I was an early fan of reality TV – I watched every season of MTV’s Real World for a decade or more. I was in on Survivor from the first episode nearly 21 years ago. In recent years, “unscripted programs” have gotten more and more fake, and less and less interesting.
That said, I quite enjoyed the new real estate reality show Luxe Listings Sydney. The producers understand what Mark Burnet knew two decades ago – it really doesn’t matter if the subject is wilderness survival, or “falling in love” with one of 20 contestants every season. Nope, the only thing that matters is if there is a cast of characters who you can root for and root against.
Our three principals of Luxe Listings Sydney are three sharks. Would you want them to represent you in a sale or purchase of multimillion dollar real estate? Absolutely! Would you want them as your closest personal confidante? No way. I mean, these folks ever admit on camera that chasing the deal is more important than just about anything else – including romance and solid friendships.
D’Leanne Lewis, Simon Cohen and Gavin Rubinstein are the sharks in this exclusive tank. Simon is dressed to the nines in signature suits and has a killer smile. Simon drives a great car and just barely sits through his dates in fancy restaurants – he literally checks his phone and even takes calls while the young ladies are in miod-sentence. D’Leanne is probably the most “real” since she is a mom who loves her kids. But don’t cross her- she is the grand dame of the scene and she will stab you in the neck with a pencil while you’re looking her in the eye.
The other star of the show: the most amazing homes, all in the most exclusive neighborhoods of Sydney, Australia. You might think that there are only so many views of the Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, but you never get tired of seeing them throughout the six episodes of the first season.
Many of the houses are selling at 10 or 20 million, some even more. 5 million dollars will buy you a pathetic little flat that you’d be embarrassed to call home..but only if you’re rich enough to afford it.
There isn’t a standout villain, per se – not in this first season. Perhaps we are meant to identify with these wheelers and dealers and get to know them a bit. I do think that we will need to see more of their currently non-existent personal lives for things to stay interesting. The essence of drama is conflict, and having the seller say he wants 12 million and the buyer saying he won’t pay a penny over 11 million just isn’t enough drama.
But if you think of this as a modern day Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (don’t ask, folks under 50) then you’ll like it as escapism and breezily daydream your way through the series.
Luxe Listings Sydney is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video
