After the explosive finale and the three-part meeting to The Real Housewives of Salt Laky CityIt would seem that Mónica García is out of the franchise.
But not so fast.
The Bravo reality series and Garcia are taking a break — a “period of reflection,” Andy Cohen clarified Wednesday. Which means the door for his return is still open, a source confirms to The Hollywood Reporter.
speaking in his Radio Andy show The morning after season four concluded with the third and final reunion show, the executive and reunion host said of Garcia’s current status with the show, “I think we’re going to have a cooling-off period.”
When pressed by his co-host John Hill on what a “reflection period” means, Cohen explained that the women are currently in no position to forgive Garcia, making it unlikely they will film with her again. Complicating matters is the fact that season five will hit cameras soon, with production set to begin on February 5.
However, he did not close the door completely.
“Well, here’s the thing. I think the meeting is the opportunity to come out and say why you did it. [and] what you didn’t do in the season. It’s the Supreme Court of public opinion,” Cohen said of what Garcia didn’t accomplish at the end of the cast reunion. “I think Monica had the opportunity, not only to explain herself to the audience, but much more importantly in this case, to the other women. And I don’t think she managed to convince any of them to side with her.”
He continued: “She didn’t do it. And at the end, I really went back and forth, because I was thinking, ‘Okay, well, let’s hear it from all of them right now: Where do you stand on her?’ And they all expressed that they don’t trust her very much. What she was also asking was: Is there a path forward for you and Monica? And the answer was not everywhere. So I think the best thing (we all discussed it ad nauseum) would be better to let it breathe for a while.”
He then pointed out the possibility that she could return: “Obviously she’s really compelling television. Maybe she can make some progress with women on her own, off camera. And we will see if that happens.”
Garcia, who joined the cast in season four, was revealed to be behind a fake Instagram troll account, RealityVonTease, that targeted the other women in the cast. Castmate Heather Gay called out Garcia at the end in a Bravo moment that has since gone viral (“Receipts! Evidence! Timelines! Screenshots!”), catapulting the reality show to have a moment.
At the center of the crossroads for both the cast and the creative team with Garcia is deception, as the producers also did not know that Garcia was behind the account until Gay discovered the evidence. when talking to THR Before the final reunion show airs, the executive producers behind Real Housewives of Salt Lake City He said they had “about 7,000 conversations” about whether Garcia should return.
“We probably still have a few hundred more to go,” said Noah Samton, senior vice president of production for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “She is a great member of the cast. She’s open and vulnerable and represents a different type of person in Salt Lake than we have on the show. She comes from a different background and there are many things about her that the audience can relate to in a different way than the other women. But at the same time, there is the deception, there is the relationship with the other cast members. It’s a really complicated puzzle. From a rating standpoint, you’ll want to find a way to get her back. But it’s really challenging in this situation. “We’re just trying to figure it out.”
So never say never.