A 25-YEAR-OLD who appeared on Rich Kids Go Skint four years ago has opened up on the real truth behind the show.
Sam Bills, who is from Worcestershire and is the son of a millionaire, appeared on the reality TV programme back in 2021, where he gave up his life of luxury to live with a family much less well off than he.
Sam Bills, 25, appeared on the show in 2021[/caption]
He filmed with Charlotte and her two children, Maisie and Malakei[/caption]
Sam claimed that he was treated to posh nights in a Hilton hotel[/caption]
But the influencer, who moved into a council flat with then-29-year-old Charlotte from Poplar, East London and her two children Maisie and Malakai, who were 11 and eight at the time, has now slammed the series for ‘demonising the rich’.
Years after the episode, which painted a picture of affluent young Sam swapping lifestyles and understanding people who live differently to him – the content creator has since claimed the show was ‘exaggerated’.
Taking to TikTok, the man opened up about his experiences on the show, as he revealed that he spent most nights kicking back in a Hilton hotel.
Not only this, but he also claimed that producers had encouraged the ‘skint’ family, who he is now ‘neighbours’ with, to ‘hide’ their expensive games consoles.
When he appeared on the Channel 5 show in 2021, Sam was portrayed as a super-rich kid who drove a £40,000 BMW and never wore the same outfit twice.
He arrived to meet the poor family wearing a wardrobe full of designer gear including a £500 MCM backpack, a £320 All Saints biker jacket and a £6,000 Rolex – which was a gift for his 18th birthday.
Explaining his top designer wardrobe, Sam said in the original episode: “With social media you have to keep up a level of appearance. If I’m going to a party or going abroad I need a new outfit, I can’t be wearing last week’s clothes.”
But the influencer – who then split his time between his father’s £2million country estate and his mother’s five bedroom, five bathroom sprawling mansion – insisted the Channel 5 show ‘exaggerated’ the divide.
Speaking recently on TikTok, the millionaire heir said: “I feel like the show has this pre-set narrative that they try to fit that there’s this super out of touch rich kid that needs to be brought back down to earth.
“I feel like in the process they exaggerated my situation to show more of a divide. But I do come from a wealthy family, I’m very lucky.
“But I was a student at the time and yes I was getting help from my parents but I wasn’t just this spoilt kid that was getting everything I want.
“They were also trying to make [the other family] out like they were literally in poverty – but they had a decent flat, multiple PlayStations, Nintendo Switches, a tortoise, a hamster.”
He also claimed the family were told to hide their consoles whilst camera crews were rolling[/caption]
Sam slammed the show which he insisted imposed a ‘moral’ hierarchy between the rich and poor[/caption]
Sam even admitted that his host mother, Charlotte, had removed consoles from view, to ‘look poor’.
Reflecting on his own financial situation, he insisted that his grandfather had built up the family business from ‘nothing’ and that their immense wealth was ‘not my fault’.
They had a decent flat, multiple PlayStations, Nintendo Switches, a tortoise, a hamster
Sam Bills
The influencer slammed the show which he insisted imposed a ‘moral’ hierarchy between the rich and poor.
He questioned: “Does it really help anyone to demonise the rich?” and continued: “I don’t like the way the show insinuates that there’s a moral superiority like the poorer people are morally superior to the rich kid that needs to be brought down to earth.”
The reality star claimed that he was first invited to go on the show after a producer sent him a direct message asking if was interested in appearing as the ‘rich kid’.
He accused the show of ‘demonising the rich’[/caption]
He thought it would be ‘hilarious’ to star on the show[/caption]
Sam swiftly agreed, telling his friends that it would be ‘hilarious’.
Filming then began just a matter of weeks later – with pandemic lockdown rules forcing production to start early.
Upon meeting the family, Sam said the entire encounter was ‘really awkward’, with producers pushing either party to ask each other questions regarding money.
Despite initially feeling ‘so nervous’, Sam quickly found his feet and ended up having ‘the best time’.
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After the first day of filming finished, Sam spent the night sleeping on the family’s sofa while they were sent to stay in a hotel in an effort to keep them separated in line with Coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
But for the remaining four days of filming, Sam rested his head in hotels. Whilst he first stayed in a budget Ibis, he was then treated to a much swankier two nights in a Hilton Hotel.
Not only was Sam not actually in the family’s tiny home, whilst he was instructed to do a £5 dinner challenge, grabbing ingredients from a local corner shop to rustle up a meal for the family of three, he claimed that he had actually asked producers to nip out and buy additional chicken breasts and parmesan.
He said the chicken he’d initially bought was ‘like a baby chicken bird thing’ that he ‘didn’t know what to do with’ – and so had ended up asking producers to pop out for a replacement, as he insisted: “We just swapped it out and used chicken breast… So it wasn’t really under £5 but the effort was there.”
It was ironic because I was supposed to be this rich kid and they were supposed to be skint but at the end of the day, we’re neighbours
Sam Bills
Despite his complaints about the show being ‘exaggerated’, Sam confessed that he had had the ‘best time filming’ and had exchanged heartfelt gifts with the family at the end.
Sam treated Charlotte to a bottle of wine along with glasses, after they had ‘wine from mugs’ on the first night.
Not only this, but he also purchased a Nintendo Switch game for Malakai and a clothes voucher for Maisie.
He said the experience made him ‘really think’ about his privilege but noted it was ‘a bit peak’ that the family didn’t benefit financially from going on the show.
In a separate clip, Sam explained that after moving to London, he had soon realised he was ‘neighbours’ with the family who had previously resided in Poplar, East London.
He said: “It was ironic because I was supposed to be this rich kid and they were supposed to be skint but at the end of the day, we’re neighbours, that’s cool.”
Fabulous has approached Channel 5 and Kalel Productions for comment.
