Australia’s newest reality show, Made in Bondi, follows the lives and loves of Sydney’s so-called “social elite” in one of the city’s most coveted suburbs. There are a lot of shirtless men reclining on a boat, young women sipping from Stanley cups, the promise of a love triangle and plenty of the indeterminate international accents of wealth. It is bright, glossy and beautiful.
It is also utterly boring. After reportedly failing to snag any of the actual socialites who live in Bondi, the producers resorted to casting a thrown-together group of twenty- and thirtysomethings from around the country who have seemingly nothing to say to one another. (“What’s your go-to food?” “Italian,” is some representative dialogue.) It doesn’t matter that only one of the cast is actually from Bondi but it does matter that, in the three episodes I have seen, it has no humour, no real drama and nothing going on upstairs. (Another example of the chat level in this show: “If you could be a goldfish or an eel, which would you choose?”)
