The Real Housewives of Melbourne season 1 premiered on Arena on February 23, 2014, and concluded on May 11, 2014. The reality TV show was mainly filmed in Melbourne, Victoria. Kylie Washington and Lisa Potasz serve as the program’s executive producers.
Matchbox Pictures first announced The Real Housewives of Melbourne as The Real Housewives of Australia, and the television series was scheduled to debut in 2013. The series was renamed The Real Housewives of Melbourne, unveiling the whole cast on July 28, 2013.
Over an eight-month process, the producers personally selected the six women that appeared in the first season from a pool of more than 100 women. In July 2013, production for the season got underway. The first installment consisted of 12 episodes.
On January 21, 2014, the series’ official cast photo and air date were revealed. Following SoHo’s Wentworth, the series launched with the second-largest local audience at the time. Alex Perry served as host for the two-part reunion, which was shot in late March 2014.
Cast and Overview of The Real Housewives of Melbourne Season 1
The Real Housewives of Melbourne season 1 has six housewives described as “sophisticated and affluent” ladies “who love to indulge in the finer things in life as well as high-end drama.” They are Jackie Gillies, Chyka Keebaugh, Gina Liano, Andrea Moss, Janet Roach, and Lydia Schiavello.
Jackie Gillies is described as being opinionated, spiritual, and self-assured. The youngest housewife, born in Croatia, and her husband, Ben Gillies, recently relocated from Newcastle. At fifteen, she had already met the Australian rock band Silverchair drummer, who would later become her husband.
After reconnecting after fourteen years, the couple wed in 2010 and have since worked to establish their alcoholic beverage brand, La Máscara. They have a large number of properties, both in Australia and in Croatia’s coastal regions. Jackie is a well-known psychic with many clients, including famous people.
Chyka Keebaugh, a mother, businesswoman, and socialite, is one of Melbourne’s most popular and well-connected women. She is also renowned for being a go-getter and having a positive attitude toward life. She and her husband Bruce have been together for 22 years.
They have two children: a daughter named Chrissy, who is 19, and a boy named BJ, who is 18. In addition to co-parenting their children, the two founded and built The Big Group, one of the biggest privately owned catering and event organizations.
Since their business has been so successful, the couple is now expanding it to more Melbourne locations. Despite their hectic schedules, they still try to communicate and plan their attendance at events by meeting at least once weekly.
Gina Liano is the divorced, single mother of two teenage boys and the proud owner of a cancer-survivor poodle named Ninja. Despite her passion for fashion, Gina pursued a career in law, while her sisters, Teresa and Bettina Liano, are well-known fashion designers.
She has been practicing law for fourteen years and is currently a criminal barrister because she prefers to defend the underprivileged. In addition to her expertise in fashion and law, Gina is a licensed real estate developer and qualified gallery curator.
Aside from parenting her two sons and working, she spends her free time looking for a place to live since her apartment is now under construction.
Before marriage, Andrea Moss was a TV reporter for ABC in New York City and Channel 7 in Sydney. After getting married to one of Australia’s most prominent plastic surgeons, Dr. Chris Moss, the couple went on to have three children together.
She manages her husband’s skin clinic, Liberty Belle Skin Centre, with a busy schedule. She also writes a book to help other mothers figure out how to return to the workforce and supervise the development and planning of their new company.
Moreover, Andrea is regarded as philanthropic since she donates at least $1,000 to charity weekly.
Janet Roach is a self-made property developer described as a freshly single bombshell who is fun-loving, spontaneous, and a social butterfly. She has never worked for anybody else. Janet, who recently got divorced after discovering her ex-husband was having an affair, is embarking on a new chapter in her life.
She has two sons, Paul, 29, and Jake, 25, along with three stepchildren, with whom she maintains a strong relationship. Since Jake suffered burns to 70% of his body in a fire two years ago and barely survived, Jane devotes her time to monitoring his therapies rather than dating or working.
As a busy real estate developer, Janet is currently renovating her Red Hill home and creating a large Mildura elderly lifestyle village.
Lydia Schiavello is a mother of three—two boys, one girl, and three stepchildren—and is recognized for being honest, confident, and not afraid to speak her mind. She tied the knot in Florence, Italy, with renowned architect and real estate developer Andrew Norbury.
The couple frequently uses their private jet in Melbourne, notably to travel to their vacation home in Thredbo. Lydia pursues her love of interior design by enrolling in classes at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
She frequently invests her time in her charitable endeavors, such as the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and spoils her beloved dog, Figaro.
Episode 1 - First Impressions
Lydia meets Andrea and Gina. Jackie, a fellow housewife, gives Janet a psychic reading. Janet invites Jackie to Andrea’s Liberty Belle celebration. For the first time, all six women gather together. Jackie’s unsettling prophetic prophecies put a wrench in the plan.
Episode 2 - Pick a Side
Jackie is questioned for psychic vibes. Gina flies straight to the States, leaving the other females puzzled why. Lydia brings Jackie to a nearby gallery, while Chyka invites the ladies to a food tasting, where Gina is the focus of the conversation. In a cafe, Jackie and Gina argue with each other.
Episode 3 - New Kids on the Block
Jackie joins Janet for support when she visits Dr. Chris Moss for some “freshening up.” Lydia and her husband Andrew take a flight to King Island to indulge in cheese tasting. Gina has returned from the United States after making a significant choice regarding her lover.
At a housewarming celebration with a Mexican theme that Jackie and Ben throw, Ben questions Gina about her problems with his wife.
Episode 4 - Ice Queens
Lydia invites Jackie and Andrea to Thredbo for some skiing. Jackie is puzzled as Andrea and Lydia discuss money and relationships. Chyka and Gina assist Janet in choosing her clothing for the evening’s date with a younger man when she is back in Melbourne. The girls hang around as the couple eats dinner, which Janet is unaware of.
Episode 5 - Birthday Girl
Bruce is successful in stealing Chyka away for a special date night. Picking up her beautiful three-carat diamond ring, Janet begins to celebrate her birthday.
Episode 6 - Anyone for Tennis?
At the new Liberty Belle Skin, where Lydia is studying design, Andrea is concerned about the construction’s poor pace. Janet is also revising her Red Hill renovations, which are becoming more and more expensive.
Andrea arranges a tennis day at her beach property on the Mornington Peninsula. Jackie recommends a late-night salsa class.
Episode 7 - Travelling North
Everyone accepts Chyka’s invitation to the Elandra resort in Mission Beach, Queensland, where the breathtaking helicopter trip serves as a pleasant diversion from the mounting tension.
Episode 8 - No Show or Go Show?
The ladies are a little taken aback by the turn of events when they return from Mission Beach with more baggage than when they leave.
Episode 9 - Pooch Party
Gina seeks the assistance of a dating agency. Chyka asks Andrea, Lydia, and Gina to go shopping for home goods, but things don’t go as planned. Chyka throws a pooch celebration for the ladies and their pups.
Jackie and Ben show Chyka, their business coach, the labels for their new cocktail line. Lydia confronts Janet over something Gina said on the phone at an Emirates party. Things immediately go south when Janet meets Gina for a drink.
Episode 10 - Here's to Happy Endings
For the La Mascara launch, Bella de Jac, a burlesque dancer, is being auditioned by Jackie and Ben. Andrea shoots The Working Mother’s Revenge’s book cover. Gina organizes a Girls Night In event to raise money for cancer research. Chyka urges Gina and Andrea to get together.
Episode 11 - Reunion – Part 1
The housewives gather for this drama-filled reunion, which Alex Perry hosts. They discuss the show, their relationships, and the contents of that email that is regularly brought up.
Episode 12 - Reunion – Part 2
The women continue to talk about the series’ highs and lows, the accusations, the rumors, and everyone’s favorite pampered dog, Figaro.