On the most recent episode of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, we finally saw what we all came for. The arrest of housewives star Jen Shah. Ok, we didn’t see the arrest itself. But we did see her fleeing the scene of a cast trip before the feds could catch up with her. Jen claimed that her husband, Sharrieff Shah had “internal bleeding” and was “in the hospital.” Although once police showed up, her story seemed more and more dubious.
Before we saw the episode play out, news broke that Jen’s alleged crimes were part of a fraud and telemarketing scheme. Not just any schemed but once that targeting the elderly. Jen maintains her innocence. The sentence if she’s convicted carries a possible 30 years behind bars. Very serious stuff. So the current cast is left to answer questions about what they believe Jen knew. And also what they knew about her business. After last season’s reunion, it was clear that the cast really didn’t understand what Jen did for a living. And Jen didn’t really take any major steps to clear it up.
As reported by People, castmate Lisa Barlow appeared on Watch What Happens Live and talked about her knowledge of Jen’s business. According to Lisa, she “never questioned” Jen’s business before her arrest. She told host Andy Cohen, “I was under the impression that Jen did lead generation, and when you understand what lead generation is, it’s actually extremely lucrative — I have other friends that are in that business.”
Lisa added, “So I didn’t ever think she did anything illegal, and I never questioned her business or what she was doing. Honestly, it was really none of my business. I don’t like people in my business, so I didn’t get in hers. But I never thought it was illegal.”
RELATED: Meredith Marks Explains Why She Always Confused About Jen Shah’s Businesses Long Before Jen’s Arrest
When the feds came, the cast in the dark about what was going on and filming continued. But Lisa knew something was up when Jen asked Whitney Rose to turn off her mic while she took a phone call. Lisa then realized “It’s not about Sharrieff.” As for who Lisa thinks Jen was talking to when she asked to take her mic off, Lisa admitted, “I really don’t know.”
Lisa then addressed trying to get a hole of Stuart Smith, Jen’s assistant, who is also facing charges. When Heather Gay considered calling Jen to let her know what was going on, Jen stopped her. Said Lisa, “My first instinct was, let her go.” Which was a good call. Heather calling Jen to let her know the feds were looking for her would have been a legal no no.
While the episode garnered much attention from fans, it’s clear that there is plenty of information missing about that day. We aren’t sure if it will be addressed during the rest of the season or how much Jen will say. Either way, I think we are all along for the ride to see how it unfolds.
RELATED: Heather Gay Says She Knew Jen Shah’s Business Was “Unsavory” Long Before Her Arrest
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF LISA’S REMARKS?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
