As where she stands with Mary, Meredith commented, “As you saw in the teaser, she and I have conflict this season. I wish I could tell you what the conflict is over, but I can’t. I don’t understand it. The only thing I saw was she brought up things that were from ages ago that we had already talked about, so it felt very sort of contrived to me. It was odd. So, I don’t really know what the problem is there, which is a bit unsettling for me because usually when there’s a problem, I like to understand what it is.”
Meredith stressed, “Usually when someone starts coming at me, there should be a reason for it, especially when I've been there for them for years when nobody else would be."
"I truly don’t understand the issue," she emphasized again. "It felt like she was looking for trouble with me and I felt like she wanted to pick a fight with me. I don't know. Perhaps others are in her ear. You know, she has all these new friends, and that's great. I'm happy for her. I didn't ever want to see Mary on an island and only speaking to me. She should have friends... I don't know if like maybe that's part of it? I think as you'll se things unfold, it definitely may have played a portion of it."
Marks’ friendship with Lisa Barlow, however, is "starting off on a different foot" after past clashes.
She shared, "I think there had been a lot of misunderstandings between us. There was definitely problems — I'm not denying that — but on top of it, there were also a lot of misunderstandings and miscommunications. You know, I think some of the other women, I don't know, they don't really want us to be friends is what it feels like. I feel like there's been a lot of gas poured on the fire between us."
Meredith continued, "She and I both see that and we kind of I think... once you're aware of a situation like that, it's easy to navigate it... So, it's good. You’ll see where we land.”
She also teased “some ups and downs” in her marriage with husband Seth amid a “trying year.”
She explained, “He has really had to spend a lot of time in Ohio again for work, this time Columbus, and it’s hard because for the most part, he’s been working remotely since COVID and so he’s been, like, on my schedule… That changes this year, and we have a little bit of a rocky time acclimating to that again… I’m still having trouble with it… It’s still difficult because I miss him and we’re on different schedules and then you’re not communicating and then things start to feel transactional.”
As for former castmate Jen Shah, who is serving a prison sentence for her role in telemarketing scheme, Marks said she has had contact with Jen's husband Sharrieff and her manager.
She shared that Jen seems to be "doing pretty well” given the circumstances.
Meredith elaborated, “She’s found her footing there… I’ve heard that she’s like doing fitness classes and at some point was doing some makeup stuff. She’s finding something to do to fill the time because it's a lot of time on your hands.”
When asked how Sharrieff is handling the situation, Marks answered, “Giving what’s going on, they’re doing good. It’s not what anyone wishes for in their life, but it is what it is and they’re navigating.”
“RHOSLC” Season 5 premieres September 18 on Bravo.
“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Meredith Marks is dishing on the drama in store for Season 5!
