breckstewart

I must say this is a very pleasant surprise and I understand why this show has such a high rating. I am a huge lover of reality shows in general and watch as many as possible. Even though I love me some Housewives, this is such a relief to watch a show that is not based on high drama and endless conflicts.

I wasn't too familiar with Tyler Cameron because I didn't really watch his season of The Bachelorette even though I had heard of him. So I wasn't quite sure what I would get but I like shows about renovations in general so I gave it a try. From the first episode I was hooked.

What I love about it the most is the fact that what unfolds is never based on excessive drinking, screaming matches, convoluted misunderstandings or violent confrontations. We get to experience Tyler and his posse trying to get his renovation business off the ground with issues that you would normally expect from any venture in construction and renovation.

The guy is good looking, charming and I felt myself rooting for his success. His friends and family are all delightfully real without any extreme behavior you could expect from the average reality show. I think this one has a chance to last for a long while and it's up to Tyler to keep it going.

The show is well balanced as we get to see the process to the big reveal which is of course the payoff and I found it very satisfying. The only people who might not like this would be those who like their reality more on the dramatic side but to me, this type of show is a lot more up my alley.

Very well done and please, give us more of this type of drama-free, casual reality show where we can sit back and enjoy the view without feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable. I watched season 1 in 2 days so I can safely state that I enjoyed myself tremendously. Give it a try, I'm sure you won't regret it.

I must say, this one took me by surprise. Although a big fan of most reality shows including The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, I often feel like drama in general, although necessary to spruce up the action, has taken a turn to become toxic and highly flammable in many cases. The whole Housewives franchise is a perfect example of drama going too far and although most people might prefer a high level of conflict, to me less is more.

And this show is a perfect case of that philosophy where human interactions can supply plenty of frictions without resorting to extreme behavior. Although it might seem rather tame on that level, to me this feels wonderful to watch the opulent homes and see how the different personalities interact.

I have seen Alexia, Farrah, Sophia and of course Mauricio evolve over the course of Housewives of Beverly Hills but they were never really at the center of the action and it's refreshing to see them in their workplace doing their thing. Some might criticise by implying that nepotism is strong here but isn't this how our world works? I for one am not bothered at all and find it perfectly acceptable that Mauricio would favor his daughters while still being fair to the other agents.

I also like pretty much everyone in the cast because their interactions never feel forced or contrived. Many criticize reality shows in general for their tendencies to fabricate situations that don't feel natural and only meant to fan the flames. You got the villain, the doormat and the lunatic, mix and match while it explodes.

Here we get a much tamer form of drama but it feels more natural and organic. No alcohol induced bendor or screaming matches in sight, only natural frustations and disagreements you would expect in anyone's life. And that to me is very refreshing as I must admit I enjoyed this one a whole lot more than I thought possible.

This is also the kind of show I personally find to be totally rewatchable. If you like your drama on the torrid and toxic side, you might find this totally bland but personally, I have enjoyed watching tremendously and will continue to do so. This one is a gem in my book for sure.

I must say first that I am a huge lover of reality shows. I even produce and direct my own so that genre holds a particular fascination for me. There are so many now that it's difficult to watch them all but I really try to experience as many as possible.

I always give a new show the chance to develop and my feelings might evolve over time but for now, I get a very bad feeling about this one. It is obviously inspired by Vanderpump Rules and my guess is that Lisa Vanderpump is hoping it will become must see TV.

But in order for that to happen, some serious fixes are needed. So far, the only ones I like are Anthony the chef, Andre the barman, server Priscila and Stephen the event coordinator. They are real, entertaining yet not prone to extreme behavior that never fails to make my skin crawl.

The others in the cast are still an open question for me to find out if I will like them in the long run. But the two most obnoxious, cliched and unbearable characters are without a doubt Eric the manager who is an absolute monster of arrogance and Marciano the eternal frat boy who will most likely never change.

Eric is by far the absolute worst one in the bunch. He is prickly, smug and pretentious. I understand that he is the manager but the way he goes about it is insane. I find him unwatchable to the point that when he talks in his confessionals, I fast forward because I can't stand what he says and the cocky way he says it.

Marciano is the typical jerk who goes around drinking like he's on a Vegas bender. Hannah is his insecure ex who still loves him and we can see a mile away that their road to get back together will be filled with toxic confrontations already teased as the season will progress.

But the thing that really disappoints me about this show is Lisa. At the beginning, she establishes her rules which make perfect sense one of which is to not drink on the job. Well, that rule is broken within minutes obviously along with several others yet, Eric and Marciano drink constantly and antagonize every other person in the cast but Lisa doesn't do anything to stop it.

I understand that most reality shows think they need at least one or two villains to stir things up but the fun for an audience is to see the bad apple being properly chastised and punished. Yet Lisa doesn't intervene when they break her own rules and the show devolves into yet another circus of toxic personalities who drink, make bad decisions and so far suffer no consequences.

The show is still in its infancy and the previews are showing us that there might be repercussions for the culprits but I can't help but agree with chef Anthony who says that in any normal restaurant, half the staff would be fired already.

The toxicity is already so high and as I write this, only 4 episodes are released so I am not hopeful that this will get any better. I will pretty much watch any reality show but at some point I feel like this one will lose me if the people who need to be called out on their behavior are free to roam in this debacle eventually making it unwatchable. Let's hope that some sense will prevail and that Lisa will admonish the ones who deserve it.

Any show needs a grace period and I am willing to stick around to find out but if by the end of the season nothing changes, I won't be returning for season 2. A bit of drama is fine but toxicity to this level is just not sustainable and frankly, not even remotely entertaining.