Meredith Marks Defends Lisa Barlow After She Misses ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ Cast Trip (Exclusive)

No matter how icy things get on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Meredith Marks is going to have Lisa Barlow’s back.

“Most of [the trip] was kind of like a pile-on to bash Lisa, to be totally honest. It was not really positive for her,” Meredith, 53, exclusively shared with Us Weekly when celebrating her RÜMORS & NASTINESS game, available for preorder now. “I felt pretty bad because she wasn’t there, and there was a lot of conversation about things that I didn’t know all that much about. I was only able to speak to the parts that I knew, and it was not that easy to defend her, because we were talking about things that she should have been there to talk about herself.”

On the Tuesday, September 16, episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Mary Cosby and Angie Katsanevas hosted a girls’ camping trip that kicked off with an RV ride.

Lisa, 50, was noticeably missing for the overnight getaway, which also included Whitney Rose, Heather Gay, Britani Bateman and Bronwyn Newport.

“I definitely did defend Lisa, and for me, it was really, really difficult, because it’s kind of like people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” Meredith explained to Us when looking back on the season premiere. “I do not have legal issues going on, but a lot of the people on the cast do, and we kind of give a lot of space to that, and they didn’t give that to Lisa. They didn’t give her the ability to answer it for herself.”

She continued, “They threw it out there into the universe to sit and stew for however long until she can answer for herself. And I don’t think anyone else was shown that disrespect with their legal issues. In fact, there are several that are outstanding that have not been discussed yet. Perhaps it’s time.”

When The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City launched in 2020, Lisa and Meredith were best friends. While the duo’s friendship has faced some highs and lows as the show has progressed, they are in a good spot as season 6 kicks off this month on Bravo.

From Meredith’s perspective, some of her costars tried to create a wedge in her friendship with Lisa.

“What really was a turning point for both of us was the realization that there was a lot of gas being poured on the fire that we’re seen as too strong together,” Meredith shared. “A lot of the women wanted to break that down, and were determined to break it down, and there were several attempts over the course of this past season to break it down. The problem is we’re on to you. Your tricks don’t work anymore.”

As a new season begins, Meredith is having some fun with all the rumors and nastiness that she faces.

The Bravo star teamed up with Samantha Topping Gellert to create an outrageous new party game designed for watch parties, pre-games and unforgettable nights with friends.

Meredith’s newest business venture — TOGG, or The Original Game Girls — is launching RÜMORS & NASTINESS, described as a bluff-and-gossip game built for the reality TV era.

“We all know there’s a lot of rumors and nastiness and obviously, the name ties back into the way you play — Is it a rumor or a nasty truth?” Meredith shared when teasing the game. “I just think it’s fun and it’s light. … We were looking for something to play off of rumors and nastiness. It’s just a really fun game.”

RÜMORS & NASTINESS is available for preorders online now. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Stream old episodes on Peacock.