Whitney Rose is back for season 3 of 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,' which shifts the dynamics for the Utah-set crew.
It's seemingly bad news for "Bad Wheather" on season 3 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
The once unbreakable force of Whitney Rose and Heather Gay's friendship cracks this year, as the close pals/cousins' bond is tested amid shifting dynamics within the group. As fans have seen in sneak peeks, the two get into a near-physical altercation, seemingly over a discussion surrounding rumors involving their one-time joint sworn-enemy, Lisa Barlow, trading favors for her tequila business -- allegations Lisa denies.
"[Heather] pushes me, and that changed everything forever," Whitney tells ET. "Those rumors that we hear about in the super-teases and all of that, people don’t want to own who started it, who said it, and people don't like to be called out on their stuff. So, when you have someone who's trying to lie, and someone's really challenging them, they’re gonna get angry."
That plays right into what Whitney says is her biggest lesson learned in season 3: "Always keep it 100 percent real. Lies always come to the surface."
Whitney has a hand in the rumor drama, seemingly repeating information Meredith Marks presented to her about Lisa. She's not in a great place with either woman today, even after filming season 3 of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip with Heather.
"I absolutely knew that going into Girls Trip, majority of it was going to be about Salt Lake City, for sure," she teases. "I just I think that one of the hardest things about season 3 is me realizing that who I think my friends really are, aren't. Like, they were never really my real friends, and that's a hard pill to swallow."
"We exist," she says of her relationship with both Heather and Meredith. "I think it's going to take a lot of work moving forward."
In a surprise twist, though, Whitney found friendship with Lisa, whom she feuded with on seasons 1 and 2 of RHOSLC, claiming to have a doctorate in Lisa's "B.S." and regularly calling her out for acting as if she's better than the rest of the women.
"It's a lot to unpack, and you'll see it throughout all the episodes," she teases of her and Lisa's relationship evolution. "The best way to explain it is, I only saw Lisa -- I didn't really know her very well -- I saw her through everyone else's lenses, and naturally when your bestie doesn't like someone, you're going to pre-judge someone, because you're seeing them through their lenses."
"After all those rumors came out and everything happened, I got to see a more vulnerable and open Lisa," she continues, "and I was able to take off the lenses I used to see her in and form my own opinion about her."
Whitney says what she learns about Lisa in season 3 made her "question a few things" about their prior interactions, which she says she always viewed through Heather's "lens."
"It was all real, everything that happened absolutely happened," she notes. "[But now], I question a few ... things that were told to me, if they were really true or not."
Judging by what she says now, the season also changed Whitney's relationship with another friend, Angie Harrington, who joins as an official "friend of" the cast in season 3 after making guest appearances (and sparking some Lisa drama of her own) in season 2. Whitney says their relationship is "interesting to watch" this time around.
"She is great, she brings a lot to the group," she offers in Angie's favor. "She is naturally involved with everyone, she knows everyone... and of course loves to find herself at the center of a lot of the drama."
"So much happens," she adds. "When you buy into a friendship, and you trust friends and you believe their truth, and you find out that it wasn't true or they admit to lying about it, or doing something, it's naturally going to change the dynamic of how you view that person, 'cause you feel like you can't trust them anymore, right? And there's a lot of that this season."
Whitney hints what comes to light this year puts Angie's charity drama with Lisa to shame
"There's new stuff," she promises, "stuff that is so crazy and shocking that you'll be like, what?! Salt Lake City is nuts!"
Pulling focus from the group dynamics of season 3 is, of course, Jen Shah's ongoing legal situation. In July, the OG snowflake-holder pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges against her, reversing nearly two years of professing her innocence on the show and across social media.
"I was shocked," Whitney shares. She hasn't spoken to her co-star since she plead. Jen's set for sentencing in November, and faces up to 30 years in prison.
"I didn't see it coming because, as you know, she has said that she's innocent. That's what she's been screaming at the top of her lungs, and if you'd challenged that then you heard it," she continues. "So, I was shocked. I honestly thought that she would fight it until the end. I thought she would go through her trial and fight for her innocence. I was shocked because it was the exact opposite of everything that she's been saying."
Whitney says she doesn't feel as if she has the full story when it comes to what Jen did or didn't do, but hopes the sentencing doesn't keep her castmate from showing up to tape the season 3 reunion. "I hope that we can face Jen and have her explain it to us," she says.
Two more new additions to the group -- Angie Katsanevas and Danna Bui-Negrete -- get involved in Jen's story, too. Angie comes to the group by way of Jen, but is now close with Whitney and Lisa.
"We have become great friends," Whitney shares. "It was pretty unexpected, but I really enjoy her. She's a lot of fun, she's just real. Like, we can we can talk about anything."
"She's amazing," Whitney goes on to gush. "I didn't think I was going to like her, because she was always Jen's 'loyal friend,' and you know, past is the past, but she is amazing. ... She jumps in, she's not scared to say how she feels."
Then there's Danna, who seems firmly planted as anti-Jen from the start. The trailer for the season features a conversation between Danna and Whitney, Danna claiming to know of an informant in the government's case against Jen.
"She's one of the first people -- the only person -- who has really got in Jen's face and calls Jen out," Whitney notes. "That's interesting all season long."
There are two Housewives MIA from season 3: Jennie Nguyen, who exited the series after racist social media posts from her past resurfaced toward the tail-end of season 2 airing, and Mary Cosby, who opted not to show up for the season 2 reunion after uncomfortable interactions with Jennie and a series of conversations among the women about her church and rumors that it's a cult (which she's vehemently denied).
"After what happened last year, it's definitely natural [for Mary to not return]," Whitney says, "but I will miss her one-liners."
Boiling the season down to a few words, Whitney offers up "chaotic, enlightening and powerful," the last of which seemingly applies to her personal story. Whitney confronts to-be-revealed unresolved trauma from her childhood on-camera this year, revelations that come to light as she cuts her final ties to the Mormon church.
"These wounds have always been there, and they were slowly opening through all the work that I've been doing over the past couple of years," she explains, "I just never expected them to open up while I was filming. I was hoping that they would stay stuffed down until I had wrapped and I would be able to figure it out, but I think that that's the beautiful thing about doing reality TV is, if you're willing to be open and vulnerable and just let the process happen, it helps the healing process move quicker, and I'm so grateful that I was able to have such strong resources in my life to help me get through it."
"I am a bit mortified to watch it back, because one, I already moved on, and I'm in such a better place now and two, people aren't always kind when it comes to what's going on in our personal lives," she says. "They love to throw their opinions and comments in, and so it's going to be hard because these were real-life situations that I was in, and the public opinion is really going to test my strength."
Whitney is hopeful that any audience commentary only "fuels" her healing, rather than challenge it. Her message to fans: "Just be gracious when I'm really struggling and emotional."
"It was like one thing after another in real time," she recalls. "It had such a big impact on who I am, and how I show up in friendships and relationships."
"I think it's important for people to see, so they can understand me better and I hope that everyone really appreciates my growth and my glow-up, because I did it -- and it's really hard to do on reality TV," she adds, going on to shut down speculation that's popped up as blind items on gossip sites, suggesting she would embellish or invent this painful history for a storyline.
"Shame on them," she declares. "No one should be questioning a victim. That's really disgusting."
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs Wednesdays on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
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