A new three-minute trailer offers the first look at The Real Housewives of Dubai, the new Bravo reality series set in the UAE. Featuring six socialites and influencers — Dr Sara Al Madani, Nina Ali, Chanel Ayan, Caroline Brooks, Lesa Milan and Caroline Stanbury ― the series promises to deliver "a lot of things that you didn't expect to see in Dubai", according to executive producer Andy Cohen.
The show looks set to focus on the glittering side of the emirate. "Anything is possible in Dubai," Stanbury says in the teaser, over footage of a yacht. She's echoed by a co-star, who says: "It's a land of opportunity."
"There's a lot of gold here, and we have a lot of gold diggers, too," Ayan says in the teaser footage.
The trailer plays out like a Dubai Instagram highlights reel, with shots of the Dubai Frame, cast members posing with falcons and camels in the desert, dirhams being counted, diamonds and a golden Lamborghini shown in the first few seconds.
Cohen insists it won't merely be a run of Dubai cliches. However, based on the trailer, the show will be focused squarely on one sector of ultra-wealthy society, in keeping with the entire Real Housewives franchise.
"I think people are going to be very surprised how much Dubai plays into things and the rules of Dubai and what's allowed for women there and what's not, and I think it's going to blow a lot of stereotypes out of the water," Cohen told ET. "You're going to see a lot of things that you didn't expect to see in Dubai.
"There's a lot of expats and the lifestyle is bigger there, the glamour is intense and it's just a totally different playground for them. I mean, it's somewhere we've never seen before."
Here are five things we learnt from The Real Housewives of Dubai trailer:
1. Women take centre stage
"In Dubai, women are far from submissive," Stanbury says, stroking her dog on her lap. "Most of the women are running this town."
Later in the trailer, however, Al Madani says: "If a man is paying for you, he is in control of you," which has been cut with raised-eyebrow reactions from the housewives.
2. The lavish side of Dubai is on show
"Thirty-three million for a licence plate?" Ali says, perhaps referencing the April auction in which a Dubai number plate AA8 sold for Dh35 million in a charity auction.
That isn't the only show of wealth displayed, as gold, diamonds and Rolls-Royce feature heavily in the trailer, as well as footage from nightclubs, fashion shows and beach mansions.
3. Expect 'Real Housewives' franchise crossovers
Phaedra Parks, star of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, makes a brief cameo in the trailer.
"Give me the tea, honey, I'm very thirsty today," Parks says, while sat down with Brooks at what appears to be the Palazzo Versace hotel.
4. Personal lives are on full display
There seems to be full access to the housewives' personal lives in the show, with weddings, intimate details and separations touched upon in the trailer.
Footage from Stanbury's December wedding to Spanish former footballer Sergio Jose Carrallo Pendas is shown, with ceremony, speeches and the party all starring. The wedding took place at Raffles The Palm Dubai.
5. We get a glimpse at the housewives' businesses
The professional lives of the six housewives look set to be a focus. In the trailer, we see model Ayan during a photoshoot in the desert, Brooks discussing the opening of her spa, catwalk-show footage from Milan's fashion lines and Al Madani public speaking.
'The Real Housewives of Dubai' will be out on Bravo on June 1. The full trailer is available to watch here.
