Last night BRAVO premiered its new Tuesday night reality treat - NYC Prep. The show, which is being called "the real life Gossip Girl", follows the lives of six Upper East (and West) side teenagers. I was unimpressed by the previews leading up to the first episode, but was curious if the producers had cast kids as counter parts to the Gossip Girl characters, or if they just picked the kids with the most potential for drama.
The only direct comparisons I would make between Gossip Girl characters and NYC Prep kids are PC and Camille. PC is the real life Chuck Bass. Arrogant, flirtatious, fashion forward (note the scarf!) and always accompanied by his driver (of course). Camille is a living, breathing Blair Waldorf. With her headbands, her social climbing and her eyes set on the Ivy league, its clear she has been taking notes on Monday night's resident Queen Bee.
Then we have Sebastian. A young boy who claims to hook up with 2-3 girls per night when he parties. If it were not for Sebastian's perfect hair and his fluent French, he'd not even make a blip on anyone's radar. If Sebastian thinks this show is going to help his game, he is severely mistaken.
Kelli lives alone in an apartment with her older brother while her parents party it up in the Hamptons. Hello, future therapy bills!
Jessie is PC's best friend and former girlfriend. They do everything together despite Jessie harping on him constantly. Jessie is cross eyed, overweight (by NYC standards) and has one hell of a bitchy attitude. Clearly the producers cast her for the drama factor, not the eye candy quota.
Lastly we have Taylor, who goes to public school (gasp!) and lives with her younger brother and single mother. Can't you just hear the song, "Which one of these things is not like the other?" Not quite sure how Taylor made the cut, but hopefully the producers have some great surprises in store with her.
This episode also taught viewers that on the Upper East and Upper West side parental guidance is at a minimum, a blackberry is mandatory and "partying" equals dinner at posh restaurants. Are you taking notes? One misstep and these kids will eat you alive.
Overall I felt like watching NYC Prep was a bit like passing a bad car accident on the highway - its awful, but you just can't turn away.
Although I already loathe each and every one of these kids, I will continue to DVR the show on the off chance their immature antics yield an entertaining moment or two after a long day at work.
Read the hilarious episode recap at Gawker.com.
NYC Prep airs Tuesdays at 10:00pm Eastern on BRAVO.
