Forest City, Malaysia’s China-backed US$100 billion ghost town, becomes set for Netflix shows

Malaysia’s US$100 billion China-backed ghost city was meant to house 700,000 people. After few people moved in, developers tried in vain to make it into a tourist hub.

Now, the mega-development is serving as a set for a handful of reality shows and documentaries.

The empty city, just over Singapore’s western border, was used for an episode on the second season of Netflix reality show “The Mole,” which debuted last week.

The competition-style reality series follows 12 contestants completing challenges while one of them secretly sabotages the other players. They race to grow a money pot prize and uncover who the traitor is among them.

The show’s 10-episode second season was filmed entirely in Malaysia and features Forest City, Kuala Lumpur, and Tioman Island. Filming started in July 2023 and lasted for six weeks, according to local media.

The contestants, who come from various professional backgrounds, complete treasure hunts, free dive, and abseil down a 38-storey building in Forest City.

In the third episode of the season, show host and former NPR journalist Ari Shapiro introduced Forest City: “A perfect spot for a glamorous holiday home, for those who can afford it. And most of the year, they lie empty.”

The city was also featured in recent shows.

South Korea’s KBS filmed an episode of the travel reality series “Battle Trip,” while German ProSieben TV filmed a short documentary about Forest City. An Austrian documentary titled “Hungry: Tipping the Scales” shot there.

Announced in 2006, the luxury public housing estate was meant to feature flats, a water park, and hotels. The whole project cost its developers US$100 billion.

But, eight years after construction began, only a few thousand people live there. The project has turned