In the season premiere of Bling Empire: New York, we saw Dorothy Wang linking up with Ari Kourkoumelis. Who is the man that caught Dorothy’s attention?
Learn all about him here in the article below.
Netflix’s popular show Bling Empire’s spin-off show Bling Empire: New York premiered on 20 January 2023. Among the many arcs that drove the debut season, one that definitely caught people’s attention was Ari Kourloumelis and Dorothy Wang’s relationship.
Dorothy and Ari’s paths crossed for the first time in the Bahamas. The reality star was there for the Girls + Blake Abbie trip. Meanwhile, Ari was with his mother to celebrate her birthday. Dorothy approached Ari and his friend at a bar though it was for her friend Tina Leung.
However, as Tina became overwhelmed and backed off, things started to shift. Dorothy and Ari swapped numbers, and shortly after, they started texting and talking on the phone, which eventually led to another meet-up. Once again, a pub was their destination, but this time it was considerably less crowded.
Ari blatantly inquired whether she had altered her return tickets because he wanted her to remain another day with him. He got precisely what he wanted after a few beers, some make-out time, and lots of laughter, surprise even Dorthohy, who normally takes a while to open up to/trust men.
But the best thing about Dorothy and Ari’s relationship was that neither of them when they got back to New York, wrote the other off as just another vacation fling. They both sensed there was something more. Thus, it should not come as a surprise that they kept in touch and met up, and introduced one another to their socials. The pair grew closer each day while still maintaining their banter.
Despite the fact that their lifestyles and vocations are technically poles apart, they were able to maintain their continuous, pleasant flow because of their own unwavering energy.
“It’s so nice,” Dorothy stated at one point. “[Ari] doesn’t know who Gigi and Bella Hadid are. He doesn’t know who any Insta-thot is… He’s like a little sweet angel. That’s why I like him.”
Ari never once made her feel insecure about her position, wealth, spending habits, knowledge, or anything else, so it’s clear that they felt the same way. So it is understandable that she drove to Astoria to meet his father, Tom. It was also a perfect opportunity for her to see where he had grown up, even though she preferred to be 90% gluten-free. She also didn’t mind eating a full New York pizza for him.
However, there were a few minor concerns. For one, Dorothy had grown concerned about their cultural differences because she is not at all Greek Orthodox, and she and Ari had largely refused to discuss their relationship’s status. “We are obsessed with each other,” the public figure said. “He’s called me 17 times today, but neither of us wants to admit it. We literally talk about everything except for what our status is [because of our own commitment issues].”
The level of love, care, and respect they had for one another, however, was another important aspect that was never in doubt for anyone.
As for if they are still together, the more likely answer to the question is, sadly no. They haven’t posted each other on their respective socials which suggests that they have parted ways despite building a genuine connection with each other.
Born in August 1991, Aris Kourkoumelis is 31 years old.
Ari Kourkoumelis is currently working as a partner at Kourkoumelis & Fotopoulos PLLC. He co-founded the firm in September 2021 and has been working there ever since. Right before that, Ari was working at the United State Department of Commerce as a Senior Counsel, at the Office of the General Counsel from August 2020 to January 2021 and from December 2019 to August 2020 before that.
Ari began his career as a lawyer in 2013 working as an intern at Legal Intern Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The internship lasted for three months. Then, he was also a student attorney at Post-Conviction Innocence Clinic from August 2013 to December 2013.
In 2014,
Furthermore, in 2015, Ari worked at the United States Court of International Trade as a judicial intern for five months. Then in 2015, he worked at Thor Equities as a legal intern.
After graduating from law school, Ari worked at the U.S. Court of International Trade as a judicial law clerk. In June 2018, he joined McGuireWoods LLP as an associate where he worked till November 2019.
Ari has also volunteered at The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York as a vice president. He is also a member of the American Hellenic Education Progressive Association till November 2019.
Ari earned his J.D. from New York Law School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Adelphi University in 2013. Furthermore, he attended Columbia Law School where he studied International Business/Trade/Commerce.
As of January 2023, Ari Kourkoumelis’s net worth measures above $2 million.
Ari Kourkoumelis is the son of Thomas “Tom” Kourkoumelis and Kathy Kourkoumelis. Thomas who was born in April 1952 is currently 70 years old. He is currently based in Southold New York. Back in 2014, he was featured in one of the stories of the New York Times in an article titled, A Parthenon of Produce at United Brothers Fruit Market in Astoria.
At the time, Tom was the only United Brothers brother who was not retired to Florida and spent 10 hours at the store most days, as he has for the better part of four decades (not counting the occasional vacation in Greece).
In 1969, Tom and his brothers, Jerry and George, joined the wave of Greeks escaping economic stagnation, island-hopping from Cephalonia to Manhattan, unknowingly alongside two other brothers, Spiro and Damianos Matafias. In New York, the quintet met and sought fruit. But what they found made them long for the old country.
So in 1974, they opened United Brothers Fruit Market in Washington Heights, Manhattan. The crime led to their second move: They landed in Astoria a few years later.
Over the past four decades, Tom Kourkoumelis has managed to achieve the American dream. He says he is “in love” with Astoria, which is why he keeps most of his businesses based in the heart of Hellenism in New York. Mr. Kourkoumelis was but a boy when he set off in search of a better life in the new world. However, despite his success, he never forgot his hometown of Simotata on the Ionian island of Cephalonia.
In fact, he passed on his love for Simotata to his wife Kathy, and his two children, Joanna and Aristidis. Tom Kourkoumelis was born in Simotata to Aristidis and Irene Kourkoumelis – the second of four children.
Ari Kourkoumelis stands tall at a height above 6 feet.
Ari Kourkoumelis is of Greek-American ethnicity.
Yes, Ari Kourkoumelis is on Instagram but it is currently private (@ariskourkoumelis).
Ari Kourkoumelis’s birthday is in August.
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