8TV’s Chinese New Year drama ‘Celebrity Reality Show 3’ is set to premiere this weekend, with the new season focusing on the major life event of ‘sister-in-law’ Amanda’s pregnancy. The station kicked off the premiere with a heartwarming ‘baby gender reveal party’, announcing that the Lin family will be welcoming a little princess. The themes of pregnancy and generational differences, especially attitudes towards gender, become highlights of the storyline.
Deng Xujin (Deng Xiujin), who plays Amanda, was overwhelmed with emotion after watching the first episode’s premiere and choked up as she exclaimed, “I have a baby!” Xiao Weiwei, who is already a mother, also admitted how tough being a mom is, and she too burst into tears on the spot when talking about what motherhood feels like.
This season, the original cast — Chen Ziying, Xiao Xinyun, Deng Xujin, Xiao Xiaojie, Zeng Honghui, Han Yiting, Guo Xiaodong, and Chen Beishan — all return, while new actors Henn Liao Guoxian, Zhu Yujie, Wu Zonghan, Xie Zhishun, Xie Honglin, and Che Zhili join. The storyline continues to focus on screen goddess Keira (played by Chen Ziying) facing career bottlenecks and age anxiety, while also highlighting Amanda’s pregnancy, her out-of-control Thai in-laws, a controlling ex, and other relatable family happenings. The show will air from January 17, every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm.
Deng Xujin rises to the role of “mother” in season 3. She candidly shared that it’s been a while since filming, and she’d almost forgotten what she shot — but her emotions came flooding back when she rewatched the footage, choking up and exclaiming, “Wow, I have a baby, I’m going to have a baby, I’m really going to cry!” She added sentimentally that, from the first season to now, the story has actually brought forth a new life, which feels both magical and moving to her.
Among the new characters, Xiao Weiwei’s portrayal of the stubborn Thai mother-in-law is a highlight. She said that although her character is not the most likable, it truly shows a mother’s care for her daughter. She confessed that she couldn’t help but cry the moment she saw herself on screen, “Playing this role felt just like interacting with my own family.” As a mother, she choked up and said: “Only after becoming a mom do I understand how hard it really is. The things a mom does aren’t for lack of love; it’s just that everyone shows love in different ways. I’m constantly reflecting and learning how to be a better mom.”
Screenwriter Chen Zhikang remarked that, though he knows the plot well, watching the premiere still made him want to cry: “The actors brought to life everything I wrote.” He lamented how hard it is to be a daughter, and mentioned friends struggling under family pressure about Amanda having a boy or a girl: “I have a friend who’s had three daughters and still keeps trying for a son. I was crying as I wrote the script, thinking — why make yourself and your family go through all this just for a child’s gender?” He added that each episode brings real-life issues into the show, to let viewers see that the Lin family’s story is really just like stories around us.
Chen Ziying’s eldest sister Keira once again takes part in a love-hate relationship with Guo Xiaodong’s Mr. Toh this season. Guo Xiaodong jokingly said his character has “turned over a new leaf”, going from domineering boss to gentle ‘little white rabbit’; Chen Ziying laughed that Keira also has controlling tendencies this time, but she’ll work hard to learn how to love. Youngest sister Xiao Xinyun gets a new romantic arc with newcomer Henn. She calls herself a clueless ‘little white rabbit’, while Henn joked that everyone knows he’s chasing her — except for her.