When Netflix’s “Bling Empire” — best described as a real life version of “Crazy Rich Asians” — first hit airwaves in January, the reality series became an instant hit and likely future cult classic. Much of that success is due to runaway fan favorite Anna Shay, the enigmatic cast member who stole every scene with her dry wit and deadpan delivery. Shay will return for the upcoming “Bling Empire” season two, but not coming along for the ride is the show’s other breakout star — the billionaire heiress and socialite’s century-old Sunset Boulevard mansion. That’s because the property has just sold for $13.9 million after being initially listed with a $16 million ask last year.
Per records, the discount buyer is Daniel Bohbot, a Moroccan-born fashion designer and longtime Beverly Hills resident. Bohbot, 52, also owns a second 90210 house elsewhere on Sunset Boulevard, this one a boxy, decidedly contemporary affair that’s as architecturally divergent from Shay’s classic Spanish Revival estate as apples differ from grilled cheese. No word yet on what he plans to do with his new real estate holding.
On “Bling Empire,” Shay’s house served as a setting for several of the show’s most memorable moments, including a grand dinner party where the hostess pointedly moved the seating card of her arch-nemesis — nouveau riche socialite Christine Chiu — from near the head of the table to its very end, far away from the favored members of Shay’s squad. (Yes, it’s a very one-percenter sort of slight.) Later came the infamous penis pump incident, which occurred when two of Shay’s nosy guests threw a “plumbing apparatus” from her home’s second-floor bathroom window, onto the grassy lawn below.