Bling Empire premiered on 15th January 2020 on Netflix. It is the second American reality television series in which the main cast are all Asians after Family Karma, and they are crazy rich!
They Are Called Crazy Rich For A Reason!
Bling Empire is a more or less unscripted reality show about crazy rich Asian families who are the residents of Los Angeles. They get their money from all sorts of businesses like defence armoury, malls, heritage, and lineage, etc. Although their days and nights are riddled with glamorous and lavish parties and extravagant shopping sprees, don’t let the grandeur and glamour fool you. Between heading multi-billion dollar companies and travelling around the world, these friends are as good at keeping secrets as they are at revealing them. And undoubtedly, there is no lack of secrets in this group.
There are some uncalled-for naked bottoms and some interpersonal rivalry to spice things up. From big brands to care, anger, emotion and love, the series is a package and keeps you hooked. There are also scenes where you feel what a waste of money but isn’t that what being crazy rich is about? One of the aspects that I liked about the series is the relationship between Kevin Kreiger and everyone from the rich community. Kevin does not come from money, he is a middle-class man who works as a model but throughout the series you see everyone accepting him as he is and never showing him down.
With everything about the series right, there are also petty moments like fighting about who has the most expensive jewellery, changing a rival’s seating plan, giving the rival the wrong party time, etc. which as mostly laughable but will also make you realize that money brings power but not security. The Asian socialites we meet in Bling Empire S1 are socialite Anna Shay, plastic surgeon Dr. Gabriel Chiu and his wife, entrepreneur Christine Chiu, real estate heir Kane Lim, denim heiress Cherie Chan, musician and DJ Kim Lee, Hollywood producer Kelly Mi Li, Kevin Kreider and a smattering of influencers (including YouTuber-turned-musician Guy Tang).
We see the ensemble celebrate traditions like the Chinese New Year and Singapore Day and navigate the family’s expectations in the 21st century, and otherwise, explore traditional culture in the widest variety of ways with ample resources and bling. More often than not, Kane is the sound of rationality in the entire series and we appreciate him!
Stream It or Skip It
STREAM IT! Bling Empire is a fun experience and will make you question some things but it’s worth it. You hear a lot of things from Kevin’s perspective who’s an outsider to the community even though he is accepted by the Bling Empire folks and you appreciate these people a little more and sometimes a little less at the same time.
Lastly, we would love to see Bling Empire season 2!
Bling Empire is now streaming on Netflix.
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