Byron Baes: Influencers Mitch Gobel and Sally Mustang say no to Netflix reality show
Byron Bay influencers Mitch Gobel and his wife Sally Mustang are among thousands who object to the new reality series Byron Baes because they fear it won’t accurately represent the region.
Entertainment
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Some of Byron Bay’s original Instagram influencers have joined the chorus of protest against the upcoming Netflix docudrama Byron Baes.
Byron Bay artists Mitch Gobel and his wife Sally Mustang have more than 500,000 followers between them and feature content that showcases their idyllic lifestyle in the hinterland.
Ms Mustang, along with her friend and fellow Instagram influencer Montana Lower, were both approached by the Netflix producers about starring in the show.
“Sal and Montana actually auditioned for the show — before they told us in depth what it was all about,” Mr Gobel said.
“In the beginning, the producer made it sound amazing of course.
“They said it was going to be this amazing documentary about new age Byron Bay, how it’s changing and why everyone wants to be here and blah blah blah, so Sal agreed to do an audition.
“Montana was accepted to be part of the show. This is when they sent through a full brief describing what was going to be created and after reading it she (politely) told them to f**k off.
“I’ve threatened legal action on behalf of Sal if they publish a single second of what was captured in the audition she did.
“I haven’t bothered to watch the trailer or anything yet but from what I’ve heard it’s horrific> A bunch of idiots obsessed with Insta and superficial rubbish. Definitely not what Sal and I are about.”
Once a smelly abattoir town, Byron Bay has become home to the rich and famous, including Chris Hemsworth and Zac Efron.
Real estate prices now match Sydney but the hippy vibe has given way to social influencers carefully staging images of hot bodies on beaches and nature lovers cavorting on green hills in boho dresses and publishing wellness memes rarely based on medical fact.
According to Netflix’s director of Australian and New Zealand content, Que Minh Luu, Byron Baes (short for babes) will showcase “hot Instagrammers living their best lives, being their best selves”.
And in a cheesy Pride and Prejudice ripoff: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that an influencer in possession of a good follower count must be in want of a beach backdrop (for the ’gram). And there’s no better backdrop — or magnet for influencers — than Byron Bay.”
Like many locals, Mr Gobel and his wife fear a misrepresentation of the Byron shire.
“I don’t think it will be something that accurately reflects the area at all. It could be a really bad thing,” he said.
“I don’t know what the implications of it will be but I think it will attract more like-minded people to what they are showing.”
More than 9700 people have signed a petition protesting the show.
“A lot of people are putting too much value on influencers right now. They are insecure people and they are finding Instagram some sort of fulfilment,” he said.
He lamented that what put him and his wife on the social media map is now somewhat of a curse.
“Since I saw The Social Dilemma I’ve gone right off (social media) … it is something we didn’t need but our businesses rely on it,” he said.
“You can’t say what you want to say on it because of the censorship so it’s all kind of bullshit now.”
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