Shahs of Sunset
Iranian Americans navigate tradition and ambition in Beverly Hills.
Shahs of Sunset is an American reality television series that aired on Bravo from March 11, 2012, to August 29, 2021. It followed a group of Iranian Americans living in Beverly Hills and the greater area known as Tehrangeles, balancing their social lives, careers, and family traditions. The series was the second American reality show about Iranians, after E!'s Love Is in the Heir in 2004.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Reality television
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 9
- Episodes
- 128
- Runtime
- 42 minutes
- Company
- Ryan Seacrest Productions; Truly Original
- Channel
- Bravo
Facts from the source article.
Cast
Reza Farahan, born in Tehran in 1973 and raised in Beverly Hills, works as a real estate agent in Los Angeles alongside Mercedes Javid at Keller Williams Realty. His father is Jewish and his mother Muslim; his father converted to Islam to marry his mother, and after their divorce, Farahan's paternal grandmother rejected him for not being Jewish. Farahan is openly gay and has faced prejudice regarding his sexuality; he joined the show to portray a positive image of a gay Middle Easterner after news reports of bullied teenagers who died by suicide. He married Adam Neely, a former fashion model working in post-production on Ryan Murphy's shows, and their engagement was featured in the third-season finale. In season four, they called off their wedding after a false rumor that Javid was carrying their child, but the group continued to the wedding trip to Thailand. Golnesa Gharachedaghi, an entrepreneur, began the show unemployed and financially dependent on her wealthy, nominally Muslim family. She has eight tattoos, including one inside her lip, and claims to have been expelled from multiple schools for fighting. She attended Jewish daycare, Catholic preschool, and Loyola Marymount University. Her father Mahmoud Gharachedaghi, an architect, appears on the show from season one. In season two, she launched a hair extension brand with her sister Leila. She was engaged to Omid Kalantari in December 2012, but they broke off the engagement the following month.
Reception
Before the show debuted, some members of the Iranian-American diaspora expressed concern that it would promote an unwelcome image during a tense historical moment. Novelist Porochista Khakpour objected to the cast calling themselves Persian instead of Iranian but otherwise saw the show as a typical reality mash-up. Professor Gina B. Nahai described the cast as unattractive and unsophisticated, embodying negative stereotypes. Producer Ryan Seacrest dismissed the criticism, calling the show escapism meant to be entertaining. The president of Bravo described the cast as affluencers: upscale, educated, and influential. Cast members stated they portrayed a more Americanized version of Persians than films like Argo, which they felt depicted Iranians as savages or homeless people. Mike Shouhed noted that producers sometimes used Arabic music, causing confusion, and Reza Farahan received mistaken feedback complimenting Arab American culture.
Lawsuits
Los Angeles resident Kathy Salem alleged she was subjected to demeaning and humiliating situations while filming Shahs of Sunset. She settled her lawsuit against Ryan Seacrest Productions, and per the settlement, she was removed from the episode; financial terms were not disclosed. On September 10, 2014, after receiving no response from Ryan Seacrest Productions regarding a union contract, the 16 post-production crew members walked off the job. The Motion Picture Editors Guild called a strike until demands were met. On September 26, Bravo took control of production from RSP and fired the entire editorial staff. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees filed unfair labor practice charges against Bravo Media, stating that federal law protects the right to organize and that retaliation is illegal. MPEG President Alan Heim called it an attack on the right to organize. Picketing ended on October 10 when RSP ratified a union agreement. Kiara Belen, a former America's Next Top Model contestant, sued Bravo, Ryan Seacrest Productions, and other defendants over a scene in a 2017 episode in which she appeared nearly fully nude while changing in a dressing room. She filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Ryan Seacrest Productions, Ryan Seacrest Enterprises, Bravo Media, Truly Originals, and 50 unnamed defendants.
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