Did Monica Deserve Another Season On RHOSLC? Bravo Superfans Weigh In

Bravo was not prepared for Monica Garcia. The newest addition to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 4 blazed a trail the franchise had never seen before, going from a promising rookie to the most polarizing woman in the Bravosphere in just one episode.

Spoilers for RHOSLC Season 4 ahead. In the jaw-dropping finale, Heather Gay discovered that Monica was involved in the Instagram troll account Reality Von Tease, and had the “Receipts! Proof! Timeline! Screenshots!” to prove it. Monica doesn’t deny her participation. But she claims others were involved, and that the account’s true mission was to expose former star and now-convicted criminal Jen Shah.

However, Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose, and Heather all say they were subject to bullying from the account for three years and were betrayed by Monica entering their friend group without revealing her true identity. They dramatically kicked her out of their final dinner in Bermuda.

While the episode was fantastic television (even Jennifer Lawrence said the cast deserved her Oscar for it), People reported that Monica will not return to the show, citing “multiple sources.” After the reunion, the show’s producers confirmed her exit to Variety.

It comes as no surprise since some of the ladies indicated that they will not film with her again. Heather’s issues with Monica escalated into dueling lawsuits, while Lisa recently told Deadline that seeing her again would be difficult. “I just couldn’t trust her,” she said. “I don’t want her in my home. I don’t want her in my space.”

However, fans are divided over whether Monica should have to come back, despite her actions. I chatted with fellow Bustle writer and Bravo superfan Sam Ramsden about this conundrum, debating the pros and cons of Monica returning to RHOSLC.

Pro: Monica’s Mother

Sam: Monica has the entertainment factor, but I also think her toxic relationship with her estranged mother is intriguing for any viewer. Her mom seems so fame-hungry and then got famous through her daughter. People can relate to their parents trying to live through them.

Jake: Have you ever seen the Lifetime show Dance Moms?

Sam: That’s exactly what I was about to reference.

Jake: Great minds.

Sam: It gives me Dance Moms vibes, where the moms show off their daughters in a toxic environment. I’m lucky enough to have a really good relationship with my parents, so I look at someone like Monica speaking to her mom like that and vice versa, and I’m just like, “Oh, my God.”

Con: Monica’s Mother

Jake: As fascinating as that dynamic is, I never want to see Monica’s mom again on TV. She’s so thirsty that it’s past the point of entertainment, almost like Jax Taylor on Vanderpump Rules. He reached a point where he was not entertaining, just annoying and repetitive.

Sam: There’s a fine line between entertaining and cringe. But the messiness of her family is one aspect of why the show should keep her around for one more season.

Jake: Monica’s affair revelation and her relationship with her children seem interesting. I want to know more about them. But the mom’s got to go.

Pro: Embracing Reality

Sam: Because Monica has already infiltrated the show, it’s too late to reverse it. Whether it’s Bravo or Bachelor Nation, the reality show fan subculture is reality. Bravo has definitely leaned into breaking the fourth wall. So, maybe in this one instance, let’s lean into that because it reflects the current state of reality TV.

Jake: It would be interesting to see them embrace that reality. It also would be dangerous to let that happen and send the message that any superfan can be on the show.

Con: Reality Could Be Detrimental

Sam: It does set a bad precedent if you start hiring superfans, but it’s already happened, so why not embrace it?

Jake: Production didn’t seem to know about Reality Von Tease before Monica was cast. If they bring her back, it will set a dangerous precedent on the show where superfans control the narrative, not just react to it.

Sam: Coming up with a devious and successful scheme to get on the show is something we’ve never seen before in Housewives — as far as we know.

Jake: It’s incredible television for the moment, but it’ll change the show for the worse if they keep Monica and send the message that it’s acceptable. Production has a responsibility to make sure it doesn’t get to that level again.

Pro: Monica Didn’t Commit A Crime

Sam: If you look at the show’s history, you can’t compare Monica’s involvement with a fan account to what Jen Shah did. She was convicted of scamming people and was hired to return for a third season. So, is creating a reality TV gossip account more taboo than scamming people out of money? I would say not.

Jake: I can’t argue that at all. None of what she’s done has been as bad as Jen Shah.

Sam: Also, I am 100% sure that other Housewives have burner accounts. If I were a Housewife, I would have a second account and share propaganda in support of myself.

Jake: Totally.

Sam: They're in contact with fan accounts and journalists. They share stories and tidbits. On New York, it’s always a running joke like, “Oh, I shared a story to the New York Post.” This is kind of the same thing.

Con: She’s Still A Liar

Jake: Every Housewife manipulates to a certain extent. It’s part of the game. But Monica takes it to a level where you can’t trust anything she says. Even when she seems authentic, you don’t know what to believe because she has no problem with lying. I was gagged when the reunion showed the casting email that she sent right after she lied about what she said. Knowing production has all the receipts, what gave her the audacity?

Sam: But for me, that’s what makes her interesting to watch. I don’t know how long her behavior will be interesting or where it’s heading, but for now, it’s entertaining.

Jake: No one can deny that Monica breathed new life into the show. But I worry that her specific brand of Housewifery would age badly. As entertaining as her reads were, they really just amounted to name-calling and age-shaming, which gets old quickly. She reminds me of Beverly Hills’ Brandi Glanville, whom I loved at first but got tired of.

Sam: I see her as a Danielle Staub [from New Jersey] style character, where she’s there for a short time but she makes a huge impact, and that legacy lives through the show.

Jake: I think Brandi could have been that, but every time she comes back, she somehow shoots herself in the foot. I don’t want the same to happen with Monica.

Pro: The Fans Need Closure

Sam: As viewers, we deserve a continuation or conclusion to the Reality Von Tease scandal. If the cast softens its stance and decides to move on from this, we should have the opportunity to see that. The reunion is so tense that we’ll never get real closure there. Maybe Monica will get offered three episodes to close her storyline, like Tamra [Judge] did before Real Housewives of Orange County Season 15. Even if it’s a few episodes, we deserve to see that.

Jake: If they give her just three more episodes to close out the storyline, I think she leaves a legend and with a lot more opportunities in front of her. Imagine the shows she can go on — The Traitors, House of Villains, Ultimate Girls Trip; she’d be perfect on all of them. If she stays on Salt Lake City for longer, she might completely burn out and make herself not just unlikable, but unemployable.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include the report about Monica’s departure.