Hot new Aussie series Billion Dollar Playground premieres with tense scenes: ‘How f***ing dare she’
A hot new Aussie reality TV series mixes property porn with behind-the-scenes drama – and the first episode doesn’t disappoint.
TV
Don't miss out on the headlines from TV. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Real estate shows are a dime a dozen in today’s reality TV landscape, but one promises to stand out from the rest.
BINGE’s new Original Series Billion Dollar Playground premieres today and offers a look inside real-life luxury holiday rental company Luxico and its staff of elite service experts consisting of concierges, chefs, butlers and housekeepers.
Unlike other ‘property porn’ shows, on BDP the mega-mansions are just the bait with the hook being the drama that unfolds between the service staff as they attempt to deliver unforgettable stays for their wealthy guests.
Lead concierge Salvatore, fellow concierges Heaven and Jasmin, butler JB, housekeeper Elsie, trainee Nicole, tradesman Jay, and chefs and siblings Matt and George, put on a united front for the guests, but behind the scenes it’s not exactly smooth sailing.
Just like any workplace there is pressure, tension, ambition, rivalry and potential romance so there is no shortage of high-end drama.
Stream Billion Dollar Playground on BINGE, available on Hubbl.
“I would never even think of being on other reality television shows because … I’m just going to say that ours has heart,” Heaven, Luxico’s second-in-command concierge, told us ahead of today’s premiere.
“Anything that I involve myself in, it has to have heart. It has to be about real human connection. It has to have real emotions and dynamics. I understand there’s an added layer of being filmed. But I want to stay true to who I am in any environment. And this show this does that for me. I honestly don’t know about other reality shows. I just know this is real.”
George, who is the resident hot chef along with his brother Matt, agrees that BDP tells it like it is. He points out that the elite crew were not cast in the series – these were their existing jobs therefore viewers can expect to see the “real, raw stuff”.
“Everyone has access to the cinematic versions. They can see all the pretty stuff, the perfect tableware, the perfectly cooked stake,” George, who has cooked for the wealthy around the world, told us.
“But as we all know, that’s not where the juice is. It’s all behind the scenes.”
Indeed, the first episode sees drama unfold between head concierge Salvatore and Heaven, who clash over a dining event at Luna Park.
In Salvatore’s eyes, Heaven did not run the show to his standards – and he lets her know it.
“Lift the game up, you’re dropping the ball,” he tells her the following morning.
“I don’t agree with that. This is sounding really bossy now,” she replies, to which he snaps, “I am a boss! I’m not going to have this conversation.”
He storms off in a huff and tells the other staff that Heaven can “go f**k herself”.
“I don’t need this aggravation in my life. How f***ing dare she. I’m not tolerating this,” he added.
Heaven remained unbothered throughout and told news.com.au that she was disappointed with what transpired with Salvatore.
“I was so excited to learn from him. This man has a wealth of experience and he comes in like, he’s a king, he’s a boss. I felt there was this competitiveness with him,” she says of her boss, who has worked with celebrities and royals during his decades-long career.
“My job is to impress the guests to make sure that they’re happy to put them first. And so if my own supervisor is telling me as a concierge to stay away from the guests, what does that say about what his real intentions are? Is he actually trying to uplift his staff to be the best that we can be?
“I didn’t experience that with him, and it’s really unfortunate because I was so excited. He talks more about himself. I was ready for him to show up, and I didn’t see that happen.”
Luckily for the staff, the guests were none the wiser to the drama behind the scenes as their every whim was catered to.
In the premiere episode, a fabulous guest named Athanasia brings along her prized poddle, Saki, for a short stay with her girlfriends at a $40 million home in Sydney’s Rose Bay.
Only problem is, there is a strict no-pets rule at the waterfront mansion that the group were unaware of.
After arrangements are made for the dog to stay in exchange for a hefty $1000 cleaning fee, the staff then have the task of cooking a gourmet meal for the little pup.
“Is Saki going to be fed?” Athanasia asks the team. When asked what Saki eats, she playfully replies, “I’m Greek, we eat lamb.”
Athanasia has since praised the service staff for taking good care of herself and Saki, telling news.com.au: “They very accommodating, polite, professional and went beyond my expectations to accommodate Saki and I. Even had a beautiful dog nanny to look after Saki while we partied at Luna Park.”
Billion Dollar Playground premieres at 12.00pm AEST on Tuesday, May 13 on BINGE, with new episodes dropping weekly at the same time.
Originally published as Hot new Aussie series Billion Dollar Playground premieres with tense scenes: ‘How f***ing dare she’
Aus child star exposes sad impact of show
The former child actor has revealed the horrific fallout he faced starring in the iconic series.
What to watch on TV and streaming this week
With the news that Ryan Reynolds’ and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham FC is coming to Australia in July, there is no better time to return to their life-affirming sports documentary.