PALM BEACH'S NEW CURRENCY

Inside the show where status—and proximity to Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago—are everything

- BY JENNI FINK

FOR YEARS, HOLLYWOOD AND MANY CELEBrities have sought to distance themselves from President Donald Trump and past associations with him. But Netflix’s newest reality show, Members Only: Palm Beach, has women jockeying to establish their closeness to him and his exclusive club, Mara-Lago.

The show's release comes as Netflix is trying to finalize a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery that would give it control of its streaming service, HBO Max. Given that Netflix could end up with over 50 percent of U.S. mobile app monthly streaming users, the merger needs regulatory approval from the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, Amazon is set to release a reported $40 million documentary about first lady Melania Trump at the end of January, signaling a shift in Hollywood's approach to the Trump family.

From the first episode of Members Only: Palm Beach, the women make it clear that Mara-Lago is the ultimate status symbol and the be-all and end-all of high society in Palm Beach, Florida. Throughout the season, it seems as if the women can't go more than a few minutes without mentioning the private club. They even drive by it, commenting on how attractive the security guards are.

Romina Ustayev, one of the principal cast members, came to America from Uzbekistan at five years old and spends the first season trying to learn the rules of Palm Beach society. Coming under criticism from the rest of the women for apparently breaking these rules, her husband, Roman Ovrutsky, questions if it’s worth it just to rub elbows with some of the most powerful people in the country.

“It’s so much pressure to try to fit in, and I want to because I love going to Mara-Lago and being in the same room as the president and Elon Musk, that is such an amazing feeling, You feel like, oh my God, you made it,” Ustayev says on the show.