"The Real Housewives” Go International

New Details On “The Real Housewives Of Dubai”

Phto by Erik Mclean via Unsplash

Perhaps no reality television franchise is more widely-recognizable than “The Real Housewives,” which has featured 10 mostly-successful series taking place in locations across the United States. The franchise and executive producer Andy Cohen now look to take that success overseas with Cohen announcing last week that the franchise’s 11th installment will take place in Dubai.

The new series, which will be dubbed “The Real Housewives of Dubai,” is expected to launch sometime in 2022 and will be the franchise’s first international spinoff to be carried by the Bravo network. The franchise has notably impacted pop culture in the US, with numerous memorable scenes and quotable moments, in addition to the emergence of celebrities such as Teresa Giudice, Nene Leakes, Yolanda Hadid and Kenya Moore. Cohen expects the same phenomenon to unfold in Dubai, despite the fact that the newest series will take place halfway across the world.

“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,” Cohen said in a press release.

The show will reportedly capture the lives and drama of a group of wealthy friends who currently call Dubai home, similar to the other 10 series. Although none of the cast members have been confirmed, it is known that the cast list has been finalized. Numerous media outlets have published rumors as to who the potential cast members may be, naming candidates such as Emirati influencer Sara Al Madani, Lebanese influencer Nina Ali, Kenyan model Chanel Ayan, English socialite Caroline Stanbury, and American fashion designer Lesa Milan Hall. It has been confirmed that actress Lindsay Lohan, who has called Dubai home for the past seven years, will not be a part of the show.

Although many fans have expressed initial excitement about the announcement and ensuing casting rumors, it has not been positively received by everyone. Despite offering a vibrant backdrop due to its renowned nightlife, extreme wealth and modern architecture, the selection of Dubai has also been the subject of ridicule on social media in recent days. Many fans were not thrilled with the decision to film the show in a location governed by harsh authoritarians who are known for banning homosexuality, discriminating against women and mistreating workers.

“Placing this franchise in Dubai - a place where it's illegal to be gay, to drink if you're a citizen, and up until last year, illegal to have sex out wedlock - is an interesting choice. Particularly as it’s criticized for massive human rights violations,” tweeted NBC reporter Doha Madani, who echoed the concerns of many fans on social media.

This concern is shared among some Marist students as well, such as Libby Moore ‘25, who found the location to be particularly problematic due to their mistreatment of LGBTQ+ people. Moore, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community herself, did not mince words when discussing the situation.

“I think that “The Real Housewives” glamorization of life in a country that bans homosexuality might be the most tone-deaf concept ever, and, as a privileged group of people, it is especially ignorant to endorse this,” said Moore. “The corruption of their government is the root of the UAE’s humanitarian crisis and human rights violations and to glorify this lifestyle is really disturbing to me.”

Despite the potential drawbacks of choosing Dubai, the series still has the opportunity to draw in viewers if it can prove to be as entertaining as its predecessors. Olivia Theroux ‘25, who watches “The Real Housewives of New York” once a week with her family while living at home, indicated that she doesn’t know much about Dubai, but would consider watching the newest spin-off because of how much she loves the New York version of the show.

“[‘The Real Housewives of New York’] is a good distraction and it’s also funny. I might watch [the Dubai spinoff], but I feel like the series needs to be entertaining and make me wanna watch it,” said Theroux.