SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The cast of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City got back together for a highly anticipated, three-part reunion special following a dramatic sixth season.
With tensions still high and unresolved moments set to be addressed, the reunion promises plenty of fireworks — and at least one surprise moment that fans won’t see coming.
ARC Salt Lake spoke with Britani Bateman, who had a breakout season, about what viewers can expect as the women return to the reunion stage.
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The cast of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City got back together for a highly anticipated, three-part reunion special following a dramatic sixth season. (KUTV)
“I’m a little nervous. I don’t know how this is going to play out, exactly,” Bateman said. “It’s just kind of all a blur when the adrenaline’s pumping. It’s hard to remember exactly what was said to whom and when and how.”
She talked about what she expected before the show began and before she knew much about the Real Housewives shows that came before.
“I didn’t really know what to expect. I think a lot of people go into it without watching it – and I was one of those,” she said. “But, no, it’s great. It’s so good to develop real friendships.”
ARC asked what viewers and fans of the show should expect from the special.
“Oh, it’s a lot of drama. I mean, it’s probably the most drama of any reunion ever – don’t they always say that? They always say that, but I’m serious,” Bateman said.
She said filming was done over a 15-hour day, which made for a long day and short tempers.
There was chatter online that host and executive producer Andy Cohen walked out during taping.
“This is true. It is rumored that he’s never actually walked out of a reunion, so you can expect that,” Bateman said. “At some point he just lost it and was like, ‘Enough of you ladies. I’m leaving,’ and I don’t blame him one bit.”
She talked about some of the misconceptions of the show and of herself that viewers might have.
“When I don’t have a gun to my head, I’m actually pretty intelligent, but when I have a gun to my head – meaning the ladies are screaming at me and I don’t know what’s going on I feel like I melt,” Bateman said. “I have a tendency to just melt into a ball.”
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
After her time on the show, she felt the reunion was a setting where she could settle into herself more.
“At the reunion, I think I start to come into my own,” she said. “It’s like the pressure cooker analogy – I’ve grown. My little piece of rice has expanded.”
ARC asked if the show was fun, if the women were close or if the drama seen on camera was too much to handle.
“I would say it’s fun,” Bateman said. “It’s difficult. It’s hard to be a group with – we’re all Type A. We’re all super opinionated. We’re not afraid to speak our minds, and we all get our feelings hurt. It speaks to the friendship that we’re all willing to express. That means that we mean a lot to each other.”
The show has become one of the most popular reality shows. Bateman talked about why she thought the show resonated more with fans.
“It’s just our willingness to have fun (and) be authentic. Our real friendship is what makes it – not that other franchises don’t have real friendships, but we’re particularly fun and funny, and I think it’s just a recipe for magic,” she said.
ARC noted it’s not just her show, but the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the Olympics – and asked what it is about Utah that people seem to be so enamored about.
“Because Utah is rad,” Bateman said. “Utah is incredible. We have very bit of topography you could imagine, skiing, hiking, Moab – we have everything. That’s why (movie studios) come to film here – and (we have) the kindest, nicest generous people. There’s everything about Utah to love.”
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