Netflix finally releases a realistic reality TV show
Netflix has gone all out with many releases of reality TV shows over recent years, which mostly feature young, attractive people living in large mansions or luxury locations on the hunt for love and lust. These perfect fantasy shows always seemed cheesy and unentertaining to me, so I typically avoided them. Yet Netflix’s newest show, “Twenty Somethings in Austin”, which features a group of hot 20 year-old singles living in a luxury house in Texas, is my new obsession.
Unlike most shows where the cast is fighting over who gets the hot date, Twenty Somethings in Austin actually focuses on providing people with a chance to start a new life in the midst of the most confusing, fun and difficult times of their lives– their twenties, during a pandemic. The show follows eight people trying to navigate adulthood who are invited to stay for 12 weeks in Austin, Texas, a city full of opportunities to start a new life. After becoming accommodated with the town through parties, outings, and dinners, the individuals decide if they could make a new living in this town or move back home to their families.
There is always an unrealisticness that comes with reality TV, and “Twenty Somethings in Austin” was not free of this– the cast was model-status gorgeous, they were able to live in a glamorous house and go party every night, and, despite being in a pandemic, not a single mask was in sight. However, this show expressed stories of people from all sorts of walks of life, with different cultures, sexualities, and goals for the future. My favorite houseguest, Keauno Perez, or Kiki, is highlighted on his journey of becoming an openly gay person and finding love after spending many years in the closet due to family and cultural situations.
There was a tendency, however, for the show to focus on characters pursuing relationships within the house, and those who avoided that typically were not in the limelight. There was a significant amount of drama revolving around flings and flirtations within the house that I quickly became bored with, yet one relationship caught my eye. Micheal Fractor, a corny, Jewish 23 year-old comedian from Los Angeles surprisingly wins the heart of Isha Punja, one of the most gorgeous girls in the house, but still questions whether he should stay in Austin with her, or return home as he has little hope of succeeding in standup comedy. Every episode I grew more in awe of their unique relationship and became curious to what Fractor would decide as his fate, which seemed obvious that he should stay with this 10/10 girl instead of moving back to live with his parents.
As one of the least cheesy, lust-driven and love crazy reality TV shows that Netflix has produced, “Twenty Somethings in Austin” is a perfect binge show and an easy watch on your day off. The houseguests aren’t some perfect superstars, but rather relatable people from a variety of lives that one can connect to and fall in love with.
