Lisa Oldfield calls her husband the C-bomb in first episode of Real Housewives of Sydney
And you thought Gina Liano could swear? National TV critic Anna Brain exclusively previews Real Housewives Of Sydney and reveals Lisa Oldfield drops the C-bomb.
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Louder, crazier and perhaps more potty-mouthed than their Melbourne counterparts, The Real Housewives of Sydney are guaranteed to pull headlines from their very first get-together when this hotly-anticipated Foxtel series is launched.
Leading the plastic fantastic charge is Lisa Oldfield, wife of former One Nation politician David, who she calls the C-bomb when putting him in his place during an early party scene.
Whether shooting guns for relaxation or showing her playful side with her 10-foot coastal carpet python (“pat the snake or I’ll smack you,” she commands her kids), there is little doubt Oldfield is the star in her world — and no doubt determined to be one on this show.
While her husband made headlines for his relationship with Pauline Hanson, Lisa makes it clear in the opening episode this is her time.
“Oh f---en shut up you c---,” she snarls, as he interrupts her camera-chat.
Lingering rumours David once slept with Hanson, quickly come to the fore, providing a natural starting point for the ladies to elegantly sling mud.
At first, 90s pop starlet Melissa Tkautz is reluctant to get down and dirty, but really how long can that last on a show which has made its name out of the drawn-out diva fights?
Assuring us she is “very much part of the (entertainment) industry still”, Tkautz will be hoping her involvement in the reality blockbuster helps revitalise her flagging career.
While coy about engaging in catfights, she prefers to position herself as a wide-eyed observer.
The one to watch, for my money, is Victoria Rees: a twice-divorced, sharpshooting entrepreneur — part Melbourne housewife Janet Roach, part Joan Rivers.
Witty and observant, Victoria has a tendency to go overboard, and her first stoush (with starry-eyed Athena) quickly escalates.
While Gina Liano and her Melbourne mates took a little time to warm up, these ladies are at each other’s throats from the get-go.
The action opens with a ‘welcome home’ party for former Miss Australia Nicole O’Neil — an event she throws herself.
The wife of a hedge fund owner and daughter of the shopping centre and retail fortune, O’Neil recently moved back to Sydney from London, leaving her husband Adam there.
As she explains, he’ll be happy to commute though, but to be clear, flying only “up the pointy end.”
Just to reassure us she’s still down-to-earth, Nicole tells Victoria she takes her kids down to economy to see how the poor people live.
Airy fairy artist and jeweller Athena Levendi is our spiritual housewife, or the new Jackie Gillies. “Meditating... is almost like a telephone between me and God,” Levendi says.
But when her incessant ethereal babble, “sending light and love”, gets on people’s nerves, she’s more than able to hold her corner.
Former model Krissy Marsh shapes up as a shouty mean-girl early on, backed up by mate Victoria; while Matty Samaei, born in Iran, has an accent just begging to be parodied.
With Sydney’s Opera House, Harbour Bridge and beaches as a stunning backdrop, it makes you wonder why they made the Melbourne franchise first.
Inspired by its overseas success, Sydney’s version promises to be just as salacious, and I predict, even more so.
MEET THE HOUSEWIVES:
Nicole O’Neil, former Miss Australia
“I’m a lot more down-to-earth than people imagine.”
Krissy Marsh, ex-model
Admits to “a couple of nose jobs… and the rest.”
Lisa Oldfield, wife of former politician David
“Having lunch with all these women is like being lobotomised with a knitting needle and no anaesthetic.”
Matty Samaei, Medispa owner
“I’m very self-made, successful and beautiful.”
Athena X Levendi, artist and jeweller
“{On her painting] I really don’t know what I’m doing 90 per cent of the time.”
Melissa Tkautz, ‘triple threat’ and Read My Lips singer
“I’m not a fan of my own song, how ridiculous.”
Victoria Rees, entrepreneur
“I don’t like nasty, nasty gossip but I love to know who’s screwing who.”
The Real Housewives of Sydney premieres 8:30pm, Sunday, February 26 on Foxtel’s Arena.
Anna Brain is News Corp Australia’s national TV critic
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