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TV Review: Addicted To Beauty
Oxygen’s latest unscripted series Addicted To Beauty couldn’t be better titled. The series, which follows the inner workings of a spa and plastic surgery business called Changes Plastic Surgery, is employed entirely by people who love what they’re selling.
The series opens with the marriage of a spa and a plastic surgery clinic. Dr. Gilbert Lee, the plastic surgeon is hoping that combining his practice with a spa might generate revenue and bring in new clients. While Dr. Lee’s in charge of all things surgical, Dianne York-Goldman is heading up the spa-side of the practice and she’s brought in her A-team to get the place up and running. This includes her Executive Assistant, Natasha, spa concierge Ronnie and receptionist Gary. She also hires spa director Shannyn, a no-nonsense woman whose main goal is to generate revenue for the business.
In the series opener and the episode that follows, we see two different parties, both of which are meant to draw attention to the practice. There’s also a cute little before and after story about a marine woman who stops in for a breast augmentation. The business and what they actually do at Changes Plastic Surgery (booking surgeries, botox treatments, selling glamour products, etc) is only part of what makes up this new series. It’s evident that all of the employees working at this San Diego based business have a history together. There are struggles for power and bickering over who sold more products and has the most responsibilities and even random side-segments like Natasha going out on a date with a Christmas-sweater-loving pharmaceutical sales rep.
We come to learn that while Dianne wants Shannyn around to boss around the staff and get them moving, that doesn’t include bossing around the boss. Meanwhile, Ronnie, Gary and Natasha all seem to have the whole frenemy-thing going on. And in the middle of all of this is Dr. Lee, the sweet, professional plastic surgeon who seems to just want to do his job and avoid whatever sparks of drama might start flying in his practice.
If you’re looking for a series that’s all about plastic surgery and “upgrading,” this isn’t it. There’s plenty of that… enough to justify the premise of the show anyway but what Oxygen has done here is taken a workplace reality series and combined it with a show about a plastic surgery and spa business. Between the clientele and the employees, there’s more than enough Botox to go around. Add that to the drama and stress that comes with running a business and trying to look beautiful at the same time and I think Oxygen has a pretty solid reality series on its hands.
Addicted To Beauty
Starring: Dianne York-Goldman, Dr. Gilbert Lee
Premieres: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 11:00 p.m. ET
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