Is Meredith Marks and Lisa Barlow’s friendship on the mend?
During Tuesday’s season 4 premiere episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, viewers saw Marks and Barlow make plans to work on their strained friendship. But Marks told ahead of the premiere that she was “cautiously optimistic” about making amends with her costar and wanted to be “a big girl.”
“I feel like in our friendship, there were a lot of cooks in kitchen,” she says. “Do I think that we’re both accountable for things that we did? Absolutely. I’m not blaming other people, but there were a lot of dynamics that went on there that definitely contributed to the demise of our friendship that were way out of our control.”
She adds of her efforts, “I was cautiously optimistic that maybe we could find, not the same friendship we had because there’s different dynamics, but find a good common ground with a foundation of kindness and respect.”
As for where two stand now? “It’s better this year than it was a year ago,” Marks tells before adding, “which isn’t saying all that much because it was pretty bad a year ago.”
While Marks and Barlow were introduced as close friends at the start of season 1, the two have experienced a turbulent friendship on camera, including Barlow’s hot mic moment in season 2, during which she attacked Marks’ character, family and marriage. And despite Marks telling their relationship has slightly improved, the season 4 trailer makes it seem as though their friendship has to get worse before it gets better.
“Do you want me to go there with the husband?” Marks asks Barlow in the teaser, adding, “I can go there. Don’t f — — with me!”
The season 4 premiere episode also saw Marks engage in conflict with fellow Housewife Whitney Rose over comments Rose made to the press about her. Earlier, the jewelry designer admitted to Heather Gay that Rose had gotten under her skin lately.
“I feel that for the most part, given as much as I have thrown at me, I was relatively unbothered, but there was so much thrown at me that you will definitely see me engage,” Marks tells that the situation and what’s to come this season.
The Meredith Marks Caviar founder also addressed how she stays level-headed through the undeniable drama of the show. Her motto? Not caring what others think about her and doing right by her “moral code.”
She explains, “The reality of the matter is, I always say, ‘I don’t know why anyone thinks that I really care about their opinion of me.’ Because I don’t.”
“If you want to make things up, go for it. I don’t really care,” Marks adds. “You’re not my mother. You’re not my daughter. If you want to believe it, go believe it.”
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
