Things got very interesting on Sunday’s episode of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” ‘HIGHWAY TO VAIL’. Obviously, a lot happened, but I was especially taken aback by Lisa Barlow’s over the top emotions and paranoia over Jen Shah’s arrest. With that said, I suspect Lisa is in some degree attached to Jen’s businesses. This is only my opinion. But I want to look at Lisa’s rather bizarre reaction:
The episode picks up with Jennie Nguyen, Heather Gay, Lisa Barlow and Whitney Rose being swarmed by Homeland Security agents and NYPD, in the Beauty Lab parking. The agents say they are looking for Jen Shah and want to question her.
At this point the ladies know Jen’s in trouble. They know it likely has to do with her business, but they don’t have details.
Lisa Barlow immediately says, “I think I should call Stu” as in…Stuart Smith, Jen’s assistant.
Heather seems obsessed with helping Jen get a head start and asks if she should call Jen, to which Barlow says “I don’t think you should do that.”
The first unnerving piece of evidence that Lisa knows something and feels she may be implicated are her tears.
Barlow immediately calls her husband in tears saying, “the swat team just showed up”…”for Jen…like Homeland Security.”
Lisa is panicked…like too panicked.
“I think Meredith might know something,” Barlow, 46, whispers to John during a phone call, covering her mouth with her hand.
“I mean, I’m dead serious,” she adds, “because of some other stuff.”
The second piece of evidence is her frenzied need to call an attorney.
“I’m calling my attorney real quick” she then tells the girls. She then proceeds to call not one but SIX attorneys.
Third: She is obsessed and paranoid with the idea that there is a mole in the group.
Lisa is just hyperventilating at this point saying “someone told them”….. all very odd if she has nothing to hide. If Jen is legit guilty of federal crimes, no one should be upset if one of the ladies had the cajones to turn her in.
“This looks really sus” she declares–as if the real villain is the person who turned Jen in and not Jen herself.
Later Barlow tells her husband she talked to her attorneys, “I talked to Tony K and Ryan and they said do not talk to any law enforcement without any one of them there.”…. not that we did anything wrong but because of what Jen…it could be minor or it could be major…”.
Why would her husband even think they did anything wrong?
Fourth: Whitney suspects Lisa is guilty.
When they make a pit stop Whitney tells Heather: “Lisa’s acting guilty of something… she’s calling all her attorneys. To one Attorney she says “should I be stressed”. To another attorney she say, “I’m physically shaking”.
Whitney is clearly not involved because she is chomping at the bit to break down how much trouble Shah is in.
Whitney sees a headline online and asserts, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh,” … “Real Housewives Star Charged in Massive Fraud, Money Laundering Scheme.” Lisa and Heather jump onto their phones and see that Stuart has also been charged, Both start crying in Whitney’s bosom when they read that Jen could face up to 30 years in prison.
Really, I think Lisa hears that she could face 30 years in prison.
Whitney then reads aloud from a Department of Justice’s statement: “Jen Shah and Stuart Smith allegedly profited by generating lists of victims… building their opulent lifestyle on the expense of vulnerable people, elderly, and working class.”
Fifth: Lisa’s crying over Stuart.
Barlow starts bawling and hyperventilating saying “Oh no…Stu…I honestly feel so bad”.
Really?? Were you that close to Stu? Stu has always seemed incredibly shady and guilty of something.
“I just feel so bad for her family. I honestly feel like we should be back there….”–as in turn this van around and let’s go back home–aka I need to meet with my 6 attorneys and make sure any involvement I have with Jen is not gonna get me arrested.
But the ladies proceed to Vail despite Lisa’s concerns.
More on this later. I just had to jot down some of the things Lisa said that have been bothering me and have me wanting to know if she is in any way involved in this. I think there needs to be a deep dive in to the investors in all of Jen Shah’s companies: JXA Fashion, Shah Beauty, and The Real Shah Lashes.