The Real Housewives franchise has its fair share of cast financial scandals. And as each scandal breaks, fans question how the network vets their cast members. Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd supposedly violated California labor laws. Former business partners sued Dorit Kemsley & PK Kemsley for monies owed.
Teresa Giudice spent 11 months in jail for bankruptcy fraud. Her ex-husband Joe Giudice was away for 41 months. Phaedra Parks’ ex-husband Apollo Nida who served 96 months. Recently, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah was charged with alleged conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. She’s facing one of the heaviest legal battles in Real Housewives history. A battle that, if lost, will come with a lengthy prison sentence. If found guilty, Jen could face a maximum sentence of 30 years.
According to a PageSix article, a third party performs the background checks. A source said, “Even in the best background checks, [the alleged scheme] is not going to come up. If there was a history of or current illegal activity, then that would be uncovered,”
An insider said, “There is a comprehensive background check and reports are vetted through the network and the production company.”
RELATED: Jen Shah Pleads Not Guilty To Charges Of Conspiracy To Commit Wire Fraud And Money Laundering
The probes are not exhaustive enough to go sleuthing for potential illegal behavior. They simply scan the public record for historical data on that candidate. In Jen’s case, the only wrongdoing on her file was a traffic citation from 1999. Bravo would have absolutely disqualified a candidate with any kind of open criminal investigation. Jen pleaded not guilty to the charges.
RELATED: Jen Shah Claimed She Spends $50K A Month In Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Audition Tape; Husband Sharrieff Shah Says “She’s Two Types Of Crazy”
Her lawyer gave a statement. The attorney said, “Jennifer Shah is a wife, mother, and lifelong resident of the Salt Lake City area. She maintains her innocence of these charges.” Apparently, Jen is “eager to defend herself in a court of law.”
Jen “puts her faith in the American legal system. Because of the ongoing legal proceedings, we ask that you respect her privacy, and understand she will not provide any further comments.”
Will Bravo apply more rigorous standards to their vetting process in future? Do they need to? They benefit from the drama without having to justify their casting decisions beyond a simple background check. And we’re just here for the entertainment value.
RELATED: Fans Roast Jen Shah For Getting Glam Prior To Arraignment; Shah Squad Says Jen’s “#Unarrested”
TELL US- SHOULD BRAVO CHANGE THEIR VETTING PROCESS? DO YOU WANT TO SEE JEN BACK ON THE SHOW? OR SHOULD BRAVO FIRE HER?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
