Every Season of 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,' Ranked

The ladies of Salt Lake City are back. That's right, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City are finally returning to our screens, coming back for Season 5. Since debuting in 2020, these ladies have given us some serious iconography in the land of reality TV, with a core four cast (Heather Gay, Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks and Whitney Rose) that has remained unchanged for five years. Over the seasons, we've followed these ladies through countless feuds, surprise SWAT team appearances and one of the most explosive reality TV finales ever.

In celebration of this week's premiere, we're ranking the seasons of RHOSLC so far.

Every Season of 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,' Ranked

4. Season 3

While RHOSLC's output has been mostly positive, most agree that one season stands out as the weakest link: Season 3. The third offering of the series is certainly a transition season, as the women deal with the fallout of Jen Shah's arrest and her impending trial date. While new faces (Angie Katsanevas and Danna Bui-Negrete) pop in and give the show some spice, ultimately what comes together is by far the least interesting installment in the typically top-tier franchise.

The season largely revolves around a too-convuluted-to-follow fallout between former besties Heather and Whitney, which by the end, saw no winner or loser emerge. To make matters worse, the season concluded on one of the most frustrating storylines in Real Housewives history: Who gave Heather Gay a black eye? By the end of it all, viewers were certainly frustrated by the show and the group as a whole. It was by far the lowest point for the series, but little did we know what was waiting for us just around the corner.

Related: The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' Announces Season 5 Premiere

3. Season 1

The one that started it all. As far as debut seasons go, it's hard to think of another city that pulled off what RHOSLC was able to do. The show hits the ground running immediately, introducing us to that solid core four, alongside the now-infamous Shah and Mary Cosby. Looking back, it's clear that Bravo had some serious gold on their hands with this casting.

The first four or five episodes of the season are essentially flawless, with a ridiculous (and deliciously "Housewifian") feud between Shah and Cosby ("You smell like hospital") taking center stage. The show quickly was able to form its own identity in this already-crowded franchise. With the backdrop of the Mormon church, RHOSLC centered around faith, religion and whether you can truly trust those within your community. The season suffers in the back half (Mary Cosby spends most of it in her closet ... literally), but it remains one of Bravo's strongest freshman offerings, setting the stage for what would be a truly iconic sophomore return.

2. Season 2

While Season 1 was a solid debut, Season 2 put RHOSLC on the map, due in large part to the shocking and headline-making arrest of Jen Shah on camera. Shah's arrest made national news when it happened, leaving viewers wondering just how much they would witness onscreen when the season aired. What the cameras were able to capture has gone on to be one of the most chilling hours in Bravo history, as the ladies were met with a truly unthinkable surprise as they gathered at Heather Gay's Beauty Lab + Laser to leave for a cast trip to Vail.

In the parking lot of Gay's med spa, the women and production were bombarded by the FBI and Homeland Security, looking for, yes, Jen Shah. Shah, who had fled the spa just minutes before, was arrested and charged with wire fraud and money laundering, completely changing the dynamic of the group and show at large, forever. What follows is a true Agatha Christie-style season of Housewives, as the women turn inward, pointing fingers as they try to decipher who knew about Shah's behavior beforehand, and who may have played a part in her eventual demise.

The one blemish on Season 2 is Jennie Nguyen, who joined as a new housewife. While her performance during the season is perfectly fine, she was immediately fired by Bravo after racially insensitive social media posts resurfaced online. Despite that unfortunate hiccup, Season 2 was, simply put, epic. It's an offering so seismic that it almost feels like it would be impossible to top. And that was true ... until Season 4.

Related: Andy Cohen Teases the Possible Return of Monica Garcia to 'The Real Housewives'

1. Season 4

The season of all seasons. Season 4 of RHOSLC is one of those once-in-a-series moments where a show is firing on all cylinders. From casting (After departing in season 3, Mary Cosby returns to the fold and Angie K gets a snowflake), production (a campy cast trip to Trixie Mattel's Trixie Motel and a lavish escape to Bermuda) and confidence in the core four unlike ever before, Season 4 is a season of "no skips."

The strongest aspect of the season, however, is the introduction of Monica Garcia. An almost instant favorite among viewers, Garcia joined the show like a lightning bolt, instantly gravitating towards some of the women and repelling others, while pulling back the curtains of her (truly unimaginable) personal life in a way we hadn't seen on the show, and on Real Housewives at large, in ages. As her favorability from the viewers grew, it only gave her higher heights to fall from. Yes, her fall eventually came in the season finale, which is by far the best hour of programming in the entire show's four-year run thus far.

An epic moment to say the least, Heather reveals to the women (and the viewers) that Garcia was a part of a fan account called "RealityVonTease," which was used to target Jen Shah and anyone associated with her. The eventual confrontation is one for the history books, as Garcia's origin is revealed and she takes on her entire cast at a triangle-shaped table (yes, a Bermuda triangle-shaped table). It instantly made Garcia one of the most infamous one-season housewives of all time (while the biggest question post-finale was if Garcia would return, she is not in Season 5), while also bringing this very core four that started it all closer than ever before.

It's hard to imagine how the women will be able to top such a truly mind-blowing offering like season 4, but if any cast can do it, it's the women of RHOSLC.

“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” returns for Season 5 on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, with episodes streaming next day on Peacock.

Next: 'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' Debuts Season 5 Trailer and New Housewife