My Unorthodox Life had households all over the world binge-watching the show when it launched on Netflix last year. With the reality TV series back for a second series, get ready to fasten your seatbelts as so much has changed. Suzanne Baum talks to the oldest child, 29-year-old Batsheva, about the return of the show, what drama we can expect and most importantly, what life is like as a single lady.
Nearly 18 months on since she first appeared on our screens in My Unorthodox Life, Batsheva Haart is back on the box. With series 2 of the Netflix show kicking off, you can expect to see a lot more heightened drama – not to mention shoes - of the 29 – year-old content creator who has once again agreed to share her life with the cameras.
This time around though A LOT has changed. Including several family dynamics – notably her divorce from Ben Weinstein whom she was married too for nine years. And that’s not the only relationship that has broken ties; her 51-year-old mother Julia and her second husband, Silvio Scaglia, have also gone their separate ways.
In case you are not familiar with the show, here’s a quick recap. In season 1 – which first premiered in July 2021, we followed the story of the Haart family. At the centre is mother-of-four Julia who made a decision to leave her strict life in a tight-knit Orthodox Jewish community and branch out into an unreligious world where she could embrace her own passion for fashion.
Throughout the first series, we are invited into the lives of the tight-knit family, including Julia’s four children Batsheva, Miriam, Shlomo and Aron — whom she shares with her first husband Yosef Hendler. As CEO of Elite World Group, a media and talent agency billed as one of the best in the modelling world, we are taken on a rollercoaster of a ride watching the ups and downs of the business and family life in the Haart household. And since series one ended, there have been many a bump in the road.
Much of the family drama, including Julia being fired from her job at Elite World Group and divorced from her husband (both in a single day back in February), is showcased in the new series. So it is no surprise to hear – in the words of Batsheva – this is going to be “a far more explosive series than the first.” Not only is her mother single and ready to mingle, so is Batsheva who, after nearly a decade of marriage to Ben, is now on the dating scene.
Here, Suzanne Baum chats to Batsheva in her New York home about life on and off camera, the dating scene and what we can expect from season 2 of the show.
We love this for Julia.
I am so excited. There is going to be a lot of drama. It will be far more explosive than season 1 which really introduced the viewers to our family. In the new show you get to see our individual characters and because I’m no longer with Ben, you’ll get to see an insight into the real person I am.
I am fine now, a lot stronger as it happened over a year ago. It was obviously the hardest thing I have ever been through as we were childhood sweethearts, married at 19 and I had never dated before. There were a lot of changes we went through after the show, including discussing having kids. One of the reasons we split us was because we didn’t see eye to eye religiously in how we wanted to bring children up together.
To be honest, it has all been positive as it shows my real personality and character living and being by myself. It also brings a new angle to the show as I discuss dating and my experience as a single lady. I’ve enjoyed being on the dating scene and have great friends who are single and can offer me advice. It’s interesting as I never dated before as an adult so I’ve had to learn everything from scratch.
Not really as my job in social media means I am good at communicating and making small talk. I’m very curious to see what male attention I will get once the new series starts. Right now my social media following is 95 per cent female so I’m hoping for some new male interaction.
My mum and I love fashion but she is always totally over the top in what she wears. You’ll see me at a lot of parties dressed up but I’m also happy to hang in my loungewear. High heels though, I love them. I very rarely wear flats and my friends can’t believe how small I am when I do. Heels make me feel powerful and make me stand tall. My mum taught me a lot about female empowerment and confidence and that has rubbed off on me.
Put it this way, you get a real insight into our relationships. Miriam is filmed with her girlfriend and you get to see their relationship on camera, I talk about dating apps and you’ll see a lot of hardship and struggles too. That’s the message I want to get across though from this series. Despite all the ups and downs, the power of family and being a unit is so important. There is drama amongst us all but at the end of the day we have each others backs.
My Unorthodox Life season 2 is on Netflix now.
