A TV review of The Vardys, the ITV reality series following Jamie and Rebekah Vardy's relocation to Italy, concludes that the show is a pointless vanity project. According to the review, the three-episode series promises a peek behind the celebrity curtain but delivers only a carefully curated, sanitized version of family life, avoiding any genuine insight into the couple's finances, conflicts, or future plans.

The £80,000 burglary that went unexplained

One of the most glaring omissions in The Vardys involves a burglary at the family's Italian villa.. The review notes that headlines pegged the loss at £80,000, yet the show glosses over key details: how thieves bypassed security, who handled the police response, and whether the figure is accurate. As the critic writes, such omissions are deliberate because the family controls the narrative to avoid blemishes. This leaves viewers with a tantalizing but unanswered question about the incident's true scale and afetrmath.

The lack of transparency around the burglary is emblematic of a broader trend in celebrity reality TV, where producers and subjects collaborate to scrub out messiness. Unlike earlier shows that thrived on chaos, The Vardys treats a major crime as mere set dressing.

Why the Osbournes comparison hurts The Vardys

The review draws a sharp contrast with the groundbreaking Osbournes series, which revealed Ozzy's addiction struggles and his dependence on Sharon. according to the critic, that show worked because it offered genuine vulnerability amid the madness. The Vardys, by contrast , presents an Easter egg hunt that Rebekah calls “chaos” and “carnage,” but the children behave impeccably, undercutting any claim of disarray.

This disconnect between narration and reality persists across all three episodes. Where the Osbournes let the camera catch dysfunction, the Vardys stage harmony. The result is a show that feels more like a real-estate brochure than a documentary, missing the very grit that made the genre compelling.

The elephant in the villa: Jamie's football future and the Rebekah-Rooney feud

The review identifies two major storylines that The Vardys deliberately avoids: Jamie Vardy's injury and potential retirement, and the well-publicized feud between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney (the so-called “Wagatha Christie” case). According to the review, the show barely mentions either, despite the fact that the feud is a primary reason for public interest in the couple. By sidestepping these subjects, the series deprives viewers of any meaningful human drama.

The critic argues that without this controversial backdrop, the Vardys hold little appeal. Their daily minutiae—poolside lounging, carefully staged meals—cannot sustain three episodes. Viewers are left wondering: Is Jamie planning to retire? What really happened between Becky and Coleen? The show treats these questions as off-limits, leaving the audience frustrated.

What the Easter egg hunt reveals about who's missing

A short but telling moment in the opening episode involves an Easter egg hunt. The review notes that while Rebekah describes it as chaotic, the children behave perfectly. More importantly, the show never acknowledges the labor that sustains the family's lifestyle—who manages the household, cooks, cleans, and cares for the children? According to the critic, by omitting these details, the series perpetuates a fantasy that all families operate without support, which is especially disingenuous for a wealthy celebrity clan.

This omission fits a pattern across the series: The Vardys shows the finished product of affluence but erases the work behind it. In an era where audiences value authenticity, that choice feels particularly dated.