Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing:" Smug but highly watchable

The third season of Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing" debuts tonight, but since Triangle cable viewers didn't have Bravo during MDL's first two seasons, the show can be a new and somewhat horrifying experience. At least to start with.

In the first five minutes of the season premiere, I had decided that I despise the show's three soulless stars, and that there was no way I could even finish the episode. But once I had my gag reflex under control and my eyes stopped hurting from all that rolling, two funny things happened: First, I became mesmerized by Chad's phenomenally intimidating hair. Second, I found myself actually liking this show about three hipster real estate agents in Beverly Hills.

There's no mistaking that they are all (L-R above: Madison, Josh, and Chad) impossibly and infuriatingly smug. But these self-assured little a-holes are also very good at what they do -- which is making gobs of money off high-end California real estate. And doing it with style. 

But just as in Bravo's other show about California real estate ("Flipping Out" -- highly recommended), the down market is taking a toll. Maybe not as much of a toll in Beverly Hills and Malibu as in the rest of California, because these Porsche-driving youngsters do not appear to be starving or skimping on designer accessories.

And sometimes -- not always, but sometimes -- you do feel a little sorry for the people who have to sell a $6 million dollar home they are about to lose for $3 million. And it's so interesting to watch these agents struggle to convince stubborn sellers that it's no longer a booming market and that they can't continue to demand top dollar for properties when no one is buying.

In short, it's a show I was prepared to hate (and actually did hate a little at first) but one I ultimately got sucked in to.  

Meet the trio of pompous hotshots:

There's Chad, of course, with his skinny jeans and gigantic JoBro hairdo. Chad's hair, by the way, is sort of a fourth cast member on the show. He can hardly prep homes for stopping 100 times to fidget with his hair or apply another layer of spray to the imposing helmet. I'm pretty sure his girlfriend isn't allowed to touch it. But much like the giant hair on his head, Chad grows on you. He's supremely confident but also very earnest and hardworking. His silliness can be tiresome (it's hard to believe he's not 15 years old sometimes) but he has boundless energy and his attention to detail could rival Jeff Lewis over at "Flipping Out." Chad carries around a tiny black dog in his leather messenger bag. (And yes, I did say he has a girlfriend).

There's also Madison, a charming and handsome (and "polyamorous") fellow (with great and not-scary-at-all hair) who looks a little like Seth Myers from "Saturday Night Live." Madison seems to have more than his share of difficult clients - clients who refuse to accept that the market has changed and who fight him tooth and nail on reducing prices, and who insist on attending (and ruining) the open houses. Madison is patient and likeable and believes in good energy.  

Then there's Josh, probably the smuggest and least likable of them all. For some reason which is only hinted at, he and Chad despise each other (hoping for a Bravo marathon of earlier seasons to catch me up on that soon). Josh's attacks on Chad make him seem like a jerky high school bully. (Could we be in store for a hair-snatching episode, a la Atlanta Housewives? I'm picturing something more along the lines of Chad spraying Josh with product while Josh flings his Gucci bedroom slippers at his boyish face.)

"Million Dollar Listing" debuts tonight at 11pm after the "Rachel Zoe Project" season finale, but will air starting next week on Mondays at 10pm.