F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, "The rich are different from you and me." Last week, Bravo TV president Lauren Zalaznick protested the idea that shows on her network, including the "Real Housewives" franchise and "Million Dollar Listing," are all about money, claiming instead that they're about "extreme personalities." Frankly, they could have been more extreme on last night's "First Class All The Way," because all we saw was the money.
The show follows Sara Duffy, concierge to the rich and famous and founder of her own travel firm, SRD International, for whom no request is out of line. Dig up a real European royal on a trip to Monaco? Sure! Villa about to be trashed by your "bros" in Italy? No problem. Duffy specializes in leading her charges around like sheep, which we never knew was a popular travel fantasy among rich Americans.
"Getting a passport in one day is like giving birth to an elephant," Duffy says in a talking-head interview during the pilot, which follows a tour group around Monaco and Paris. "It's not easy." But it's easy if you're an elephant! While we may have fantasized about someone who would be able to cut through travel's red tape for us, we wonder about the authenticity of the passenger's experience when everything is smoothed out for them. And yes, we want the po-faced lady who lost her wallet in the first place to have to suffer a little, even if she doesn't get a good story out of it.
To quote another great American writer, "It's fun to have fun, but you've got to know how." Part of Duffy's job is to make the most memorable trips possible for her clients, but this ill-timed show proves the rich just don't know how to entertain themselves.
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· Recently Reviewed: First Class All The Way [Variety]
[Photo: BravoTV.com]]]>
