Something is certainly in the reality television air as of late! Not only has Triton Luxury Villa, the fab Turks and Caicos estate that served as a backdrop for the first season of “The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip,” just landed on the market, but now Casa Ocho, the stunning Cabo San Lucas mansion currently appearing on season two of HBO Max’s “FBoy Island,” is up for grabs, as well!
For those who have yet to tune in to the latter, the series, created by longtime “The Bachelor” producer Elan Gale, is the streamer’s first foray into the reality TV dating scene. The premise? Three women must determine which of their 20+ suitors are FBoys (I’ll let you fill in the blank there) and which are nice guys. Host Nikki Glaser explains, “At the end of your time on FBoy Island, you will choose one man to hopefully start a beautiful fulfilling relationship with.” The twist (because there’s always a twist!) – money is on the line. If the women ultimately select a nice guy as their final man standing, the new couple gets to split $100,000. But if they pick an FBoy, he has the option to cut bait and keep the financial prize for himself. As an HBO press release states, “FBoy Island is a social experiment that asks the age-old question: Can FBoys truly reform or do Nice Guys always finish last?”
Though certainly not the first of its kind, the series strives to break away from the norm. As such, you won’t find any fantasy suites, roses or helicopter rides here! Gale told Insider, “At the end of the day, the story really is just about figuring out if these guys are who they say they are. Too many extravagances is a distraction from that. We’re not selling a fairytale, we’re selling a bizarre reality that people are living.”
The first season wrapped up last August to decidedly mixed reviews, with Judy Berman of Time calling it a “funny, addictive, shrewdly executed twist on a familiar format” and a “masterpiece” of a “sudsy summer distraction,” while Variety’s Caroline Framke concluded, “It didn’t take long for ‘FBoy Island’ to make me feel like my brain was leaking out my ears, drip by stupefied drip.” Love it or hate it, the show was well-received by audiences, according to TV Insider, becoming “the streamer’s most-watched reality program to date,” resulting in both “the biggest premiere weekend for an HBO Max Original reality series since the platform’s launch” and a prompt order for a season two.
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Image Credit: Shafar Real Estate Photography “FBoy Island’s” first go-around took place in a Balinese-style villa in the Cayman Islands. For the sophomore season, which hit the streamer July 14 and will continue to air each Thursday through August 4, producers decided to shift locations about 3,000 miles west to Los Cabos, Mexico, securing a thoroughly cinematic modern manse situated directly on the sands of the private Playa Punta Bella Beach.
Tucked behind guard-manned gates in the exclusive Palmilla Sur community, the sprawling five-level estate, known as Casa Ocho in real life, boasts an incredible 11 bedrooms (eight ensuite) and 14 baths spread throughout a whopping 30,000 square feet of living space! Listed by Mishan Andre of Cabo Platinum (which, according to EIN Presswire, is the “leading villa rental, sales, management, and design company in Cabo San Lucas”), the massive abode is being offered for $15,750,000.
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Image Credit: Shafar Real Estate Photography A newer build, the residence was designed in 2013 by architect Alan Machado of Machado + Orrantia Arquitectos, a Culiacán-based firm responsible for countless stunning properties dotting the Mexican landscape.
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Image Credit: Shafar Real Estate Photography Decked out in glass, stone, teak and cedar accenting, Casa Ocho is a masterwork inside and out.
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Image Credit: Shafar Real Estate Photography Just past the formal entry, which is marked by a dramatic floating glass staircase zigzagging up to the third level, are the main living areas, including a formal dining room with seating for 16 and a living room with a complete bar set-up and a floor-to-ceiling wine rack. Both feature pocket doors offering unfettered panoramic views of the Pacific. The massive chef’s kitchen sits adjacent to the dining room and is fashioned with myriad high-end appliances, a stainless steel center island with seating, a mix of teak and white cabinetry, a built-in espresso machine, an oversized refrigerator, a wine fridge and a tony glass-fronted appliance garage to keep clutter at bay.
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Image Credit: Shafar Real Estate Photography The bedrooms, which look more like upscale hotel suites, are outfitted with handsome wood furnishings, large-screen televisions, safes and spa-like baths.
Additional onsite amenities include central air conditioning, multiple washers and dryers and a steam room featuring a rain shower.
The property also boasts two guest apartments with living areas, kitchenettes and HDTVs.
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Image Credit: Shafar Real Estate Photography Exterior accouterments, almost too luxe to be believed, include an infinity pool and jacuzzi that overlook the beach, a prominent water feature at the home’s entrance, a fire pit, a cactus garden, extensive decking and a full outdoor kitchen with a built-in BBQ.
Just minutes from the exclusive One&Only Palmilla Hotel (a favorite vacation destination of celebrities and a popular filming location), as well as downtown San Jose del Cabo and all of its charming restaurants, bars and boutiques, the mansion’s location couldn’t be more prime.
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Image Credit: Shafar Real Estate Photography Offering the utmost in privacy, safety and exclusivity, the estate is an entertainer’s paradise and is often used to host large-scale events, retreats and gatherings. It also currently operates as a high-end vacation rental for groups of up to 34 guests, with rates starting at $9,500 per night. It definitely costs to be an FBoy!
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Image Credit: Shafar Real Estate Photography On the series, Casa Ocho serves as the home of the male suitors, a spot tantamount to The Bachelor Mansion from “The Bachelor,” where the men are not only put up but where the vast majority of the action, including the elimination ceremonies, occur.
For the shoot, the production team changed a few elements of the estate, including installing extra decking over portions of the cactus garden and rear water feature, likely to create a wider variety of seating areas for the contestants.
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Image Credit: Shafar Real Estate Photography “FBoy Island” has made copious use of the interior and exterior of Casa Ocho in the six episodes of season two that have aired so far, beautifully showcasing the estate and its spectacular architecture. The property’s listing is perfectly timed as the series reads as a glorious virtual tour of the place for prospective buyers, all of whom should be relieved that no FBoys are included in the sale!