A man offers to buy a real-estate company simply because he had an argument with a woman who works there. A woman throws her husband’s clothes out of their huge walk-in wardrobe because she wants more space for her own stuff. Another woman arrives glamorously for a blind date in a helicopter.
The opulent lives of the rich in Dubai and their first-world problems sizzle the screen in Netflix’s new series “Dubai Bling”. As its name suggests, it is filled with glitz, glamour, Hermès, Chanel, Versace, Cartier, expensive cars, and of course, heaps of drama – all key ingredients for an addictive reality show.
Over eight episodes, viewers are given a glimpse into the lavish lives of 10 cast members. Zeina Khoury is the chief executive officer of the aforementioned real-estate company and apparently a success story of the Dubai dream because, as she says, she arrived in Dubai with only US$300 and “turned that into millions”.
Her faithful sidekick is Safa Siddiqui, a former real-estate agent who became a stay-at-home mother after she married well.
Then there’s Farhana Bodi, a social-media influencer who has the coveted blue tick on her Instagram profile and 1.7 million followers. She ends up rubbing Zeina the wrong way when she does the unthinkable: inviting the influencer-averse Zeina to her birthday bash where the majority of party items appear to be sponsored!
Joining the lineup is socialite Loujain Adada, or LJ, the young widow of billionaire Walid Juffali, and also the aforementioned woman in the helicopter.
Her blind date, who sent the chopper, is businessman Ebraheem Al Samadi, for whom it is hard not to feel sorry when she dismisses his grand gesture, saying: “I’m used to it – my husband used to have a helicopter.” Ouch.
A refreshing presence among the cast is television presenter Lojain Omran, who seems to successfully steer clear of a fair chunk of the drama and dishes out practical advice every now and then.
There are also two couples: Marwan Al-Awadhi (aka DJ Bliss) and his wife Danya Mohammed (aka Diva Dee), as well as radio host and entrepreneur Kris Fade with his partner Brianna, who later get married in one of the episodes.
Curiously, Fade is described as having arrived with close to US$300 and eventually becoming “the most successful radio host and businessman in Dubai”. Perhaps 300 is a magic number when it comes to the Dubai dream.
All bling, no substance?
As with most reality shows, this is an easy watch with plenty of hijinks – especially among the women – to keep viewers entertained. In one particularly memorable scene, Zeina and Diva Dee get into a heated argument, which later involves coffee being thrown and clothes ripped.
As little cliques are formed, it is easy to be reminded of “Mean Girls” and be astounded by the fact that pieces of life in high school can still be carried into adulthood.
To its credit, some serious issues are woven into the drama, among them the topic of surrogacy, which is something Safa considers following a difficult prior pregnancy.
As it is not the norm within the community, her friends try to talk her out of it, leaving Safa struggling as she was born and raised in London and has a different point of view.
Another issue is brought up by Lojain, who speaks her mind about the beauty standards faced by women in the local media industry, including the prospect of having an “expiry date” when they age.
One episode also tackles the subject of infidelity, which is something Zeina encounters when she learns her husband is unfaithful to her.
Binge or skip?
Watching reality shows can be likened to consuming junk food: it might not be healthy, but you just can’t seem to stop as it tastes so good. And hey, perhaps a little junk food every now and then couldn’t hurt.
At the end of the day, what draws viewers to this genre is the opportunity to have a glimpse into how others – especially the rich and famous – live. But with “Dubai Bling”, one can’t help but wonder: just how much reality is there in this reality show?
After all, as Diva Dee says in one of the episodes: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall – who is the fakest one of all?”
‘Dubai Bling’ is streaming on Netflix.