| Rich Kids of Beverly Hills | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Created by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 35 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Production locations | Los Angeles, California |
| Camera setup | Multi-Camera |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | E! |
| Release | January 19, 2014 – June 19, 2016 |
| Related | |
Rich Kids of Beverly Hills (stylized as #RichKids of Beverly Hills) is an American reality television series that premiered on E!, on January 19, 2014. The series focuses on the lives of a group of twenty-something millionaires and billionaires (by inheritance) showcasing their lives.
Production and development
Dorothy was found on Instagram by the casting directors. She went in for an interview with the production company and they told her to bring in her friends. She brought in Morgan Stewart and they did an on camera interview tape. Six weeks later the show was greenlit at E!. Morgan also revealed that on the first day of filming she and the cast did not realise how much work goes into filming a reality show. She explains that after the first week of filming she was so exhausted and she was sick throughout the filming of season one because she didn't have the stamina and never had to work so hard on something.[1]
The show premiered on January 19, 2014.
On March 26, 2014, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on August 3, 2014.[2]
In April 2015, E! renewed the show for a third season along with Taylor Ann Hasselhoff joining the series. The third season premiered on May 24, 2015.[3]
In December 2015, it was announced that E! had renewed the show for a fourth season which premiered on May 1, 2016.[4]
In 2016, it was also announced Roxy Sowlaty would no longer be a part of the series.
In 2016, it was announced on her Instagram account that Bianca Espada would join the show. Morgan Stewart and Dorothy Wang also served as Producers in the fourth season.
After filming for season 4, E! announced that cast member EJ Johnson will get his own spin off entitled EJNYC.[5]
On November 3, 2016, it was announced that the show, along with EJNYC, would not be returning.[6]
In 2022, Dorothy Wang appeared in season 2 of the Netflix series Bling Empire and now appears on its spin-off, Bling Empire: New York.[7]
Cast
The show originally focused on Dorothy Wang, Morgan Stewart, Brendan Fitzpatrick, Jonny Drubel and Roxy Sowlaty.[8]
EJ Johnson appeared in season one in a guest capacity and was promoted to a Series Regular for the second season.
Taylor-Ann Hasselhoff was cast as a series regular for the third season. This was also the last season for Sowlaty and Hasselhoff.
Bianca Espada was cast as a Series Regular for the fourth season. EJ's sister Elisa Johnson and close friend Drew Mac made frequent appearances throughout the season. Also Morgan's mother Susan and Brendan's friends Saachi and Bobby made appearances. Former Shahs of Sunset star Lilly Ghalichi also made a guest appearance.
Morgan Stewart and Brendan Fitzpatrick got married in the series finale. In August 2019 they filed for divorce.
In 2021, Dorothy Wang was cast for the second season of Bling Empire, a Netflix Original reality series described as the real life version of Crazy Rich Asians.[9]
Timeline of cast members
| Cast members | Seasons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Morgan Stewart | Main | ||||
| Dorothy Wang | Main | ||||
| Roxy Sowlaty | Main | ||||
| Jonny Drubel | Main | ||||
| Brendan Fitzpatrick | Main | ||||
| EJ Johnson | Friend | Main | |||
| Taylor-Ann Hasselhoff | Main | ||||
| Bianca Espada | Main | ||||
| Friends of the cast | |||||
| Saachi | Friend | ||||
| Elisa Johnson | Guest | Friend | |||
| Bobby Blair | Friend | Guest | |||
| Julien George | Friend | ||||
| Drew Mac | Guest | Friend | |||
| Susan Stewart | Guest | Friend | |||
| Tara Sowlaty | Guest | ||||
Episodes
Season 1 (2014)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "#welcometoBH" | January 19, 2014 | 1.08[10] |
| 2 | 2 | "#mansionhunting" | January 20, 2014 | 0.91[11] |
| 3 | 3 | "#crazyincabo" | January 26, 2014 | N/A |
| 4 | 4 | "#yachtlife" | February 9, 2014 | 0.93[12] |
| 5 | 5 | "#interiormotives" | February 16, 2014 | 1.12[13] |
| 6 | 6 | "#funemployed" | February 23, 2014 | 0.98[14] |
| 7 | 7 | "#BHgoesNYC" | March 9, 2014 | 1.06[15] |
| 8 | 8 | "#selfiesinthecity" | March 16, 2014 | N/A |
| 9 | 9 | "#VegasVIP" | March 23, 2014 | N/A |
Season 2 (2014)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | "#RichKidsReturn" | August 3, 2014 | 1.07 |
| 11 | 2 | "#ChinaBound" | August 3, 2014 | 0.91 |
| 12 | 3 | "#ShanghaiShowdown" | August 10, 2014 | 0.87 |
| 13 | 4 | "#Instadrama" | August 17, 2014 | 1.25 |
| 14 | 5 | "#Baldeagle" | August 31, 2014 | TBA |
| 15 | 6 | "#BabyWhisperer" | September 1, 2014 | TBA |
| 16 | 7 | "#Pride&Prada" | September 7, 2014 | 0.71 |
| 17 | 8 | "#TroopBeverlyHills" | September 14, 2014 | TBA |
| 18 | 9 | "#SurvivaloftheRichest" | September 21, 2014 | TBA |
| 19 | 10 | "#SurgerySelfie" | September 28, 2014 | TBA |
Season 3 (2015)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1 | "#TextGate" | May 24, 2015 |
| 21 | 2 | "#BahamaDrama" | May 31, 2015 |
| 22 | 3 | "#RingOnIt" | June 7, 2015 |
| 23 | 4 | "#NeverHaveIEver" | June 14, 2015 |
| 24 | 5 | "#BattleOfTheBod" | June 21, 2015 |
| 25 | 6 | "#HaterGonnaHate" | June 28, 2015 |
| 26 | 7 | "#LondonBound" | July 5, 2015 |
| 27 | 8 | "#PartyCrasher" | July 12, 2015 |
Season 4 (2016)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 1 | "#Bridezilla" | May 1, 2016 |
| 29 | 2 | "#MaidofDishonor" | May 8, 2016 |
| 30 | 3 | "#GossipGirl" | May 15, 2016 |
| 31 | 4 | "#WakingUpInVegas" | May 22, 2016 |
| 32 | 5 | "#SkeletonsInTheCloset" | May 29, 2016 |
| 33 | 6 | "#BadNewsBianca" | June 5, 2016 |
| 34 | 7 | "#BacheloretteBlowUp" | June 12, 2016 |
| 35 | 8 | "#RunawayBride" | June 19, 2016 |
Spin-offs
After the first season premiered, it was reported that a spin-off had been ordered by the network titled Rich Kids of New York. Paparazzi photos showed a group of ladies filming in New York City with a production team, however nothing was ever moved forward and aired.[16]
On June 19, 2016, EJNYC premiered on the E! network. The show focused on EJ Johnson and his fashion career in New York City and lasted one season.
Reception
Reviews for the show have been largely negative and the show has been widely panned by critics. Andy Swift of HollywoodLife.com wrote that "the biggest downside to Rich Kids is that it knows how ridiculous it is. The stars are very much aware they’re on a show, and the whole thing couldn’t feel more scripted. Basically, it's gross."[17] Tracie Egan Morrissey of Jezebel.com wrote "Ultimately, though, these people are as boring as they are rich, and not worth watching on television," and "none of the people on the show seem to recognize that their words might have any meaning — probably because they typically don't."[18] Writing for The New York Times, Jon Caramanica wrote "The show is inspired by Rich Kids of Instagram, a Tumblr devoted to gently needling, and maybe gently envying, young people who gleefully show off their wealth on that photo- and video-sharing service. The result is a document of young narcissists relentlessly documenting themselves."[19]
The show has been criticised for promoting materialism and its characters using wealth that they did not earn themselves.
References
- ↑ AOL Staff. "Morgan Stewart reveals just how real 'Rich Kids of Beverly Hills' is". AOL.com. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
- ↑ "E! Orders New Kardashian Spin-Off, Renews Rich Kids of Beverly Hills". TVGuide.com. 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
- ↑ "'Total Divas', '#RIchKids of Beverly Hills' & 'Christina Milian Turned Up' Renewed by E!; Network Orders 3 New Series". TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com. 2015-04-01. Archived from the original on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
- ↑ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (2015-11-30). "E! Renews '#RichKids of Beverly Hills' for Season 4 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
- ↑ "Meet EJ Johnson's New York City Squad, the Cast of E!'s New Series EJNYC on EJNYC". E! Online. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
- ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: 'Rich Kids of Beverly Hills' Canceled After Four Seasons". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
- ↑ "'Bling Empire: New York' Sees Fresh Faces — and a Reality Queen Been — Vie 'for Love, for Money and for Power'". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ↑ "E! Orders 'Rich Kids of Beverly Hills' Reality Series". 17 October 2013.
- ↑ "Proof Dorothy Wang Will Be on Season 2 of Bling Empire - E! Online". www.eonline.com. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ↑ "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Wins Night, 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Shameless', 'True Detective', 'Girls' & More - Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-25. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- ↑ "Monday Cable Ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop' Wins Night, 'WWE Raw', 'Single Ladies', 'Klondike', 'The Fosters' & More - Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. 2014-01-22. Archived from the original on 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- ↑ "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Tops Night + 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' & More - Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- ↑ "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, NBA All Star Game, 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'True Detective', 'Shameless' & More - Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- ↑ "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, + 'Talking Dead', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'True Detective' & More - Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- ↑ "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'True Detective' & More - Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- ↑ Pfeiffer, Jeff (2014-03-27). "E! renews "#RichKids of Beverly Hills," is developing New York spinoff". Channel Guide Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ↑ Andy Swift (2014-01-19). "'Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills' Review — Series Premiere Recap". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- ↑ "#RichKids of Beverly Hills Is So Bad It's Bad". Jezebel.com. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- ↑ Caramanica, Jon (17 January 2014). "'#Rich Kids of Beverly Hills,' Self-Chronicle of Privileged Youth". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 April 2017.