Way back in lockdown 1. 0 we hadLove Is Blind, then we couldn’t stop talking aboutSelling Sunset. And now,Bling Empire is set to be the show that will commandeer your evenings and your WhatsApp group chats. Every few months, Netflix brings out a new reality TV series that gets us all completely hooked. They’re often set in far-flung locations, feature very memorable characters and, above all else, are usually totally and utterly ridiculous.
What’s Bling Empire about?
The reality show follows a group of wildly wealthy Asian and Asian-American friends (and frenemies) living the high life in Los Angeles.
The official synopsis reads: “While their days and nights are filled with fabulous parties and expensive shopping sprees, don’t let the glitz and glamour fool you. Between running multi-billion dollar businesses and traveling the world, these friends are as good at keeping secrets as they are at spilling them. And there is certainly no shortage of secrets. ”
Who’s in Bling Empire?
As well as all the influencers, YouTubers and socialites that run in their circle, the main Bling Empire cast are:
- Anna Shay: Anna describes herself as the Queen of Los Angeles. (Yes, we are already obsessed and yes, she’s the new Christine Quinn). She’s a socialite and heiress who, before the show, was notoriously private. Her father was the billionaire founder of defence contracting firm Pacific Architects and Engineers.
- Dr Gabriel Chiu and his wife Christine Chiu: These two run the Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery clinic in LA and have a two-year-old son Gabriel (AKA Baby G). Christine describes herself as ‘philanthropist, investor, and couture collector’ on Instagram.
- Kane Lim: Real estate heir Kane has a phenomenal shoe collection, is followed by Rihanna on Instagram and, according to an interview with Voyage LA, is in the process of making residential and commercial real estate deals for his business, Kix Capital.
- Cherie Chan: Cherie’s family run a ‘denim empire’, and before the show, she was apparently set to become a pop star in Japan. Now, she and her partner Jessey Lee are busy raising their son Jevon, and daughter Jadore, while Cherie copes with the loss of her mother.
- Kim Lee: Kim is a musician and DJ with an impressive international following. She’s done reality TV before and also had a successful career as a model.
- Kelly Mi Li:Kelly is a Hollywood producer, entrepreneur and influencer whose ex-husband is serving ten years in prison for fraud. Ouch.
- Kevin Kreider: Kevin moved from Pennsylvania to LA to pursue a career in modelling (his abs are sculpted by the gods) and is billed as the ‘every man’ of the show – meaning he’s the token ‘non-rich one’.
Bling Empire review:
Okay, this show isn’t going to engage your brain or be mentally captivating or challenging in any way – but that’s exactly the sort of self-care TV we need right now. If you love shows about ridiculous people doing ridiculous things – Selling Sunset, Crazy Rich Asians, Love Is Blind, Below Deck, The Real Housewives, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, we could go on – you’re in safe hands with Bling Empire.
Where can I watch Bling Empire?
All eight episodes of season 1 are available to stream now on Netflix. You can watch the trailer below.
