Jessi Ngatikaura has some thoughts on Demi Engemann not attending the first Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion.
“We definitely got more than a few days’ notice. It was a few weeks,” Jessi, 33, exclusively told Us Weekly when asked about Demi’s reasoning (a pre-planned trip to Disney) for not being there. “I believe it [though] because I know she was in Disney.”
Jessi, who spoke to Us while promoting her partnership with RumChata, called that Demi’s decision to skip was “convenient.’
“I actually was hosting a class the day of the reunion and I had 60 people from out of state flying in to learn from me. I still came to the reunion and I lost a lot of money doing that. I would say that if I could make it work, she should have as well,” she said. “But I understand her situation and being on a family trip and with her mom going through things. I would never fault her for that. But I do think it was not to her benefit to not come because there were so many things we said about her that I wish she could have been there to answer.”
Hulu announced earlier this month that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives would have its first reunion. The news included photos from the special, which confirmed that Jen Affleck, Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley, Jessi, Taylor Frankie Paul, Layla Taylor and Miranda McWhorter would be in attendance. MomTok will also be joined by DadTok a.k.a Connor Leavittt, Zac Affleck, Jordan Ngatikaura, Dakota Mortensen, Jace Terry and Jacob Neely.
Demi’s absence comes after she ended the season at odds with the cast — minus Whitney, 32. She addressed why she didn’t attend during an Instagram Q&A, writing, “I was [invited]. It was short notice and the only day they could get the location secured was the day that me and my entire family went to Disneyland.”
“We had already booked all of our flights and the Airbnb was nonrefundable or / would’ve moved the trip to be there,” she continued. “I tried to have production move it to another day and they couldn’t swing it sadly.”
Jessi offered Us a glimpse at how the drama with Demi would still be addressed.
“I do feel like at the end of the day, we all should have been there,” she said. “And I think that her watching the reunion back’s going to probably create more drama and more tension. So,maybe, we’ll need a reunion part 2.”
Demi was the one who took “a lot of the heat even though she’s not” there, according to Jessi.
“We talk about her a lot so that kind of sucks for her.,” she said.“But I think Whitney got some heat as well. It was just kind of clearing up all the drama from season 1 and seeing where we’re at with her. But I feel like everyone had their chance in the hot seat so it’s going to be a good reunion.”
Although the cast sat down to hash out their issues, there are still “breadcrumbs for” season 3.
“I feel like we all came out of it a little bit closer and able to put things like water under the bridge,” Jessi hinted. “Even more of it will play out in the next season. So it answers things but it also probably begs more questions that will then be answered.”
The second season of Mormon Wives put some significant distance between Demi and the others over who was the leader of the group and salary negotiations. There were also rumors that Demi was unfaithful with Vanderpump Villa’s Marciano Brunette, which she denied.
Demi’s feud with Jessi, however, came as the biggest shock.
“After the season aired, we all wanted to subside the drama because there was so much of it. We agreed we’re all going to keep the peace and not be crazy anymore,” Jessi noted. “So I do feel like if we had a conversation where there were apologies and accountability — in my opinion — she needs to do that a little more than I do.”
Jessi isn’t ruling out a friendship reconciliation though. “But if we were both able to come together and say, ‘I’m sorry for this.’ I could see us being civil and cordial,” she told Us. “We’re coworkers. We’re going to have to work together. I can totally be her friend for that. But I’ll never be her best friend. It will never be what it was.”
She concluded: “There were so many questions unanswered that we figured out as we were going and that situation is so layered. But I do think at the end of the day, we were really close. When you’re close with someone, you always have love for them and you always care for them. So no matter what we’ve been through, I’ll always love and care about her. I just don’t think it will be possible for us to just be best friends again because of everything that’s happened.”
While Hulu viewers wait for season 3, they have another chance to keep up to date with Jessi. She’s partnering with RumChata for an opportunity to win a trip to Salt Lake City for a VIP experience. Hosted by Jessi, the winner and two friends will join the reality star for a glam makeover, an intimate RumChata meal and a chance to hang out and swap soda secrets with Jessi.
Fans can enter by commenting on RumChata’s Instagram post with their favorite dirty soda recipe, a housewife-style tagline and how they plan to spike their summer. One winner will be selected for the ultimate fizzy getaway, while others can still sip like a star with Jessi’s Dirty Secret Soda.
“I do cola as the base. You can do any base you want but that’s the one I prefer. Then I do a little bit of coconut creamer and then I do the RumChata,” Jessi detailed. “You can do a lemon in there if you want. Extra ice is always my go-to as well. But the RumChata is really creamy so it kind of mimics the creamer that we do in our normal dirty soda. So it’s perfect.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is currently streaming on Hulu.
