Born with a silver spoon in their mouths, eight celebrity offspring find themselves in a fish out of water situation on E!’s new reality show, “Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules”.
Think of this offering as a sort of modern-day “Simple Life” social experiment.
Who are the guinea pigs assimilating - as the help, by the way - to life on a ranch?
They are Harry James Thornton (son of Billy Bob Thornton), Jasmin Lawrence (daughter of Martin Lawrence), Hana Giraldo (daughter of rock icons Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo), Myles O’Neal (son of Shaunie and Shaquille O’Neal), Austin Gunn (son of Wall of Fame wrestler Billy Gunn), Ebie (daughter of rapper Eazy-E), Taylor Hasselhoff (daughter of David Hasselhoff) and Redmond Parker (son of actor and musician Ray Parker Jr.).
As the title suggests, while their parents are famous, these young adults are still carving their own successes to get to that level of stardom.
In the first episode, an introduction was in order, given that several of them were meeting for the first time.
And Jasmin, who is currently in a relationship with Eric Murphy (eldest son of Eddie Murphy), is without a doubt one of the most likeable people in the group. She has this zen approach to things. No airs and graces. If she has to get down and dirty with the chores, she does it.
She isn’t afraid to call people out when they step out of line but in the most polite way possible. So I was really glad when I bagged an interview with this rising star.
Bubbly and down-to-earth, she explained that her agent approached her to participate in this show, which follows a bunch of young adults helping out on a family-owned ranch, which is bouncing back from the devastation of Covid-19.
With a month until it officially opens, it’s all hands on deck.
Jasmin says she was hooked on the idea of being taken out of her comfort zone.
“It definitely aligned with my heart and desire in terms of what I want to do in this world. And I think it is so important to give back and touch people because I’ve been so incredibly blessed in my life,” she said.
The first day of bonding with her new room-mates was filled with excitement and nonstop banter.
She also laughed off the first night, where her snoring kept several of them up.
“In terms of just meeting my room-mates, that was really just fun because we didn’t know each other and to be able to connect with people of similar backgrounds is interesting because we had a lot in common but we also had a lot of differences. So we had a lot of fun bonding on the initial day, laughing and having a good time.
“In terms of adjusting, it took some time. Sharing one bathroom with all. Having to do a lot of work on the ranch, cook our own meals, I would say it is a lot,” she said.
She chuckled at the mention of the snoring incident.
“Here’s the thing about my snoring, I’m very well aware of it. My family tells me I snore terribly. I know it. I’ve heard recordings of myself. I was well aware of it going into the situation and the thing is I can’t control it.
“I don’t know if you remember, but there is a moment where I’m speaking to Ebie and I mention something about it and I think that was my way of trying to get ahead of it and warn them. Maybe earplugs. I felt so bad,” she said.
The early wake-up calls and tasks of feeding the animals, shearing the sheep, learning to ride the horses, being on standby for the birth of a new calf is no child’s play.
Ebie is by far the most squeamish when it comes to several of the chores. And Myles is not too far behind her, either. By episode two, he is showing signs of being defeated.
As for Jasmin, she’s taking it all in her stride.
“ I’m a really hard worker. Anything that I do, like it or not, I’m going to put my all into it. It may have been uncomfortable, it may have been weird, it may be gross but this is what I’m here for. What a shame it would be to walk away from the experience and not truly embrace it,” she said.
While everyone appears to get along, those long days and being in close proximity to one another results in sporadic conflicts and arguments.
Although her parents were 100% supportive when she revealed she was doing this reality show, she’s not gung ho to return to ranch life.
It was a been there, done that, got the T-shirt, life experience and one she wholeheartedly embraces.
She admitted: “My biggest takeaway would be to lean into what is uncomfortable and try something new. You don’t really know what you are capable of until you test yourself and these are some of the most special and memorable times.
“I’m grateful for the experience, I would not take it back for the world. I’m not trying to get back to a ranch any time soon,” she said.
And so it is back to her main focus on television and film.
“I’m in acting classes, just taking it day by day!”
“Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules” premieres on E! (DStv channel 124) on Sunday, February 6, at 7.05pm.