Former Miss Universe New Zealand Holly Cassidy. Photo / Supplied
Former Miss Universe New Zealand Holly Cassidy. Photo / Supplied
Rich Listers starts on Bravo this Thursday and social media advice from Paula Bennett, one of the show's matriarchs, has settled the nerves of some of the cast.
The real estate reality series promises to show the agents and their multi-million dollar deals. When the show was announced in Julycast members were quite freaked out by the negative trolling on Facebook.
Former Miss Universe New Zealand Holly Cassidy tells Spy she learned from Bennett as well as her time with Miss Universe that negative comments will always happen.
"The best thing you can do is not read them, as hard as that sounds. I truly hope they do settle down as we are all human beings and for me, it feels like I've had three jobs, with the show included — and TV is not easy."
Cassidy hopes that, once audiences get to know the cast and some of their backgrounds, the trolls will change their minds.
Her journey since winning Miss Universe NZ in 2013 has been up and down, but Cassidy says the pageant gave her great grounding and confidence.
"I've been shut down many times and learned to brush it off and keep going. I got a lot of negative press in Miss Universe — I was too short, too muscly, I looked Indian etc, but I knew that was one of the best moments in my life and this show is the same," she says.
The show will give a colourful behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to sell millions of dollars worth of property in New Zealand. It was filmed in Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown.
Holly Cassidy and Cheryl Whiting. Photo / Supplied
Bennett isn't the only one on the new show with sage advice. Cassidy's grandmother, Auckland real estate dynamo Cheryl Whiting, is also there. The two both work at Ray White Parnell.
"Paula and Nan are fierce on the show — they can be as they have the accolades to back up their experience," says Cassidy.
"I look up to both of them."
"I truly think the audience will love something in all of the cast. We are all so diverse and all successful in our own rights regardless of age, looks or experience."
Cassidy won't be drawn on whether any of the agents she starred with were overly ostentatious. She says that will depend on the viewer — and the editing of the reality show.
But she says she knows viewers will love seeing incredible real estate across the country.
