Utah

Brian Higgins: In 2025, there will be even more reality TV shows about Utah

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2025

Brian Higgins: In 2025, there will be even more reality TV shows about Utah

This is part of a series of forward-looking predictions for 2025. Read more.

When I was asked to write about my predictions for 2025, a number of important topics ran through my head. The post-election political landscape. The increasing presence of artificial intelligence in our lives and what it means for the future of work. The health of the Great Salt Lake, Bear Lake, the Colorado River or any number of important waterways in Utah and the West. But setting out to answer those questions would leave another, more important question unanswered.

So I will answer that question: Yes, they will make more trashy reality TV shows about Utah in 2025.

How could they not? Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is one of 2024′s most talked-about shows. Meanwhile, Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” is as popular as ever, and its spinoff “The Trial of Jen Shah” had great ratings on C-SPAN. It’s clear from these shows that America wants to know more about Utah. Or at least the fabulously wealthy, mostly white, occasionally religious women of Utah.

This isn’t going to change in 2025. In fact, I predict there will only be more interest in the Beehive State. And rather than being an annoyance, this will actually be a great opportunity to showcase what life is like for Utahns who exist outside of the realms of dramatic cocktail parties, lavish getaways, soft-swinging affairs and high-profile financial crimes. We’ll all get our shot at reality fame next year.

The networks will be strategic about it, of course. They’ll ease people into it with the tried and true “wives” theme. “Keeping Up With Utah Jazz Wives” will premiere first. Imagine the drama of watching Jazz couples shop for houses in 29 different cities during the trade deadline or trying to find an outfit that matches those highlighter-yellow jerseys. A show like this would also offer a refreshing twist on the genre, since the average NBA player is about 100x more dramatic than any housewife.

After that, we’ll slowly move away from the upper class. It’s time for “The Real Ski Bum Condo-Wives of Salt Lake City.” This is drama. This is intrigue. If you thought the showdowns on “RHOSLC” were intense, wait until you see how Aspen from Cottonwood Heights reacts when her husband, River, buys a third pair of powder skis with the rent check. Throwing a glass of wine in someone’s face is interesting; throwing a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon in their face is cinema.

At this point, America will have full-blown Utah fever. It’s time to let the men shine. “The Secret Lives of Mormon Husbands” is Hulu’s next smash hit. The male version will be a bit different, though. Unlike “Mormon Wives” and “RHOSLC,” which follow the women throughout their daily lives, “Husbands” will be a “Hard Knocks”-style sports documentary following a full season of church ball.

No one will be able to resist the highs and lows of recreational basketball in suburban Utah. It’ll blow “Hard Knocks” out of the water. Sure, when a passionate, hard-working kid from a D2 school narrowly misses out on his NFL dreams, that’s sad. But when Jeff from Layton tells his wife and kids that he missed the game-tying free throw in overtime? Devastating.

This show will also help America move away from its mystical fascination with Mormons. For whatever reason, it seems the viewing public thinks LDS members live very different lives than their own, whether they be devoted members or “Bad Mormons,” like “RHOSLC’s” Heather Gay. But if viewers want a glimpse at some Utahns who truly live unique lives, they’ll go crazy for “The Real Desert Kangaroo Rats of Moab.”

The catty critters didn’t come here to make friends; they came here to strut their stuff, speak their minds and survive on a diet of grass seeds and mesquite beans in desert scrub, open grasslands and creosote flats. Sir David Attenborough will narrate and say things like, “Here in the desert, water is scarce. But there’s plenty of tea and — like the temperatures — it’s piping hot.”

We haven’t even touched on dating shows, and Utah is the perfect venue for some of America’s biggest love-centric trash TV. Have the producers of “The Golden Bachelor” even heard of Park City? These are the fittest 70-somethings in the world, people. Forget pickleball; this will be the first season with an ultramarathon group date.

Netflix’s “Love Is Blind,” the show where contestants fall in love through a wall and get married six weeks later, should also take a visit here. Fans of the show deserve to see a family that’s almost entirely unfazed by the idea of getting married that fast.

It’s going to be a big year for Utah, and I think there will be room for everyone to cash in. And if you think that you, yes you, aren’t interesting enough for your own show, just remember the golden rule of reality TV: No idea is too stupid.

(Photo courtesy of Brian Higgins) Brian Higgins

Brian Higgins is a writer and comedian in Salt Lake City.

The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.

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Utah

Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

Published

11 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.

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Utah

Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

Published

23 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.

After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.

Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.

“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.

An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.

Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.

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Utah

Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

Published

1 day ago

July 16, 2026

Press Room

Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.

Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.

“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”

When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.

An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.

In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.

Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.

Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.

In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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