Meredith Marks says several showdowns took place while filming the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” Season 4 reunion — including one between Heather Gay and Monica Garcia.
“Explosive would probably be the first word I would use,” the jewelry designer, 51, says on Pvnew’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast, teasing the conflict that played out between Gay, 49, and Garcia, 40.
“It was definitely a lot,” she adds. “It was crazy.”
While Gay and Garcia have generally gotten along throughout the latest installment of “RHOSLC,” their friendly dynamic began cooling off as the latter’s attitude toward a cast trip to Bermuda — where she was partially raised and has family — began to sour.
It’s been said that the pair’s onscreen relationship only worsens as episodes progress. In real time, however, Gay and Garcia are engaged in a legal kerfuffle.
After Gay’s Beauty Lab + Laser sued Garcia in August over a missed payment, the Brea Baby creator countersued the following month, The US Sun reported last month.
Garcia accused the aesthetics company of giving her “botched” nose and lip injections in an amended counterclaim.
She admitted to only paying a $400 down payment and a $49 set-up fee for the cosmetic services in the filing — but said the filler was “negligently given” and “did not have the intended, promised result.”
For her part, Marks — who graduated law school at Northwestern University — believes Garcia’s countersuit was merely a “tactic” to absolve herself of the missed payment claims.
“If I had to guess, I would say that Monica’s lawyer said, ‘OK, you countersue,’” she surmises.
“I don’t even know that there was much more to it than that. It’s a very kind of typical move when you’re sued to file a countersuit to try to scare the person off or whatever.”
As for the current state of Gay and Garcia’s friendship, the “Bad Mormon” author recently told PvNew that she and the Bravo rookie don’t have one — and added that she refuses to film with her new adversary moving forward.
“It’s pretty definitive for myself,” Gay asserted while chatting with the trade last week. “I can’t speak for my other cast members but for me, it’s pretty clear.”
Marks says both women were put in the “hot seat” during the reunion.
“I think Heather had a lot to answer for as well and really had her feet held to the fire, for sure,” she recalls. “And Monica, too.”
Of course, Gay and Garcia weren’t the only “Salt Lake City” women who got into it at the reunion, the Meredith Marks Caviar founder points out.
“There was a lot of just explosive behavior in general,” she says, noting that the ladies’ raucous behavior activated host Andy Cohen’s fiery side at times.
“I’ve never seen Andy quite as irritated as he was with us that day,” she says with a giggle. “It was a lot of him losing it, you know? Nothing too crazy, but he definitely got a little upset a few times — several times.”
Asked if Cohen, 55, was ever tempted to storm off set during the lengthy shoot, Marks says he — and the whole “RHOSLC” cast for that matter — stayed put.
“Everyone sat and dealt with their stuff. Everyone really did,” she tells us. “It’s one thing I will say. Whether you liked the answers you got or not, you got answers.”
Amid this season’s drama, Marks launched multiple businesses: her caviar brand, a more accessible line of fine jewelry called Plated by Meredith Marks and “Hanging by a Thread,” a podcast with her husband, Seth Marks.
Juggling three new ventures amid a busy filming schedule — and the emotional ups and downs of trying to procure peace within her feisty friend group — was tough, Meredith admits, but rewarding.
“The girls can start all the drama they want, but I’m busy!” she says. “It’s been so nice to put my energy into the stuff I love. It’s not always easy to balance, but I love what I do. And it’s nice to focus on things that are important to me.”
“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
