Netflix’s new reality series Members Only: Palm Beach follows a cast of five women, Taja Abitbol, Hilary Musser, Rosalyn Yellin, Marie Cozamanis, and Ro-Mina Ustayev, with appearances from Suebelle Robbins, as they vie to outpace one another in a competitive race for social standing. The series thrives on high drama, gossip, and extravagance. More is always more and restraint rarely enters the conversation, except for the crucial rule that one may never show both boobs and legs at the same time!
Of course, the show has some people rolling their eyes and others loving every juicy minute of it. To unpack all of this, PALMER sat down with Benton Bohannon, a Palm Beacher in his own right and a producer on the show, to talk about his experience working on Members Only, his childhood on the island, and the career path that led him to work on some of the biggest reality TV shows on today.
Benton, congratulations on your most recent endeavor!
Thank you.
How did you get involved with producing reality TV shows?
Life often chooses something for you if you let it. I was always drawn to television and movies and even studied acting when I was younger, thinking I might end up in front of the camera. I really enjoyed my twenties. In my thirties, I grew up. I started working with a Christian nonprofit my late mother had been involved in and took a meeting with a producer from American Idol to talk about that work. During the meeting, I overheard his team across the room talking about a song they needed for a holiday concert featuring all of the American Idols and could not license. My antenna went up. No one asked me to do anything, but that night I went to the studio, wrote the song with a friend, and sent it to him. A few days later, he called me into his office, told me he loved it, and asked why I had done that. When he asked if I wanted to help produce the concert, I said yes. I had never produced anything before, but once I was there, I understood the rhythm of it and just rolled. You are fully in it, moving fast and solving problems, which turned out to be a good environment for me. That moment quietly set the course for everything that followed. It has been a long road with a lot of travel, lots of work, and a lot of fun.
What’s been your most successful show to date?
On a personal level, the most meaningful and challenging project for me was Love in Fairhope, which I developed with a partner. We discovered a small town in Alabama, cast the entire series from real people there, and focused on authentic love stories in the South. It felt synchronistic from the start. Reese Witherspoon connected with the project and partnered with us, and it ultimately went into a bidding war between Netflix and Hulu. Hulu picked it up, where I served as executive producer. From a pure metrics standpoint, some of the most successful shows I’ve worked on include The Hills, Summer House, Bling Empire, and Housewives, all of which ran for multiple seasons. I have made about twenty shows across my career, along with other projects.
How long have you been coming to Palm Beach?
Palm Beach Island has been home during several different chapters of my life. I’m a fourth generation Palm Beacher, with both my great grandfathers having houses here. My parents officially moved here when I was sixteen, and I attended the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. I grew up with the island locals, the country clubbers, and the seasonal crew, and raised a little hell at places like 264 and Michael McCarty’s. It was a great balance from New York City, where I was originally from. For a long time, Palm Beach felt like a soft reset, a place people came to lie low, take stock, and quietly figure things out, myself included. I spent a lot of formative time on this island, then left for Los Angeles for many years, only to return later as an adult to a Palm Beach that had grown into a fully formed place on both sides of the Intracoastal. Palm Beach has a way of meeting you wherever you are in life.
Benton with the cast of Members Only: Palm Beach
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I attended several schools growing up, including Buckley School, Eaglebrook School, the Berkshire School, and later the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. I was enrolled in a few colleges as well, including Fordham University. I mostly studied acting, though I was better at being enrolled than I was at sitting in class. I was never a great student in the traditional sense, but I learned best through experience and doing the work. Shout out to supervisor Debbie Sveck at the School of the Arts, who tried to force my graduation by following me around for my entire senior spring.
What are some of your favorite things about Palm Beach?
Palm Beach is a place where worlds overlap. Old money, new arrivals, locals, artists and long-timers all share a very small strip of land. What I love most is that it still feels personal, even as a place that shows up constantly in conversation, headlines, and photographs. It’s relentlessly beautiful, yet still surprisingly human. Personally, I love jumping in the ocean in the morning, riding my bike along the Lake Trail, and stopping by places like Amici Market and Chik Monk. I know their names what their kids are up to, and they know mine, It’s a human thing. The island is a place where In the same day, I can be in a bathing suit and later dressed for a black tie event, a sound bath, or a lecture at The Society of the Four Arts. I do not live like that everywhere, but when I am in Palm Beach, I do. The weather is world class. And yes, the parties here are genuinely epic. Some of the best in the world. I go to them. I also try to give back where I can. A meaningful part of my life here has been showing up for people, mentoring, and being part of a community that values honesty and growth. Palm Beach gives you the option to participate fully or simply enjoy the view.
How do you think this show is doing?
Members Only: Palm Beach has sparked a lot of conversation, which in entertainment is usually a good thing. The last time I checked, it was ranking around number nine on Netflix, which is gratifying after how much work goes into something like this. It is important to remember that this is entertainment, not a documentary. There is a heightened, almost satirical element to the genre. My role was as one producer among many on a very hard-working team. I did not create the show and I was not the executive producer, but I was grateful to be part of a group that put in long weeks to make something tangible. What genuinely makes me smile is that there are people who love the show and people who love to hate it, and somehow everyone seems to be watching. The irony is not lost on me, especially as someone who does not really watch a lot of television. If people are watching, talking, and reacting, the show is doing what it set out to do.
Who is your favorite character?
That is a dangerous question, especially if there is a season two. What I can say is that Suebelle Robbins has been in my life long before the cameras. She was a good friend of my mother’s and has done great things on her own in this town. Having that history made the experience feel personal.
Suebelle Robbins and Benton Bohannon
What was your favorite behind the scenes moment?
Sitting at crew meals with the producers, camera operators, production assistants, and sometimes the cast. Everyone exhausted. Laughing, some crying, about something we had just filmed and commiserating about doing it all over again the next day. It is like going to camp with thirty people for three months. Boot camp. I was also genuinely impressed by the women on the show. They shared a lot of their lives on camera, showed up day after day, and were kind and professional with me. I have worked with many casts over the years, and I can only speak to my own experience, but I felt pretty lucky with this group.
How did Suebelle get involved?
Suebelle Robbins had really blown up in Palm Beach, and the creator of the show wanted her involved. He looped her in, and it was a natural fit.
Is there anything you’d like to say to your Palm Beach neighbors?
Don’t take things too seriously. Don’t get caught up in comparisons. Sometimes it’s fun to laugh at ourselves because we’re all human. And that’s why we made the show. It may be over the top and an exaggeration–but so is life.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Don’t watch too much TV. Or do ;)