The Bold and the Botoxed
Written by Dan Chamberlain | 09 August 2011
A new reality series on Lifestyle You gives The Bold and the Beautiful a run for its money, writes Dan Chamberlain.
I’ll never forget the afternoon Ridge Forrester left his wife Taylor to be with scarlet woman Brooke Logan for the fourth time. My mum shut down our family television and stormed into the kitchen ranting to me that she would never tune into The Bold and the Beautiful again because it had become far too unrealistic. While I refused to pass judgment at the time, I did think to myself that surely there was no one out there who lived in such melodrama. Then I watched The Only Way is Essex.
Set in Essex, a county north-east of London, where the ‘tans are fake but the people are real’, this docudrama follows the lives of Essex’s young, rich and beautiful socialites. Among the glamorous gals and geezers is nightclub promoter Mark and his fashionista fiancée Lauren Goodger; aspiring singer and hopeless romantic James Argent; club owner Kirk Norcross; beautician Amy Childs; her colourful cousin Harry Debridge; glamour model Sam Faiers; and yummy mummy Chloe Simms and her clueless fashion-forward cousin Joey Essex.In this week’s drama-fuelled episode, love-struck Arg desperately tries everything he can to convince Lydia that he is a good boyfriend. However, she and her interfering mother just aren’t convinced. Meanwhile, showing the utter vanity that consumes the entire cast, Amy and all the girls (most in their twenties) decide to have a Botox party, which inspires Jessica to make the ‘big decision’ to upgrade her tits to a set of ‘Double Ds’. While it does have its fair share of cringe-worthy moments, you cannot help but laugh out loud at the ridiculous lives these people lead. It will provide you with enough insightful real-life tips like ‘remember that chicks always come before dicks’ and ‘respect yourself before you wreck yourself’ to keep you so entertained that you will (for the most part) forget how overly scripted, forced and fake it actually is. The Only Way is Essex is like The Bold and the Beautiful for the 21st century. Mum will be thrilled!The Only Way is Essex, Monday, August 22 at 9.30pm on Lifestyle You.
