Watch What Crappens #3002 — RHOSLC S601 Part One: The Mer Witch Project (09/17/2025)

Episode Overview

Ben Mandelker and Ronnie Karam dive into the season premiere of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 6, dissecting the absurdity, drama, and signature Salt Lake weirdness. The episode—“The Mer Witch Project”—spoofs horror tropes, kicks off with a chaotic girls' trip, and sets the stage for a season heavy on villain edits, mounting lawsuits, and campy Bravo antics. Ben and Ronnie praise the show’s willingness to embrace its “blatantly stupid” energy and cover the evolving dynamics, notably Lisa Barlow’s absence and everyone’s schemes to snatch the spotlight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Impressions & Thematic Ridiculousness

• Ben: "Salt Lake City is the only Housewives show that can have a premiere like this—heavily produced, stupid... we're supposed to believe they're getting lost in the woods and attacked by a ghost. It's ridiculous, but so funny" (04:28).
• Ronnie: Agrees, loving the camp, and notes that the cast came “ready to go” with old fights and new acting. Ronnie especially delights in Heather’s perennial “I’m just innocent” act and suspects she orchestrated the Blair Witch spoof. “Heather’s the biggest hokey producer… she’s the one who’s like, let's make a whole Blair Witch episode” (06:56).

2. Lisa Barlow’s Absence: Villain Edit & Ramifications

• Ben: Shares scoop from Hollywood Reporter that Lisa’s absence wasn't entirely contractual. "Bravo’s going to punish her all season long for skipping the opening trip" (05:47).
• Ronnie: Frames this as a strategic misstep: “It shows they can do the show without you, and that’s never good… don’t do it. Be careful. Baby Gorgeous, I need you in my life” (06:28).
• Memorable Quote:
  • “If you are not doing what [production] want, they're going to find a way to make you look bad. So you got to play.” — Ben (06:15)

3. Character Archetypes & Season Setups

• Heather: “More media trained than ever,” according to Ben (19:35). Her interviews are notably polished, sticking to her “wacky housewife” shtick.
• Whitney: Already moving to play the “sweet, innocent” angle for the premiere.
• Bronwyn: Ronnie predicts a sophomore slump, expecting the cast—and eventually viewers—to turn on her. However, “Watching the premiere, I remembered all the things I liked about Bronwyn. She’s so sharp with a clap back” (08:10).
• Mary: Still unimpressed and disinterested, especially by enforced group activities and the very idea of an RV.

4. The RV Trip: Pranks, Strippers & Class Divide

• Angie & Mary: Angie arrives in a massive RV (dressed for work, per Mary's shade). Mary’s history with RVs (via her grandmother) makes her loathe the idea: “I did this as a kid. I don't need to do this as an adult. Okay, thanks” (13:36).
• Travel Style: Ben and Ronnie riff on how RHOSLC is the “parking lot cast”—used to makeshift setups, Costco cheese plates in the snow, and low-budget ‘glam’. “Spending a night in an RV is par for the course” (16:22).
• Strippers: A SWAT “raid” on the RV is an elaborate prank that leads to male strippers awkwardly trying to perform in the cramped space. Mary is horrified: “You don’t even know me!” (30:18)
  • Memorable Quote: “They didn't even have to whack anybody in the face with their dongs. Lunchtime, Chili's boys.” — Ronnie (29:31)

5. Lisa’s Absence Takes Center Stage (Again)

• The rest of the cast immediately discusses Lisa dodging the trip. Longstanding grievances and alliances resurface:
  • Heather: “Why are we going on a girl’s trip with five ongoing disputes? That's actually kind of tame for this group/Bravo’s making us do this” (21:07).
  • Ronnie on Lisa’s phone presence: “I love Lisa, but I don’t ever want to get stuck on the phone with her. She just goes on and on about herself and never takes a breath” (32:10).
  • Ben (mocking Lisa): “I don’t want to name drop, but people forget I have, like, a very full plate. It’s, like, so full. I’ll be with Ben Affleck and Blake Lively.” (32:41)
  • Whitney and Brittany spiral into MLM jokes and accusations about each other’s businesses.

6. Lunch, Camcorders, & Past-its-Prime Technology

• Gift Bags (Sort Of): Brittany sets up a group activity with branded camcorders. The hosts riff on how “Here it’s a camcorder” is the Salt Lake equivalent of Beverly Hills’ designer swag (45:15).
• The group ultimately plays along, shooting faux interviews and silly camp videos (“I love that this cast, they'll do it. We all hate Britney, want to set her on fire, but we'll play with camcorders” — Ronnie, 43:02).

7. Conflict Table: MLMs, Lawsuits, and Lies

• MLM Accusations: Jokes about Whitney’s new candy business (“I came up with these like chocolate coated candies… I'm gonna call them MLMs, not M&Ms. So it's a little bit better.” — Brittany as Whitney, 35:30)
• Lisa’s Lawsuits: A significant chunk devoted to rumors swirling around “multiple lawsuits” Lisa faces. Bronwyn is particularly invested in airing Lisa’s dirty laundry.
  • Ben: “I mean, Lisa and I have worked really hard on our friendship, and I want to be a supportive friend. So every instinct in my body is: defend your friend... and get me a small bolero jacket to hide in.” (53:26)
  • The cast debates the gravity of these lawsuits, with jokes about not understanding what a lawsuit even is (51:36).

8. Jen Shah Comparisons (“The New Gensha?”)

• Angie throws a bomb: “It's similar to what Jen Shah did” (54:15).
  • Ben: Predicts this will spark a running feud for the season—“How could you say I was like Gensha? That is the worst thing you could ever say about me.” (54:23)
• Heather and Bronwyn get into a spat about past lies, specifically the $4M necklace—“Shouldn’t have said I own the necklace when I didn’t have it… that's my trust to bear” (57:56).

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• “It was like a blatantly stupid premiere. And it was so funny. They're the only show that can do this.” — Ben (04:28)
• “This is the parking lot cast. You know, they do everything in the parking lot.” — Ronnie (17:32)
• “You don't even know me!” — Mary to stripper (30:18)
• “You buy an MLM, then you sell it to someone, and they sell the MLM, and before you know it, everyone has diabetes.” — Ronnie, MLM discussion (35:56)
• “I don't even understand Angie's analogy. I mean, these are not criminal charges. This is a civil lawsuit… This is coming from DJ lawyer Meredith Marks, okay?” — Ronnie (55:10)
• “You just got caught red handed lying about a four million dollar necklace.” — Heather (57:04)

Timestamps of Important Segments

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:17 | Ben & Ronnie first impressions: embracing SLC's camp/horror spoof | | 04:28 | Ben on the show’s “blatantly stupid” premiere | | 05:47 | Ben and Ronnie dissect Lisa Barlow's absence and production ‘revenge’ | | 10:41 | The “Blair Witch” opening and the mockery of fake friendship/sisterhood | | 13:36 | Angie and Mary’s RV trip begins; Mary openly dreads it | | 18:01 | The group gathers at Beauty Lab, discusses Lisa skipping the trip | | 20:57 | Heather rehashes cast grievances & alliances, pivots to lawsuit chatter | | 26:23 | Entering the RV—Bronwyn’s germaphobe complaints | | 28:18 | Prank “SWAT team” leads to awkward stripper scene in the RV | | 32:10 | Lisa’s “excuses” for missing the trip & Ben’s lengthy Lisa impression | | 35:30 | MLM jokes as Whitney’s candy business scheme dramatized | | 39:30 | Arrival at Provo River Resort, cast laments the lack of luxury | | 41:58 | Brittany’s camcorder activity—group nostalgia/jokes about SLC “party favors” | | 45:15 | Ben compares SLC gifts to Beverly Hills, quips about camcorders as luxury | | 50:22 | The cast airs dirty laundry regarding Lisa’s lawsuits and nonattendance | | 54:15 | Angie compares Lisa’s legal issues to Jen Shah—“This will be a thing” | | 57:04 | Heather counters Bronwyn’s hypocrisy with the $4M necklace lie |

Summary Tone & Style

Staying true to Ben and Ronnie’s irreverent wit, the episode balances roast-level mocking with a baseline of affection for Salt Lake City’s uniquely messy style. The hosts weave in pop culture references, inside Bravo jokes, and exaggerated role-play (notably lampooning Lisa, Heather, Mary, and Whitney), maintaining a tone both openly derisive and delighted by the “crappens” of it all.

For those who haven’t watched the episode, Ben and Ronnie’s recap—while hilariously savage—highlights the peculiar brilliance of RHOSLC: not just the fights or feuds, but the willingness to produce an entire premiere around a hammy haunted woods motif, and to lean into the quirks that make these Housewives and their city so distinct.