When Bling Empire first came to Netflix, viewers were surprised and befuddled. The cast was largely unknown, yet prospective viewers were thrilled that a group of Asian cast members would be the center of the series. In no time, Kevin Kreider (the show's sort-of 'host') and friends (frenemies too?) stole the hearts of many Netflix viewers, and after two seasons full of drama, a third dropped into fans' laps in early October 2022.
In no time at all, fans were declaring the third season the best yet for Bling Empire, suggesting that the season's run will feature even more drama and intrigue than ever before. The only question is how long it will last.
Season 3 Of Bling Empire Debuted In Early October
Without much notice, Netflix dropped a third season of Bling Empire, much to fans' delight. Without a significant break between the second and third seasons, viewers get to jump right back into the drama, with breakups and new romances, plus the return of some cast members' exes.
For one thing, Kevin and Kim's relationship seemed to end at the end of season two, with Kevin appearing to be charmed by someone else shortly after. Yet the season three trailer featured some follow-up relationship-end drama for the two.
Clearly, the cast's story isn't over yet — but that doesn't mean everyone's hoping it'll come back for more seasons.
Viewers Are Divided Over Bling Empire
With all its behind-the-scenes secrets, viewers have long been divided over Bling Empire. Though it was heralded as a great form of representation for Asians, it was also likened to the Kardashians' long-running reality series.
And it's true, Bling Empire isn't exactly relatable, no matter what one's background is — unless it's multi-millionaire.
Still, there are people who love the show, as well as those who hate it.
Critics have long assumed that the show is scripted, but if nothing else, it's definitely edited to suit the producers' vision. And, obviously, to stir up drama.
After two seasons of the series, it's clear that the drama is a top attraction. Reviews from IMDb show the stark contrast between those who get into the drama willingly ("This is trash tv at its finest and I love it!") and those who hate the show because of its seemingly vapid plotlines ("Watched 2 episodes. Enough is enough. I just wasted part of my life watching this trash. Money can't buy authenticity or integrity.").
Of course, most of the reviews are from past seasons, and many of them diss the show because of how much the cast seems to have altered their appearances with plastic surgery. So are the complaints (and the 5.8 IMDb rating) applicable to the third season too?
What Are Fans Saying About Season 3 So Far?
With only the first episode of season three to go off of, viewers were already thrilled about Bling Empire's return in October 2022. A few months prior, fans were unsure whether the show would return at all — so the release of the first episode (and the trailer) was a welcome surprise.
One top-rated comment enthused, "2 seasons in the same year?!? WE ARE BEING FED. Seems like the drama is going to amped up real quick. Can't wait to watch!"
As the trailer featured Dr. Chiu taking his mic off and declaring he was done, one commenter stated, "I am completely with Dr Chiu, he finally expressed how he is fed up with this group!"
Others called Christine (Dr. Chiu's wife) the highlight of the show, with one noting, "The best season yet absolutely. I saw another side of Christine this season and it was friggin awesome."
That commenter also suggested that Dr. Chiu's 'tantrum' on the show was in defense of his wife and some drama that was apparently directed at her.
This is refreshing, given that Christine wasn't thrilled about filming season two; things seem to have changed for this season.
Whatever is going on as the cast heads into their third season, fans are all over it. Of course, only time will tell whether the series has the kind of longevity other reality series have experienced.
Will There Be A Season 4 Of Bling Empire?
With season three just releasing (and so closely after the second season), it seems promising that Netflix will continue working on the show. There haven't been any official releases yet regarding the future of the show, and the divided reviews could pose a problem.
IMDb reviews aren't great, but 84 percent of Google reviewers liked the show (at the time of this article's publishing).
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 51 percent audience score and a 91 percent critic score for season one; the subsequent seasons haven't been sufficiently reviewed yet.
