Last season on the Netflix series, Bling Empire viewers saw Dorothy Wang make the move to New York City in search for love. Bling Empire: New York follows another group of wealthy, socialite, and hilarious Asian-American from the Big Apple where real estates is based on address.
The empire expands and is ready for your viewing. This season, there's more parties, fun, and new faces. One of the episodes you'll want to catch is Episode 9 where a Filipino-inspired party is attended by Kane Lim and friends. A familiar face you might recognize is Filipina artist, vlogger, and influencer Heart Evangelista.
Her cameo on the show was first confirmed by Lim himself, "Philippines, you asked for it, you got it! Guess who will be [in] ’Bling Empire’ [season 3]. Tune in tonight!” he earlier said."
The series is produced by Jeff Jenkins Productions with Jenkins, Russell Jay-Staglik, Elise Chung, Lenid Rolov, Ross Weintraub, and Reinout Oerlemans exec producing.
Cover Photo Credit: Heart Evangelista Instagram
October is almost over and that means Filipino American History Month is rounding out as well, but that doesn't mean we can't keep on celebrating us. However for now, let's dive in with these last couple of FAHM Spotlight features. If you've seen the Netflix hit, Bling Empire and binged in basically a day, did you know the mind behind the show is Fil-Am Brandon Panaligan.
1. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Brandon keeps his Filipino roots close
Brandon looks forward to spending more time in Manila when he can travel back. It's been years since the first time he visited the Philippines. He remembered taking a side trip to Manila and meeting his dad there while filming Shahs of Sunset in Thailand. After traveling throughout Luzon, he now wants to see Palawan and hang out at some of the best beaches with his family.
2. Brandon enjoys his Filipino food, especially halo-halo
Listing off some of his favorite foods, Brandon is definitely a foodie! You can't visit the Philippines without trying some of the most amazing food. He shared that he loves Filipino food like crispy pata, sinigang and anything with ube. Maybe he can link up with some of our favorite ube spots in LA. However he says his all time favorite is halo-halo. Same here!
3. Before becoming the Executive Producer and show runner of Bling Empire, Brandon worked in the music and film industry
According to an interview with Metro Style, Brandon worked with big names like Madonna and he always had a talent for storytelling. The passion for documentaries led him to taking on reality series. With the boom of reality tv, it was only natural for him to take on a new challenge of storytelling. He looked to increasing representation on television and he's definitely doing that.
4. Bling Empire isn't the first reality series, he's produced
You've definitely seen some of the other shows Brandon has produced. Does Million Dollar Listing New York, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Big Rich Texas sound familiar? Yes, he's also produced those too. He's also taken space in the Netflix world with Made in Mexico and DeafU.
5. With Bling Empire, show creator Jeff Jenkins wanted an all-Asian cast and crew off and on camera
With Jeff Jenkins wanting to bring an all-Asian cast and crew, Brandon's Fil-Am heritage helped in his role as executive producer. The series may seem like it's all glitz and glam, but Brandon intended to share the "entire spectrum of life" and everything in between about the cast's families and lifestyle. He tells viewers "don't get distracted by the diamonds.” He wanted to tell an honest story and make sure he represents everyone as a full person.
Cover Photo Credit: IMDB
In my eyes, unscripted TV is one of the most broad and diverse categories of entertainment. There are competition shows to be named the best singer... or the worst baker. There are dating shows to find the one (or $100,000). There are home design shows to spark inspiration (and even joy!). And there are programs that follow real people going about their real lives, among many others.
That last style is called a “docusoap.” These shows follow a person or group of people (like family, friends, or coworkers) going about their real, everyday lives. They can offer a fun, light-hearted escape, or inspire a juicy, heated debate. They can provide a glimpse into a world different from our own, or even show a new side of our own circles. (And yes, they’re usually filled with more feuds, tears and tense dinner parties than our regular lives.)
Whether you love these shows outright or just love a guilty pleasure, we’re thrilled that Netflix members have embraced our docusoaps. Today we’re excited to announce renewals for Selling Sunset and Bling Empire, plus two can’t-miss new series from the creative talents behind those favorites:
Selling Sunset, one of our first forays in the docusoap genre, has been renewed for two seasons:
We have also ordered a new series from the creator of Selling Sunset:
Bling Empire, which premiered in January, has been renewed for a second season:
And from the executive producer of Bling Empire comes My Unorthodox Life:
