Netflix releases first trailer for controversial Byron Baes reality show

After much protesting from horrified locals, Netflix has unveiled the first look at controversial new reality series Byron Baes.

Netflix has today dropped the first trailer and images for the controversial Byron Baes reality show, set among the glamorous world of models, influencers and entrepreneurs in Byron Bay.

The series has been hit with controversy since the moment it was announced – but we’ll soon get to see for ourselves what all the fuss is about, with Byron Baes launching on Netflix on Wednesday March 9.

Sisters Lauren and Jessica Johansen-Bell in Byron Baes. Picture: Paul A. Broben/Netflix

Cast member Elle Watson. Picture: Paul A. Broben/Netflix

Cast assembled for the show include former Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise contestant Nathan Favro, Kyle Sandilands’ assistant turned talent manager Alex Reid and Gold Coast singer-songwriter St James.

Rounding out the cast are oh-so Byron types like ‘Spiritual Coach/Fire Performer’ Simba, and influencer Jade, whose claim to fame is once getting a selfie with Kim Kardashian.

Cast members Hannah Brauer and Sarah Tangye get a selfie with their crystals. And to think the residents of Byron Bay were worried! Picture: Netflix

Netflix has forged ahead with the show despite protests from locals last year who demanded that the production be cancelled.

Ben Gordon, a local residents and anti-Byron Baes spokesman, said it was a “very serious” issue for the community in an interview last year.

“There was absolutely no consultation whatsoever,” he told the Today show.

Assorted Baes Cai Leplaw, Jessica Johansen-Bell and Simba Ali. Picture: Paul A. Broben/Netflix

“They are proposing to drag our name through the mud and make millions of dollars without offering anything back to the community and completely misrepresenting who we are, and it’s totally wrong.”

As the backlash grew, Netflix ANZ’s Director of Content Que Minh Luu publicly responded.

“The show is authentic and honest, and while it carries all the classic hallmarks of the form and embraces the drama, heartbreak and conflict that makes for such entertaining viewing, our goal is to lift the curtain on influencer culture to understand the motivation, the desire, and the pain behind this very human need to be loved,” she said.

“The reason behind choosing Byron Bay as a location was driven by the area’s unique attributes as a melting pot of entrepreneurialism, lifestyle and health practices, and the sometimes uneasy coming together of the traditional ‘old Byron’ and the alternative ‘new’, all of which we’ll address in the series.”