An end of an era? Shahs of Sunset first appeared on our Bravo screens in March of 2012. The show invited us into the lives of rich, beautiful people living in Los Angeles. But also gave introduced us to Persian culture. The Shahs, which means “Kings” in Persian, reined over the city scene in a whole new way for Bravo. They were an organic group of friends, that deeply valued their culture and roots. Looking back, it was pretty groundbreaking for Bravo and reality tv in general.
But now Page Six is reporting that Shahs is being canceled after 9 seasons. None of this has been confirmed by Bravo. Though a source close to production claimed that it had become “too expensive” to make. Another source said that it wasn’t about money, but that the show had simply “ran its course.” Shahs is/was produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions.
The show has lost some viewers over the years. But coincidentally, the news comes just days after star Mike Shouhed was arrested for domestic violence. Mike, an original cast member, was booked and charged with corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant. This just so happens to be a felony. It has not been released whether or not his fiancé, Paulina Ben-Cohen, was involved in the incident. Mike paid his $50k in bail and has a hearing scheduled for July 25th.
Mike denied the allegations and two separate sources said that his recent arrest had nothing to do with the series ending. They said, “Mike’s situation has nothing to do with what is currently being reported about the show.” Another added, “And there was little chance that Mike would return if there was a new season anyway.”
This isn’t the first time a cast member would be in trouble with the law. After a particularly nasty fight between castmates and best friends Reza Farahan and Mercedes “MJ” Javid, her husband Tommy Feight famously trashed Reza’s back patio in retaliation. He was arrested and spent 10 days in prison. Reza took it a step further and filed a restraining order against Tommy, at the behest of husband, Adam Neely. This all further fractured Reza’s relationship with MJ, which spanned 30 years.
Even if Shahs is cancelled, the rumor is that Bravo is trying to work out a new project. The show would feature cast members Reza, MJ and Golnesa “GG” Gharachedaghi. All three have been on the show since its inception. Despite being a polarizing figure on the show, GG has previously said, “I’m an OG of my show, I’m a starter of my show, and I will be a closer of my show.” And she might just be right.
TELL US – ARE YOU SAD THAT SHAHS MIGHT BE CANCELLED? DO YOU THINK IT HAS RUN ITS COURSE? WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SHAHS MOMENT OVER THE YEARS?
[Photo Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo]