B.C.’S glamour girls
City’s small size, but high portion of rich folk right mix for Canadian Real Housewives
The Real Housewives of Vancouver premieres Wednesday,
Love to rubberneck the upper crust? You’re in for a treat: Canada’s own misbehaving moneyed class is about to hit the small screen.
A potent combination of shameless materialism, alcohol-fuelled bickering and skilful editing, the Real Housewives reality lifestyle shows are known for pulling back the curtain on the lives of affluent women in places from Beverly Hills to New York City. Premiering Wednesday on Slice, The Real Housewives of Vancouver promises all that plus mountain views.
But the question on the minds of everyone east of Kamloops is “Why Vancouver?” Catch up, people: Lotusland’s tie-dyed, granolacrunching rep is way past its expiry date. After all, Vancouver just jumped to No. 2 on the list of the world’s most unaffordable cities. Besides an internationally renowned slum and a struggling middle class, that honour brings with it a slew of insanely rich folk who love to frolic here in Canada’s West Coast playground.
While Toronto undoubtedly has a plentiful supply of well-heeled narcissists, Lark Productions executive producer Louise Clark explains that the smaller city’s tight-knit community played a big part in their decision to film in Vancouver.
“We knew we wanted a certain level of glamour and lifestyle,” says Clark, “and the other key element was a level of connectivity between the cast that was a balance of not too much and not too little so that there was an opportunity for dynamics to grow.”
Since the production company was on a tight timeline, eager to start filming during the summer months, they chose the city where the cast was coming together more quickly.
“It would have been difficult to cast a show that had somebody from Forest Hill and from Vaughan in it who weren’t moving in the same circles and had no relationship,” says Clark. The Vancouver cast consists of five women from upscale neighbourhoods like Shaughnessy, West Vancouver and Yaletown. Some of the cast members were already friends, while others knew each other by reputation before shooting began.
Clark says Vancouver’s lifestyle also swayed the decision.
“The thing about Vancouver that appealed was the potential for the landscape and the outdoor activities, which is a big part of the franchise,” she says. “It’s also home to cruise ships, it’s home to private parties that feature Michael Bublé singing for groups of 10. There’s a lot that goes on here.”
Christine Shipton, VP of original content at Shaw Media, says she was surprised by the quantity of glamour that Vancouver had on tap.
“I’m from Toronto and I wasn’t as aware of how glittery the city can be in these circles,” says Shipton. “So it was a factor, as well as the excellent cast that had been presented to us. I don’t think we’ve let this franchise down at all, but I think there is still a Canadian-ness about it. What distinguishes this cast is their sense of humour.”
They may be funny, but if you’re concerned that the Canadian show will be a kinder, gentler version of the typically catty program, fear not. Cast member Christina Kiesel, a twice-divorced party girl, says the show lives up to its predecessors.
“I don’t think anyone wants to watch five women drinking tea, talking about how much they like each other and exchanging phone numbers for nannies,” says Kiesel.
“They don’t want to see girls getting along. People want to see something that’s kind of real and dramatic. So we bring that.”
Kiesel is well aware that the show will aggravate many in Vancouver. In fact, the haters are out in full force already. From Youtube to Facebook, Vancouverites are decrying the show, some claiming it’s the most mortifying thing to happen to the city since last year’s hockey riot. Kiesel’s unconcerned.
“I don’t mind people loving to hate me,” says Kiesel. “It’s like watching a soap opera, there’s always a villain, but you love to hate that person. It is entertainment. And I don’t dis- appoint on the entertainment factor.”
Kiesel’s best friend, Kevin Chase, is hairstylist to many in Vancouver’s elite. He agrees that the glamour and the drama are in high supply in the show but says there’s another Vancouver-specific characteristic that will shock the nation when it airs.
“I know that we were on that ‘worst dressed’ list recently,” says Chase. “There are people who do dress up and do look good here, but it is sort of overshadowed by the number of people who walk around in workout gear.”
Vancouver’s 99 per cent have no defence. Colleen Brow is a Vancouver standup comic and mother of two.
“I do not own one floor-length gown,” says Brow. “But I do have six pairs of track pants. Who are these women? I don’t know where they came from.”
Brow doesn’t run in the same circles as the show’s housewives, but she’s sure the series won’t paint an accurate picture of Vancouver life.
“I saw them getting ready in those previews,” says Brow. “They’re getting their hair teased and curled and hairsprayed. You take one step outside in Vancouver and it’s pouring rain: it’s gone. I want to see them with the soaking wet hair that we all have to live with.”
But whether it’s realistic or not, Brow predicts that she — along with many other Vancouverites — won’t be able to resist tuning in.
“I think people are going to want to see how our city is portrayed,” she says.
And if it measures up to the other shows in the Real Housewives series, Brow expects the show to provide a unique brand of satisfaction.
“There is that element of living vicariously through them,” says Brow. “But the flip side is we can say, ‘Well, at least I’m not like that.’ We can watch the sniping and the gossip and feel that at least we haven’t sunk that low.
“It’s a love/hate relationship,” adds Brow. “We want to judge them, but maybe we want to look like them now and then.”