Is ‘Real Housewives of Dubai’ really a good idea?
IT’S time that the world accepts that Real Housewives is a major part of pop culture. It has a fan base that is as vocal as football, cricket and Marvel fans, sometimes even more so. They get so involved in the shenanigans of cast members – whether it’s the multiple US cities, UK, Australia or African versions of the franchise – that there are dedicated group chats, podcasts and communities on social media.
Few reality shows are able to catapult their casts into mega stardom and yet with Real Housewives, it’s common. The women are coining it, using their newfound fame to launch new careers as business people, from candles and homeware to luxury fashion. Even Kathy Hilton has decided the franchise is good for her image and she’s old money!
Though the shows have a fan base that has a voracious appetite for Real Housewives, it still came as a surprise that NBC Universal and Bravo TV have chosen Dubai to be the city for the network’s first international series – the Real Housewives of Dubai.
The executive producer and housewives whisperer, Andy Cohen, announced during an appearance on The Today Show that Dubai would become the 11th city to receive a Real Housewives show, which will explore the lavish lives of ultra-rich women and promises the same dramatic format as its predecessors.
“Everything’s bigger in Dubai, and I couldn’t be more excited to launch
Bravo’s first international Housewives series in a city I’ve been fascinated by for years, with an outstanding group of friends as our guides. This is going to blow the lid off the entire franchise.”
In a statement, Bravo said: “With the desert paradise of Dubai as the backdrop, this billionaire’s playground is known for its over-the-top opulence, jaw-dropping modern architecture and wild nightlife scene. Whether they’re coasting on a private plane, running their own empires or hosting on a private island, these glamorous, successful women are ready to serve up scorching hot drama and unexpected twists.”
The rumoured cast includes Caroline Stanbury, who previously starred in Ladies of London, a UK spin-off of Real Housewives, and runs a luxury goods company. She moved to Dubai at the end of the show. She is now engaged to former Real Madrid player Sergio Carrallo.
The other cast members are said to be Sara Al Madani, a doctor, Caroline Brooks, who is in real estate, Lesa Milan Hall and Nina Ali, who are housewives and mothers, and veteran model Chanel Ayan.
While it’s exciting for fans, there were immediate misgivings about a Real Housewives show set in Dubai. If you’ve ever seen an episode, it’s basically a group of grown women behaving badly. There’s copious amounts of alcohol consumed, wild fights where the cast members break glasses and have screaming matches. Sure, there are some great moments where the cast come together for good, but we basically tune in to the show to watch these wealthy-adjacent women (because not all of them have money, some are in serious debt and owe taxes) live their best wild lives.
So with Dubai’s famously harsh rules for women, will the cast be able to, you know, behave badly? Or will they wage war on social media? There’s obviously no drunken behaviour that will be allowed. No profanity. How will the cast handle the rules that come with being an expat in the country?
The UAE is very strict about its moral and ethical code. It has rules that are very different from those in the US, where most of the Real Housewives cast have the freedom to do whatever, unless it’s illegal. It’s known that if you want to live and work in the UAE you need to tread carefully when it comes to your behaviour.
You can’t dance in public. It is considered to be indecent and is seen as provocative. You can dance in your own home and at official clubs where dancing is allowed. The dress code is always conservative. If you show a bit of body, it needs to be tastefully done and not vulgar. Expat sites say: “It is mortally offending public decency and punishable officially with imprisonment and unofficially with abuse and potential assault.”
So with all these rules, will this be the tamest edition yet? I highly doubt that. But I think they might allow these women to follow the antics of their US counterparts. Because I strongly believe that this is a PR effort from the city with an image and human rights problem, not to mention the missing princesses.
Even so, there are some interesting changes happening in the country, especially Dubai. Maybe it’s what the show needs – some positivity.