The new series of How The Other Half Lives made some TV viewers salivate over the idea of becoming mega, mega rich, while others thought it shone a light on the divide between the rich and the poor.
The Channel 5 show saw husband and wife pairing Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford jet off to New York to look at what life is like for those lucky enough to have billions in the bank, and the places they visited and the things they experienced rubbed off on fans.
.@EamonnHolmes & @RuthieeL are back in the world of the super-rich. #HowTheOtherHalfLives returns tomorrow at 9pm. pic.twitter.com/J2b4uoLnxP
— Channel 5 (@channel5_tv) September 12, 2016
In the episode, they explored the Big Apple – which has the largest number of billionaires in the word, with 79 reportedly residing there at the moment – its luxury homes, its ridiculously expensive ice-cream and some diamond-encrusted trainers.
They also went along to the nearby Hamptons, a holiday location where all the big stars go to party, sometimes spending up to $1 million on one night of fun.
“Money is no object when you’re obscenely rich and want it all,” Eamonn said, something which ran true with the likes of hotel empire bosses Sant Singh Chatwal and his son Vikram, who owns an apartment in Soho worth a cool $15.5 million and a painting of a V that cost him over $3 million.
£3.7millon for this V?! I can't cope 😱 #HowTheOtherHalfLives pic.twitter.com/a5TIjfCQlC
— Nichola Daly (@nicsdaly17) September 13, 2016
As well as checking out the luxury lifestyle of the Chatwals, they indulged in some penthouse viewings and Ruth saw what a lavish party pad in The Hamptons – worth $48 million – looks like.
One of the show highlights, though, was Eamonn tucking into an ice-cream sundae worth a whopping $1,000, laced with gold leaf and finished with the rarest chocolate in the world.
Some viewers took to Twitter to express their insane jealously over the lives of the billionaires, while some decided they’d take it upon themselves to become rich themselves…
watching #HowTheOtherHalfLives xoxo pic.twitter.com/gO89OHpyF4
— Hannah Douglas ✨ (@hannahdougiee) September 13, 2016
How do they make this sort of substancial wealth #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— Bazzle (@bazzle_g) September 13, 2016
@RuthieeL #HowTheOtherHalfLives just WOW!!!!.... Need to win lotto 😆😆
— lambchop (@lambchop18don) September 13, 2016
@RuthieeL OMG Ruth I'd love your job! And win the euro millions #HowTheOtherHalfLives x
— monique geraghty (@kealanreece) September 13, 2016
why can't I be this rich 😁 #howtheotherhalflives
— Amelia (@Milliek1) September 13, 2016
However, many were more judgmental and dubbed the lifestyle choices made by the rich as “sickening”, and remarked on the divide between the rich and the poor.
Amazing. But sickening. #HowTheOtherHalfLives 🙈
— Mr. P (@MrP_Spidey) September 13, 2016
There are people living in poverty, and that idiot spent a million dollars on a picture a kid could have drawn?! #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— Soph (@SwiftieLauren15) September 13, 2016
Billionaires buying trainers for $4m and staying in hotel rooms costing $10k a night and meanwhile, the world burns 🔥 #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— Rhodri Lewis (@Rhod_Lew15) September 13, 2016
Making myself sick watching #HowTheOtherHalfLives 😩😩😩
— Astar89 (@Astar89_) September 13, 2016
People are starving!! And there throwing money on what looks no more than a load of crap! 3.7 million for a (V.) #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— little miss ✌️ (@littlemiss3187) September 13, 2016
Others were shocked over Eamonn’s ice-cream treat, which costs more than the average monthly rent in the UK.
Some spend $1k on an icecream sundae, a billion others walk 6k a day to collect safe water. #HowTheOtherHalfLives or #WhatsUpWithTheWorld
— Emma Sarah Tennant (@EmmaSTennant) September 13, 2016
@RuthieeL @EamonnHolmes one thousand pounds for a ice cream sundae?!!!! 😨 I'll stick to my magnum thanks 😂 #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— Kirsty (@KBMarketing) September 13, 2016
Find it so selfish how some people are starving yet some rich people are eating £1000 ice cream #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— sophie cooke (@sophiecookeox) September 13, 2016
$1000 ice cream anyone?! #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— AestheticsLab (@AestheticsLab) September 13, 2016
And some just said that, for all the money on the world, they couldn’t spend cash willy-nilly like that handful of New Yorkers.
Even if I won the lottery I still wouldn't be like them! It's ridiculous. #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— shaza (@yoshaza) September 13, 2016
This is crazy #HowTheOtherHalfLives @RuthieeL @EamonnHolmes I think I prefer to be poor 😂😂
— Kelly Mcgennity (@Bushy79) September 13, 2016
It's obscene. I don't think I'd want all that money unless I could help others with a huge portion of it. #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— Doris McDay (@ThatDorisMcDay) September 13, 2016
uber rich just buying stuff cos they can but some it😬 rather shop in primark ....well I've no choice really😂NHSwages #HowTheOtherHalfLives
— ✨Susan✨ (@glittersuze) September 13, 2016
