There's a lot going on in the world, and that's what makes TV such a great escape. Especially reality TV, and especially Netflix's Bling Empire. The show stars a group of extremely wealthy friends dealing with the kind of problems only rich people have. (Two women wore the same diamond and sapphire Louis Vuitton necklace to the same party? The absolute horror.)
It's so over-the-top that it feels fake at times. But the series creator told OprahMag.com that it was all "1,000% real." The most manufactured part of the show was that the cast was cobbled together — not all of those people were BFFs IRL before the show started filming, but they're pretty close now.
One look at the cast members' lives off the show confirms what we see on it — they're loaded and they're spending money like it's burning a hole in their Gucci wallets. There are fancy cars, private jets, and more designer labels in these people's lives than we ever thought possible. Get to know them now, and for anyone who hasn't yet seen the show — get on it. It's must-see TV.
Christine Chiu
Christine Chiu quickly found herself labeled the villain of the season as she clashed with co-star Anna Shay. But Christine told CNN that she doesn't mind that much, because at least she made for good TV.
"From the entertainment value perspective, I think it was fabulous," she said. She added that people wouldn't recognize her in real life. "I don't walk around in high jewelry," she said. "I walk around in sweats and Uggs. I blend in very well … I don't wear couture everywhere."
All the luxurious outfits she's always showing off on Instagram would beg to differ.
Dr. Gabriel Chiu
Christine's husband is a doctor at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery, and she's taken full advantage of that fact. She admitted on Instagram to having had lip fillers and non-surgical body contouring. "Perks … for working with and marrying a plastic surgeon," she said. Dr. Gabriel Chiu takes his work seriously, and it dominates his social media feeds. But he makes room for plenty of glam couple shots with his wife.
Baby G
Christine and Dr. Chiu's son is one of the best-dressed kids we've ever seen. Baby G, and he's fondly referred to by Christine, has a wardrobe full of Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and more. His mom must have so much fun dressing him every day. If the show's renewed for a second season, we'd like to petition for more Baby G screen time, please. Until then, we can just follow his fashionista ways on Christine's IG.
Anna Shay
Throughout the show, Anna Shay seemed the most uncomfortable with the over-the-top nature of the cast. But she leads just as luxurious a life offscreen as any of them do. She spends a lot of time in France where she's deeply embedded in the high fashion scene. And she loves showing off her expensive jewelry.
Kane Lim
Kane Lim's father is a billionaire who gives him a six-figure monthly allowance. (Yes, monthly.) That helps explain the Lamborghini, his jewel-encrusted shoe collection, and all his designer duds. But Kane joked in the caption of a photo of him surrounded by Dior boxes, "I promise im not materialistic."
Kelly Mi Li
Kelly Mi Li seems to live by the motto that one has to spend money to make money. She's a technology investor who's pledged funds to successful businesses like Change.org, Nature Box, and Me Undies. When her companies do well, so does she. Hence all the money to take the luxurious trips she's always posting about online.
Andrew Gray
Kelly's boyfriend, Andrew Gray, is an actor, and he's been hard at work since filming the show. His IMDB says he has a couple of projects coming out soon, including a movie called The Dark Zone and his first voice acting film, Panda vs. Aliens. And when he's not working, sometimes he's posting shirtless selfies with his super cute dog.
Yes, They're Still Together
Kelly and Andrew's relationship had some rocky moments on the show, but in real life they've sorted things out. Kelly said that the duo took a six-month break after filming the series to work on themselves. "Now we're back together and we’re doing better than ever," ScreenRant reported that she said. "I am more in love than I’ve ever been."
Guy Tang
Already well-known for his hairdressing skills before he went on the show, Guy Tang probably enjoyed the extra boost of fame that the series gave him. The stylist is popular on YouTube for his hair tutorials and he's all over Twitter interacting with his newfound fans. He's loudly advocating for a second season, and we are, too!
Kim Lee
DJ Kim Lee was feeling some serious vibes with castmember Kevin Kreider toward the end of the series, but she played coy when asked recently if she would ever consider dating him. For now she seems focused on other things, like landing in the pages of magazines from all around the world.
Jaime Xie
As the daughter of a tech billionaire, Jaime Xie probably could have easily stepped into that world. But instead, she's forging her own path in the world of fashion. According to Insider, she makes $100,000 a year from her various brand partnerships on Instagram. No wonder she's always looking so stylish on her social media feed.
Cherie
Next to Christine, Cherie is one of the only moms in the cast. On the series, she had a young daughter and gave birth to a son midway through the show. That was over a year ago, and now she's just living life as a regular mom — if regular moms had closets full of Chanel and Fendi. It pays to be the daughter of a denim mogul.
Jessey Lee
As a part of his family's luxury furniture business, Cherie's fiancé Jessey Lee is just as rich as the most of the other cast members (the couple has an estimated net worth of $200 million), but he doesn't show it off quite as much. Instead, the few Instagram photos he has are mostly of him and Cherie. It's sweet.
They're Not Married Yet
Now the mother of two of his children, Cherie is ready to be married to her longtime partner Jessey. She even proposed to him on the show. But the duo has yet to actually walk down the aisle. Jessey told TheWrap that he's waiting until he can properly propose before they start wedding planning — and he's put that on hold, as the world has been a little chaotic of late.
Kevin Kreider
Although Kevin is definitely doing well for himself (he's in demand as a model), he's one of the "poorest" of his friend group. That makes him a little more relatable on the show, but he's actually less relatable offscreen. He's always showing off his six pack, his private jet adventures, and his generally glam LA lifestyle.
