Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Byron Baes’ On Netflix, An Addictive Reality Show Starring Australian Influencers

Netflix’s foray into reality series has provided some of the most watchable drama of the last few years; Selling Sunset, Love is Blind, Too Hot to Handle, The Circle, and Twentysomethings: Austin have all been massive hits, sucking us in with easy to love (and loathe) cast members and often scenic locations. Byron Baes, now streaming on the platform, is likely to be your new reality addiction. The docu-soap follows a group of Australian influencers and creatives, and it doesn’t take long for the theatrics to start brewing. 

BYRON BAES: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Sarah holds up a clapperboard to the camera.

The Gist: Welcome to Byron Bay, a beautiful beachside town in New South Wales, Australia. Sarah, a singer/influencer/pianist, is leaving her home on the Gold Coast to move to Byron, where she hopes she can establish connections and further her career. Jade Kevin Foster, an influencer (he’s got 1.2 million followers on Instagram, a fact he will not let you forget) has also come to Byron from the Gold Coast to make new friends and start fresh. “Being an influencer can definitely be lonely,” he tells us. So what else is there to do but head to a scenic location – a “mecca for influencers”, as they tell us – and look for new pals?

Sarah and Jade soon join the group of Byron locals we’ll come to know and love (or hate) as our cast; there’s Hannah, a bohemian brand manager whose family has a company called Bisque, Elle, a drama-loving humanitarian of sorts, Jess, a fashion designer who got her big break when Kylie Jenner wore her clothes, Jess’s sister Lauren, a model, Nathan Favro, who you might recognize from Bachelor in Paradise, Love Island Australia star Elias Chigros, spiritual therapist Simba Ali, photographer Cai Leplaw, and Alex Reid, an aspiring manager who might just help Sarah get her big break. The group all comes together at Hannah’s big, glamorous party, where she hopes to resolve some tension with Jess. Despite a hoppin’ social event, there’s trouble brewing; Alex doesn’t trust Jade, and is determined to find out what his deal is, and there might just be a love triangle in Sarah’s future. This is only the beginning for these Byron Baes.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? With its cast of blandly attractive hotties, Byron Baes will please fans of reality shows like Twentysomethings: Austin, Terrace House, The Circle, Hype House, and even Selling Sunset.

Our Take: “There’s a lot of drama, especially in our friendship group,” we’re told, and Byron Baes delivers on this promise. It follows a pretty classic reality show format, taking us along for the ride as two outsiders try to navigate an established social hierarchy in a new, beautiful place, and it’s as effective here as it usually is. Most of these people suck (like, a LOT), but they make for great television; the key to a solid hate-watch is a ridiculous cast, and Byron Baes understands this. The series wastes no time setting up who our potential villains might be, and what kind of romantic and friendship drama lie ahead. It’s a solid pilot, and easy to start picking out favorites from the cast before the show even really hits the ground running.

The most delightful – and hilarious – thing about Byron Baes is just how little self awareness exists on the show. These people truly don’t have a damn clue how they are perceived, instead choosing to favor whatever idea of themselves they’ve concocted in their minds and present to the world via Instagram or other social media platforms. Each of these people thinks they’re doing something truly unique or offbeat, shaking up the system or wowing people with their individuality, but they’re all cut from the same cloth. With a handful of cast members who have already had reality show stints and are used to being in the public eye, Byron Baes is a showcase for the kind of delusional, melodramatic goofballs who make for great television. If you need me this week, I’ll be anesthetizing myself and hate-watching the entire season. You should probably do the same.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: Jade parties on outside as Alex scrolls through social media and tells us he thinks there’s something off about Jade and he isn’t going to let this go.

Sleeper Star: Hannah seems born to be a reality star, what with her intense spirituality, judgmental gaze, and thirst for drama. These crystal-loving, woo-woo cast members certainly seem like they’re born to become reaction memes, but Hannah seems to genuinely buy everything she’s selling. Elle may be the more straightforward antagonist on the series (and certainly more outrageous as the show goes on) but there’s something a little sinister about Hannah, who is simultaneously thrilling and irritating to watch.

Most Pilot-y Line: This one goes to Hannah, who ominously tells us at the beginning of the episode that “Byron Bay has this strong power, that if it wants you here, it sucks you in, and if it doesn’t, it literally spits you out.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. Byron Baes is the ideal reality hate-watch, full of ridiculous drama, unintentionally funny exchanges, and cast members with almost zero self awareness. What more can you ask for?

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.