'Mulheres Ricas:' The Surreal Housewives of Brazil

‘Mulheres Ricas:’ The Surreal Housewives of Brazil

by Wall Street Job Report on May 25, 2012

Where is the joy in flying to Paris for a weekend of shopping if your private jet has to stop along the way to refuel? Such are the hardships faced by the stars of a new Brazilian reality TV show called Mulheres Ricas, or Rich Women.

The show, which is preparing for its second season, follows five middle-aged women around Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo as they buy Bentleys (VOW:GR), Louis Vuitton (MC:FP) handbags, and Botox treatments. One of the stars, Val Marchiori (“blonde, tall, and thin,” in her words), is a self-described “businesswoman” with no discernible business. She is almost always accompanied by a well-groomed man who serves as her 24-hour hairdresser and makeup artist. In the first episode, she searches for a replacement for her jet, which she regards as inadequate to her needs. At a crowded executive aviation fair, she wonders aloud, “Is there champagne on this plane?” Then she buys a $15 million jet after a quick phone call to her husband.