The new reality series, which is set among the glamorous world of models, influencers and entrepreneurs on the ultra-hip northern NSW coast, launched on Netflix on Wednesday night and sparked plenty of conversation on social media.The 14-person cast assembled for the show include former Bachelor and Bachelor In Paradise contestant Nathan Favro, Kyle Sandilands’ assistant-turned-talent manager Alex Reid and Gold Coast singer-songwriter Sarah St James, who performs under the moniker St James.Rounding out the cast are oh-so Byron types like ‘Spiritual Coach/Fire Performer’ Simba, and influencer Jade, whose claim to fame is once getting a selfie with Kim Kardashian.The premiere episode sees two newbies arrive in town and attempt to break into the cliquey Byron gang, with mixed success.Now that we’ve finally been able to see it for ourselves, the general consensus can best be summed up by these tweets: Love it or hate it, the show certainly had everyone talking:Nova radio host and comedian Joel Creasey described it as even “worse” than he’d imagined, while former Big Brother star Benjamin Norris declared he was “dead set hooked”.Netflix forged ahead with the show despite protests from locals last year who demanded that the production be cancelled.Ben Gordon, a local residents and anti-Byron Baes spokesman, said it was a “very serious” issue for the community in an interview last year.“There was absolutely no consultation whatsoever,” he told the Today show.“They are proposing to drag our name through the mud and make millions of dollars without offering anything back to the community and completely misrepresenting who we are, and it’s totally wrong.”As the backlash grew, Netflix ANZ director of content Que Minh Luu publicly responded.“The show is authentic and honest, and while it carries all the classic hallmarks of the form and embraces the drama, heartbreak and conflict that makes for such entertaining viewing, our goal is to lift the curtain on influencer culture to understand the motivation, the desire and the pain behind this very human need to be loved,” she said.“The reason behind choosing Byron Bay as a location was driven by the area’s unique attributes as a melting pot of entrepreneurialism, lifestyle and health practices, and the sometimes uneasy coming together of the traditional ‘old Byron’ and the alternative ‘new’, all of which we’ll address in the series.”Byron Baes season one is streaming now on Netflix.
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