The US media were fascinated by the idea of a program all about a nationality most Americans see simply as two-dimensional US haters and terrorists. Many reviewers argued the show might be good for the Iranian community in that it shows Iranians as real people—just like all your cussing consumerist neighbors.
Many Iranian-Americans were aghast when they saw the promotional snippets for the program, “Shahs of Sunset,” which will air at 10 p.m. Eastern Time Sundays on the Bravo channel for six weeks.
Firoozeh Dumas, author of “Funny in Farsi,” told the Los Angeles Times: “Dear God, Noooooo! I never thought Iranian-Americans could get any press worse than what is on the news every night. But now, Americans have a chance to see a slice of materialistic, shallow and downright embarrassing Iranian culture. I jut want to shout: ‘We are not all like that!’”
But Reza Aslan, a scholar and author of “No god but God,” urged fellow Iranian-Americans to cool it. “It’s a silly reality show,” he said. “Only the most moronic viewers would watch ‘Shahs of Sunset’ and extract an opinion about Iranians and Iran.”
After all, do Americans think everyone from New Jersey is like the twits on “Jersey Shore?” Do Americans believe the Kardash-ian family reality show tells them what Armenians are like?
Mitra Abouraian, an entertainment attorney who knows some of the cast members, told the Los Angeles Times: “I have very mixed feelings about the show. On the one hand, the trailer is very scary. On the other, you know you’ve arrived as a minority community when there’s a reality show about you. We’re now recognized enough to be made fun of.”
David Hinckley, writing in the Daily News of New York, dismissed all the kvetching from the Iranian-American community. Look, he wrote, “close your eyes and 90 percent of this new reality show about six young Persian-Americans is indistinguishable from any other reality show about any six young Americans who have an above-average amount of money and a fondness for themselves. . . . Okay, several say they had to leave most of their possessions behind [in Iran] and their starter homes in Beverly Hills were low end.”
Ryan Seacrest, the producer of “Shahs of Sunset” and the Kardashian family show, says it wasn’t the crassness and consumerism of many of those in the show that attracted him to produce “Shahs of Sunset.” He says he was less intrigued by Persian wealth than the community’s close-knit ties. “The great thing about a show like this,” he says, “is that it promotes something I believe in, which is friendship and family. We like shows about that.”
The program is filled with references to Persian mothers and Persian cooking and the Persian view of the world. (The word “Iran” is rarely heard.)
Americans viewing the program won’t learn any Farsi, but they might learn some more English curse words—that is, they would learn them if they weren’t bleeped out to the point where the bleeps sometimes seem to outnumber the words that are allowed.
The show is focused—wow, is it focused!—on six Iranian-American 30-somethings. Let us meet them.
Asa Soltan Rahmati, now 35, calls herself a “conceptual artist.” She uploads her music videos on YouTube; one of her hits, “FessenJoon,” refers to the famous Persian sauce made from pomegranate syrup and walnuts.
“My videos get around,” says Asa, who compares herself to Lady Gaga and M.I.A. “I get pulled over by Persian girls who want to take pictures of me. We [Iranians] don’t have any people that are out in the public, that are living outside the box.”
The show’s cast members have known each other since their days at Beverly Hills High School. Although now in their mid-30s, they still act like cliquish teenagers.
Golnesa Gharachedaghi, known as GG and referring to herself as the Persian princess, nearly falls over in her Louboutins when she fires a gun at a shooting range. She says she thinks people who watch the show will see Iranian-Americans in a different light—“We are not terrorists. Our money isn’t from oil. We’re not related to Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden.”
Mike (the guy with the abs) and Sammy (the guy with the belly) claim to be million-dollar real-estate moguls. Mike tells the camera, “We don’t work in buildings. We own them.”
Mercedes Javid, known as MJ, dotes on her two Chihuahuas—they have their own stroller and Facebook pages.
Her best friend, Reza Farahan, loves Gucci, Prada, and the catchphrase “Hello, we’re Persian!” He is also realistic about what the show will convey. “I don’t mind being stereotyped as materialistic,” he said. “Middle Easterners have many stereotypes, and materialistic is one of the better ones. We’re usually viewed as evil terrorists, so if you’re going to stereotype me, I’d prefer it to be because we love gold and Mercedes [cars] instead of Uzis.”
He, like others, found “Shahs of Sunset” a step up from the previous Hollywood depictions of Iranians, notably the abusive husband in “Not Without My Daughter” and the Middle Eastern terrorists on “24.”
In interviews, none of the six has been as over the top as they seem on TV. Some were born in the United States, but they all shared the familiar children-of-immigrants experience of walking a tightrope between two cultures. “I was a month old when we moved here,” says Mike. “I give my dad a lot of credit. He worked tirelessly to give us everything. They came with nothing.”
Reza is gay and admits that his mother was worried about him coming out in such a public way on television. “She thinks the crazy super-religious Muslim people will get upset,” he said. “I’m wearing an Allah necklace and talking about dating guys.” He convinced his mother by explaining he’d become a role model for other Iranians struggling with their sexual orientation.
It has become standard fare to compare “Shahs of Sunset” to “Jersey Shore.” But the cast members deny any similarities. They point to their college educations. “We are much more sophisticated,” says Reza. “We come from different backgrounds of lawyers and doctors. Those people on ‘Jersey Shore’ are hooking up every night. They have a ‘smoosh’ room. They drink pickle juice. They have nothing. They are incredibly trashy. We are not like that.”
