of reality television. Since the series debuted in 2020, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has created its lane and stands alone, symbolizing a new era of reality television. This new era is marked by increasingly blurred lines between real life and performance, causing cast members to navigate their authentic selves and curated housewife characters.  

Audiences’ fascination with The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC) can be attributed to its vast difference from other housewife franchises. The RHOSLC takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah, a region influenced by the Mormon faith. The intricacies of Mormonism, such as sacred garments, the holy temple, and the imagery of bars of gold, fascinate those who do not follow the belief system. This way of life, paired with the inherently volatile nature of filming a Housewives series, creates an entertaining irony that keeps audiences coming back for more. What truly sets RHOSLC apart from other franchises is that several cast members are/were actively practicing their faith while filming the series. Moments like “Friend of” cast member Britani Bateman inviting the ladies to a religious gathering after engaging in screaming matches days prior highlight just how complex these dynamics can be.  

The most common Housewives trope seen across all the franchises is the use of social monitoring. Social monitoring is criticizing and attempting to correct another person’s behavior, relationships, and social standings. The problem with social monitoring in the Housewives franchises is that it always leaves the realm of petty gossip and becomes a game of moral judgment and standing between the cast. The RHOSLC particularly struggles with this, as all the cast members were raised in the Mormon faith. Although many no longer actively practice the religion, they continue to evaluate and judge one another through the lens of Mormon moral standards. 

Moreover, this act of social monitoring often becomes a tool for women to solidify their own status on the show. A prime example of this is when a cast member is publicly shamed for their marital status, a situation that another housewife frequently manipulates to strengthen her own position within the group. The problem with cast members policing each other is that it creates an environment where the women become hyper-aware of what they reveal on screen, constantly calculating how their actions might be used against them and how viewers perceive them. As a result, the unfiltered moments that are important for connecting with audiences and keeping viewership are often overshadowed by the housewife’s need to protect their reputation and social standing within the group.  

Housewives are not only working to protect their reputation while on screen, but they are now actively performing based on their perceptions of what a “reality TV housewife” should embody. The cast of the RHOSLC falls victim to this, especially due to their newness as a franchise. Each woman on the cast brings prior exposure to the Housewives franchise, fostering a performance culture within the group. Each woman is aware of the “housewives’ game” and their role, causing them to value performance over authenticity. Dramatic moments like breaking glass or flipping chairs feel more scripted than spontaneous in RHOSLC. The current state of the Housewives franchises cannot replicate raw and iconic moments like Teresa Giudice’s table flip on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The housewives of today would never engage in such behavior out of fear of audience perception. This is one of many major differences between the Housewives franchises now and ten years ago, as the idea of being open and honest scares many of the cast members.  

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City represents a new phase of reality television, where the line between real life and performance is increasingly blurred. While its roots in Mormonism and theatrical conflicts make it unique, the cast often values performance over authenticity. Their awareness and use of the “Housewives game” leads to calculated actions to protect their reputations, causing the franchise to lose some of the raw, unscripted moments that once made it iconic. This shift highlights how the Housewives franchise and reality television have and will continue to evolve.