Review: Why Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Should Be Your Next Reality TV Obsession
If you haven’t guessed it, I love reality TV. And if a series has a scandalous group of Mormon mom influencers, I’m hooked. Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is Hulu’s newest hit series. The new eight-episode installment will show the group of #momtalk influencers imploding when they are revealed to be in the midst of a swinging sex scandal that makes worldwide headlines.
The book of belonging on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
I know a little bit about the Mormon culture thanks to my dabbling in Sister Wives, but I really wasn’t ready for every one of these young women to be relatively so young. I was introduced to the cast: Taylor Frankie Paul, Demi Engemann, Jennifer Affleck, Jessi Ngatikaura, Layla Taylor, Mayci Neeley, Mikayla Mathews, and Whitney Leavitt, and immediately, I knew there was trouble in paradise. Between divorces, strict Mormon rules, and fighting from within, I kept thinking these ladies were trying to figure life out while still being babies. They say they want to be the movement of change and to break stereotypes, but all they do is the silly TikTok, plastic surgery, and tons of make, so it’s hard not to judge a book by its cover. But I can agree that the underlying theme is a bunch of Mormon women fighting the patriarchy.
Each mom had her own social media but banded together to promote mom talk (honestly, I kept hearing Montauk). I learned the niche was a content creative house. The more they posted together, the more brand deals and revenue generated. I’ll admit I tuned in to watch swingers, but in all reality, only one cast member, Taylor, was the admitted swinger. Taylor is the first villain of the series as she is the black sheep of her family, thanks to her lack of belief in monogamy and her divorce. But as we learn, none of the wives have perfect lives. Whitney’s husband had a porn addiction which led to Tinder flirting, but they seem fine now… or in denial.
The book of saints and sinners
The first episode was slow, but the last five minutes changed the entire outlook. Taylor’s arrest for domestic violence was caught on a police dashcam and aired. The mother of three was having a hard time with life and took her anger out on her new man, Dakota, whom you meet later. Episode 2 starts 11 months after her arrest, and the ladies are divided. It gave me a real Heather’s feel. Fans learn quickly that it’s Team Taylor or Team Whitney. Both feel they have a claim to the queendom, but in reality, both are kind of annoying. However, Whitney feels the meanest out of the two.
Even though Episode 2 is a vast difference from the premiere episode, it’s interesting to learn that the women are the breadwinners in their house. It’s actually humorous that they will swing, but think twice about pushing vibrators. I found myself yelling at the TV when Whitney was debating about posting a photo holding the sex toy for $20K; like, do it, girl!
The book of Jen
If you ask me, the real story within the series revolves around Jen. She is 24 and controlled by her husband, Zac. She is a mother and the sole provider. Zac is on his ten-year journey to becoming a doctor and doesn’t appreciate how much his wife does for him. He also has a gambling addiction, which is definitely a no-no within the church. Jen is pretty down to earth and won me over after she shared that her mom is the cleaning lady at the same hospital where her father-in-law is a surgeon.
Zac is a real piece of work and tags along on the girls’ trip to Las Vegas. As the girls head to Chippendales, Jen is bombarded with texts from her husband threatening divorce. She breaks down, leaves the show, and ends up having a long talk with her husband. But her friends have already seen the abusive text messages, telling Jen she has no morals. Sadly, by the end of Season 1, Jen has agreed to give up mom talk and move to New York City to pursue Zac’s dreams.
The book of truth
The foundation of the friend group has cracked. Since episode 2, Whitney has steered clear of the ladies, and no one but Mayci likes her. Whitney reminds me a bit of Regina George, as she is super manipulative. One example is her choice to make a TikTok while her infant son is in the ICU on oxygen. She cried for half an episode about how trolls called her out and didn’t even acknowledge it was probably the wrong time and place to make a viral video. But the ladies knew her plan; she wanted followers and attention.
The series ends with Mayci, who is the most put-together, launching her brand, Babymama. Everyone shows up in hues of rose, and it has me thinking on launch day, we wear pink. As Mayci counts down to her site going live, all the women decide to unfriend Whitney on social media. It’s a bold statement since these women make their bread and butter from these sites. Whitney is unphased and instead tells her parents she’s pregnant by baking her actual pee stick into a cake.
I’ll be honest: when I first started watching, I wasn’t sure this show was going to be for me, especially when it turned out to have little to do with swinging. But by the end, with the birth of Taylor’s new baby, the post-Whitney era, and Jen caving to Zac, I wanted to see more. So here’s hoping Hulu drops a Season 2.
TELL US — HAVE YOU WATCHED THE SECRET LIVES OF MORMON WIVES? WHAT DID YOU THINK?
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