Bling Empire is back for a second season, and since we’re in the middle of AAPI Heritage Month, the timing couldn’t be more — as Kane would probably say — auspicious. Expect to see all the familiar faces from Season 1 (and a few new ones), some outrageous drama, glamorous parties and, yes — more shirtless Kevin. The show, often dubbed the real-life version of Crazy Rich Asians, follows a group of über-wealthy (well, except for maybe one) Asian Americans in the Los Angeles area who are living lavish, glamorous lifestyles that most of us can only dream of. And while we may never know what it’s really like to travel around the world in a private jet or buy three Mercedes-Benzes in a day like these ultra-affluent socialites, we also see them experiencing some personal struggles, reminding us that under that shiny veneer, they, too, are human after all. 

So before you dive in and try to live vicariously through Anna’s extravagant shopping sprees or Christine’s sumptuous parties, let’s get to know these larger-than-life characters who are shaking up LA’s social scene.

Anna Shay

The richest member of the Bling Empire squad, Anna Shay is the daughter of Edward Shay, an American businessman who founded Pacific Architects and Engineers, a defense and government services contractor that counts the UN, NASA and the US government among its clients. Her part-Japanese, part-Russian mother, Ai Oizumi Shay, was a descendant of the Russian aristocracy. Anna is known for being generous with her wealth and performing random acts of kindness (like flying Kelly and Andrew to Paris for Kelly’s birthday or providing a homeless stranger with food and shelter for a month), but she can also become intimidating if you cross her, as we see in Season 1 when she clashes with Christine. 

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Christine Chiu

Christine Chiu is a vivacious Taiwanese American socialite who loves to throw lavish parties and collect haute couture (she attends at least 30 fashion shows a year). She is also the co-founder and co-owner of Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery along with her husband, Dr. Gabriel (Gabe) Chiu, a celebrity plastic surgeon who also happens to be a direct descendant of the Song dynasty. Together they have a baby boy, Gabriel Chiu III (whom Christine affectionately calls “Baby G”). In Season 1, Christine opens up about the couple’s fertility struggles and reveals that she wasn’t fully accepted by her husband’s family until she gave birth to a boy. She has an ongoing rivalry with Anna. Will they be able to put their differences aside, or will the empire remain divided?

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Chèrie Chan 

Chinese American Chèrie Chan is heiress to a denim empire and even almost became a pop star in Japan. She and her longtime partner Jessey Lee have a young daughter, Jadore, and a baby boy, Jevon, whom she gave birth to last season. Tired of waiting for Jessey to propose, she pops the question in the Season 1 finale. Although there were initial rumors that she and Jessey wouldn’t be returning for the second season, we’ll definitely be seeing them in a few episodes... and learn a couple of shocking rumors about the pair along the way.

Follow Chèrie on Instagram and Jessey on Instagram.

Dorothy Wang 

While she’s one of the new faces on this season of Bling Empire, Dorothy Wang is no stranger to reality TV, having previously starred in Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. A Chinese American born and raised in Beverly Hills, Dorothy is the daughter of billionaire tycoon Roger Wang, the founder and chairman of Golden Eagle International, a conglomerate with businesses in real estate, retail, automotive services and more. An avid globetrotter, Dorothy likes to share travel tips on her website. She also has a longstanding beef with a certain member of the BlingEmpire social circle. 

Follow Dorothy on Instagram.  

Guy Tang 

An Oklahoma native of Vietnamese and Chinese heritage, Guy Tang is a celebrated hairstylist known for his stunning hair color tutorials on YouTube and his own line of hair color products called #mydentity. More recently, he’s become an emerging music artist and often uploads music videos to his YouTube channel. He makes only a few brief appearances this season with his husband Almar Guevarra.

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Jaime Xie

The youngest cast member, Chinese American Jaime Xie is a former champion equestrian and is the daughter of billionaire Ken Xie, who founded the Silicon Valley–based cybersecurity firm Fortinet. She’s also a model, fashion influencer and YouTuber who loves sporting different designer outfits and posting photos on her fashion blog. This season, she finds a kindred spirit in Anna. 

Follow Jaime on Instagram. 

Kane Lim

Singaporean investor and real estate developer Kane Lim hails from a family who made their fortune in oil, shipping and real estate (they own many of the shopping malls in Southeast Asia). A lover of high-end fashion (who can forget his ginormous shoe collection?), Kane is also a practicing Buddhist and often lends an ear to castmates who confide in him. Recently, he began working as a real estate agent for Selling Sunset’s The Oppenheim Group. In Season 1, he quickly becomes best buds with Kevin and introduces him to his circle of super-wealthy friends — but this season, the pair’s friendship is put to the test. 

Follow Kane on Instagram.

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Kelly Mi Li

Chinese American serial entrepreneur Kelly Mi Li is the co-founder of media production company Organic Media Group, through which she executive-produced the 2021 crime series Cypher and also helped produce the film Echo Boomers starring Patrick Schwarzenegger. Although she may be quite savvy on the business front, it’s her love life that tends to cause her the most tumult. In Season 1, she was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Andrew, a model and actor who would throw some pretty terrifying tantrums, but they’ve broken up since. Prior to Andrew, she was married to a Chinese businessman who was arrested for running one of the biggest cyber scams in US history. 

Follow Kelly on Instagram.

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Kevin Kreider

Born in South Korea but adopted by a white family in Pennsylvania at a young age, Kevin Kreider is a model and former bodybuilder and personal trainer. Although he’s by far the least wealthy of the Bling Empire cast, he fits in well with his more affluent friends. In Season 1, he takes a DNA ancestry test and even undergoes hypnotherapy to learn more about his background; this season, he tackles another deeply personal issue. And whereas he was romantically interested in Kelly before, this season he starts to develop feelings for Kim.  

Follow Kevin on Instagram.

Kim Lee

Kim Lee is a successful DJ (she’s dubbed “Asia’s Calvin Harris” on the show) and a former model who’s walked the runways of Paris and New York for designers like Marc Jacobs. She’s also had some small acting roles in The Hangover Part II, CSI and Entourage and graced the international covers of Maxim, Esquire and GQ. In 2011, she was named by FHM Singapore as the sexiest woman in the world. In the show’s first season, Kim, who’s half-Vietnamese, tries to find her estranged biological father, only to eventually learn that he’s passed away. Much of this season revolves around her budding romance with Kevin.

Follow Kim on Instagram.

Leah Qin

Chinese real estate investor Leah Qin is another new addition to the show. She appears briefly but drops a bombshell about a Bling Empire couple that shocks the other cast members.

Follow Leah on Instagram.

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Mimi Morris

In her first appearance in Bling Empire, Mimi Morris is married to Don Morris, the CEO of Morris Group International. Despite their 22-year age gap, they have a fun and loving relationship and seem to genuinely enjoy bickering and joking with each other. Although Mimi has shared that she had a difficult past growing up in Vietnam, she’s now known in the LA socialite scene for throwing lavish parties and for having recently started her own business. 

Follow Mimi on Instagram.