Kane Lim Thinks This Is Why Bling Empire Is So Successful
With Netflix's Bling Empire, it feels like we've made a whole group of new friends. In fact, the stars of the reality TV show were so likable and vivacious that everyone was wondering whether it was scripted or not.
We got really close to Kevin Kreider, the host and "normal" one on the series. There's the gorgeous Kelly Mi Li and her contentious relationship with boyfriend, Andrew Gray. We got to know Christine Chiu and her lovely husband, Dr. Gabriel Chiu, and their little tot, Baby G (a.k.a. Gabriel Chiu). And we certainly can't forget about Christine's rival, Anna Shay, who was by far the richest of everyone on the show. Plus, there was that awesome storyline with Kim Lee, the DJ, as she looked for her biological father. (Did anyone else get major Kylie Jenner vibes from Kim?)
But maybe one of our favorites was Kane Lim, who had the most stunning shoe collection ever. Kane was such a likable cast member thanks to his friendly ways and how ardently he tried to keep the peace when conflict arose — and he's actually shared some speculation as to why Bling Empire became such a hit.
Kane Lim said no one on Bling Empire 'needed' to be there
Kane Lim believes that the secret behind Bling Empire's success is comprised of two main factors. "There was a lot of trust between the producers and us, because none of us need to do the show [for the money]," he explained to Hong Kong Tatler in January 2021, adding with a laugh, "Maybe Kevin [Kreider] or certain desperate cast members?" Kane elaborated on this idea, saying of the risks of being on reality TV, "Put out our lives for the whole world to see? And be subjected to public scrutiny and our own safety?"
It's worth noting that Bling Empire's executive producer, Jeff Jenkins, actually worked on The Simple Life and Keeping Up With the Kardashians, per BuzzFeed, so he knew what he was doing. "I thought the producers were super credible," Kane continued. "Look at Jeff ... the first time I met [Jenkins], I said: 'I'm going to call you uncle Jeff!' and we still talk on a daily basis." Where Bling Empire ended up also played a role in its success, with Kane noting, "When we shot the pilot and pitched it to different networks, Netflix loved it. I knew it would be different from other platforms; we wanted to produce a show with so much more substance."
Trust, substance, and not being in it for the money? It seems the cast and crew behind Bling Empire have cracked the code to reality TV success.