Oh fuck!

The “Real Housewives” craze is coming to the Okanagan. “Beach Town”, our area’s first reality show, is coming to national television and will be offering Okanagan businesses some very unique business and exposure opportunities.

“Beach Town” is a reality show much like “Real Housewives”, following the lives of 6 women who live in the Okanagan as they enjoy all that our area has to offer - including going to wineries, sailing, shopping, fine dining, spas, beaches, and much more.

The show’s creator, Bruce Brady, who put himself through film school while building custom homes, feels that our area is the perfect place to create this show. “It has all the elements needed to make a successful show including beautiful scenery, interesting things to do, and of course -dramatic and attractive women,” he explains. “I said to my son as we were driving around Kelowna: We’ve gotta film here. The place is beautiful, the women are all gorgeous... great locations and beautiful people are why people are addicted to the other Housewives shows.”

Not long after he was inspired with the idea of creating an Okanagan version of the successful Housewives franchise, Brady put his plan into action. “When I say something, I do it,” he says. “I took an ad on Kijiji, the press kept calling, women came around for casting, and I got tons of free publicity.”

Although publicity and casting the housewives wasn’t an issue, making the transition from concept to production to pitching the networks was a much more complex process. “Getting the show made has been a bit of a struggle,” Brady admits. “I’d take it to the networks and they’d say ‘We need more drama, let’s see the girls fight.’ So, on “Beach Town” there will be lots of drama and fighting.”

Instead of masquerading under the pretense of the drama and fighting being part of the show’s “reality”, “Beach Town” lays its cards on the table: the reality is staged. “Viewers will get to see the crew trying to get the girls to fight. Part of it will be like a reality show about making a reality show!” Brady says.

Also setting “Beach Town” apart from the Housewives shows is the partnership between production and local businesses. Okanagan businesses are being given the opportunity to purchase national commercial time or sponsorships for the program. Some of the reality stars will be going to local businesses and offering them the chance to get a 30 or 60-second commercial spot or a sponsorship option where we do a portion of the shoot at that business like a spa, restaurant, winery, hotspring, ski resort etc. People across Canada will be watching the show and then see an advertisement for one of the local realtors, builders or hotels and think “wow, I want to go there” and go to your website and call

“Sponsorship will definitely help fund the show, as I’m more or less paying for it myself. The first season is difficult to make happen financially, but if things take off then networks will pay more and money won’t be an issue anymore,” Brady says.

The 13-episode first season will air on TVtropolis beginning April 1st, 2012 on Sunday Mornings at 9 am, just before the incredibly popular “Real Housewives” series. Why Sundays at 9 am? Brady explains: “I grabbed the Sunday Morning 9 am time slot because I know generally Sunday mornings most people relax at home with family and friends while watching “Real Housewives”, which comes on around 10 am.”

Brady is also busy developing yet another Okanagan-based reality show, “Beach House”, set to begin filming in summer of 2012. “Beach House” is a reality show much like “Jersey Shore” and “Big Brother” that brings a group of young people from neighbouring cities and plunks them in a house in the Okanagan where they basically live and fight it out to see who wins in the end.

Casting for the series will begin in Spring of 2012 and shooting will get underway July 1st.

You can see some of the original clips of “Beach Town” on Brady’s YouTube channel, brucebrady007, which may or may not be part of the final show.