Dubai Bling: Glitz, Drama, and the Question of Authenticity

Dubai Bling is Netflix's bilingual reality television series that premiered in October 2022, with its third season recently dropping on January 8, 2025. The show follows a curated group of ultra-wealthy individuals residing in Dubai, documenting their lavish lifestyles, exclusive social circles, and interpersonal drama. What started as Netflix's third most-watched non-English series during its debut week has evolved into a global phenomenon, particularly resonating across the Middle East, UK, and US markets. The show's premise is straightforward: follow the glitz, glamour, and gossip of Dubai's elite millionaires as they navigate luxury shopping, exclusive parties, and complex friendships.​

The cast has evolved significantly across the three seasons. Core cast members include Safa Siddiqui, a British fashionista of Iraqi descent married to Indian businessman Fahad Siddiqui; Zeina Khoury, a luxury real estate CEO and one of the show's most grounded figures; Farhana Bodi, an Indian fashion influencer known for causing controversy within the group; Loujain Adada, a high-profile socialite with significant pre-show recognition; DJ Bliss (Marwan Al-Awadhi), an Emirati DJ who has performed for celebrities like Kanye West; and Ebraheem Al Samadi, the entrepreneur and founder of Forever Rose who has become increasingly controversial with viewers. Season 2 introduced Mona Kattan, the global president of Huda Beauty and a powerhouse in her own right, while Season 3 brought aboard Mahira Abdel Aziz, a media professional from CNBC Arabiya, and Jwana Karim.​

The show has garnered an undeniably enthusiastic fanbase. Season 3 reviews across social media have been overwhelmingly positive, with fans praising it as "10/10" and the "best season yet." Within less than 24 hours of its release, Season 3 claimed the top spot on Netflix's must-watch rankings in the UAE. Viewers appreciate the unfiltered drama, with many noting that the cast's constant bickering and over-the-top arguments deliver exactly what they expect from premium reality television.​

However, social media critiques reveal significant concerns about the show's authenticity and representation. One Reddit user expressed frustration with the increasingly performative nature of cast members' social lives, noting: "I follow her on snap and the rich, helicopter wife thing is now looking boring and pathetic. I also wonder if wealthy people ever get tired of showing off material things they can clearly afford." Another Reddit comment questioned the authenticity of certain cast members, stating: "It's clear that she edits her images—some of the surrounding elements appear distorted due to her photo alterations—which is acceptable to some extent, but it feels less genuine.... Additionally, she has disabled the like count on her posts, which seems peculiar."​

Concerns about manufactured personas are particularly directed at Farhana Bodi. Reddit users have speculated that "she probably bought most of her subscribers and is trying to fake it until she makes it," with one commenter sarcastically noting that her lack of authentic engagement means "Farhana's fakeness is an extra level because she isn't just fake for the DIB cameras, she literally makes money off the fakeness as her 9-5 job." Another user simply declared: "I have to admit that I'm not a fan of Farhana... she's just annoying as F I'm not gonna lie."​​

Dubai Bling has faced substantial criticism both from regional audiences and global viewers regarding its distorted representation of Dubai life. The primary accusation is that the show presents an unrealistic version of Dubai by exclusively showcasing the ultra-wealthy elite while ignoring the city's diverse, multicultural population and the migrant workforce that forms the backbone of Dubai's economy. Critics argue that by consistently presenting wealth accumulation through designer goods and luxury experiences as the ultimate measure of success, Dubai Bling cultivates unrealistic expectations, particularly among younger viewers.​

A particularly damning critique notes that within Dubai Bling's universe, "status is determined by what you own rather than your intelligence, talent, or strength. Designer handbags, multimillion-dollar houses, and private yacht parties are not mere luxury; they are social currency." This materialistic framing feeds into what social researchers term "affluenza"—a psychological phenomenon where people feel compelled to overspend to meet unrealistic societal standards. The show's normalization of unsustainable consumption patterns raises ethical questions, with one analysis noting: "The show fails to portray the city's diversity. By praising excessive luxury, the show builds false expectations of success, perpetuating the idea that pleasure and self-worth are judged by material abundance."​

Social media reactions reveal deeper discomfort with the show's celebration of environmentally harmful practices. Reddit discussions highlight viewers' concerns about "the use of private jet usage, excessive automobile collections, and conspicuous consumption patterns portrayed as aspirational." One YouTube reaction from Arab creators noted the problematic stereotypes being reinforced: "There is a stereotype that people from the Gulf region kind of have that look down on anybody who's not from that country... and I felt so bad for [the cast member] like you just don't do that."​​

Addressing the authenticity question, cast members themselves have pushed back against accusations of scripting. Both Safa Siddiqui and Farhana Bodi explicitly stated to Arab News in 2022 that "nothing about this show was scripted" and that cast members are "neither actors nor performers" but rather "CEOs and business owners who know each other and interact outside of this reality show." However, Siddiqui acknowledged that while the show isn't scripted, "there is definitely more depth to me in reality" and emphasized that "reality shows are made for entertainment purposes."​

Significantly, the cast itself has conceded that Dubai Bling does not represent Dubai comprehensively. Farhana Bodi explicitly clarified: "Dubai Bling is not a reflection of life in Dubai. Dubai is a multifaceted city—a melting pot of cultures and people, and Dubai Bling is just one perspective." Even DJ Bliss, a cast member, acknowledged in a YouTube interview that the show represents "the glitz and glamour of Dubai" but noted that viewers might perceive it as "an outsider's perspective of what life in Dubai should look like because of the stereotypes."​​

The tension lies in the selective reality that Dubai Bling presents. The show does authentically document the lifestyles of its cast members—these individuals genuinely exist, they genuinely possess extraordinary wealth, and their social dynamics are real. However, the production deliberately frames Dubai through a lens of extreme luxury, intentionally excluding the vast majority of the city's population. This selective framing creates a problematic narrative where Dubai becomes synonymous with excess rather than reflecting its actual diversity, professional opportunities, cultural richness, or the ordinary lives of millions who call it home.​

The bigger picture reveals that Dubai Bling operates within reality TV conventions that prioritize entertainment value over educational accuracy. The show's appeal hinges on drama, luxury consumption, and interpersonal conflict—the very elements that make comprehensive representation impossible. Expecting Dubai Bling to represent Dubai holistically would be fundamentally misunderstanding its genre and purpose. The show succeeds as entertainment precisely because it exaggerates, dramatizes, and focuses exclusively on an ultra-niche demographic.

Nevertheless, the show's cultural impact warrants caution. By consistently presenting wealth accumulation as the ultimate measure of success and normalizing unsustainable consumption patterns without acknowledgment of Dubai's working-class communities, Dubai Bling perpetuates a one-dimensional understanding of the city. As one critical analysis states: "Beyond consumption, Dubai Bling feeds on drama... wealth itself is used as a weapon. 'I can buy and sell you.' This underlying attitude pervades the show."​

Dubai Bling is entertaining reality television that accurately reflects the lives of a specific ultra-wealthy social circle in Dubai. What it deliberately does not do—and doesn't claim to do—is represent Dubai's full reality. The cast members are genuine entrepreneurs and influencers, their drama is authentic, and their wealth is real. However, viewers should approach the show as a luxury escapism vehicle rather than a documentary about Dubai. The city is infinitely more complex, diverse, and multifaceted than any single reality television series could capture. Dubai Bling reveals a slice of Dubai's most ostentatious lifestyle segment, but treating it as representative of the entire city would be fundamentally misreading both the show's purpose and Dubai's actual character.