“I feel like I’ve been a shell of a version of myself because I’m terrified to speak in front of these girls. God forbid I make a joke. God forbid I say something funny. It’s just, like, chill out. Chill out!” —Christine Quinn, Season 5, Episode 1
In the not even five months since the last season of Selling Sunset, the Los Angeles housing market has gotten hotter, and the Louboutins seem to have risen — and so has the drama at the Oppenheim Group. Which is to say, there’s an upcoming showing that’s non-negotiable on April 22, with the release of 10 new episodes of Sunset featuring LA’s best-known (real estate) agent provocateurs.
Since its premiere in March 2019, Selling Sunset has given legions of voyeuristic viewers a peek inside the most lavish of Los Angeles homes, from Orlando Bloom’s $9 million (sorry, $8,999,000 because, you know, optics) Billionaire’s Row mansion to French Montana’s 8,600-square-foot estate in Calabasas. In the Sunset universe, a Los Angeles Laker might be in dire need of a more party-friendly pad, or Simu Liu, fresh off his casting as Shang-Chi, might stop by the West Hollywood office for ideas on how to upgrade his digs. And though by now we all have unnaturally strong feelings about terms like indoor-outdoor living, let’s be real: The melodrama propels the narrative as much as the market does. Yes, that means lavish dog birthday parties, $1 million weddings complete with faux snow, open houses with free Botox and interoffice relationships. (More on that in a moment.)
On the off chance you never headed down Sunset before, here’s a recap on all things not involving floor plans: Very identical shaven-headed twins Brett and Jason Oppenheim run their eponymous agency, where seated at metal aviator wing desks are savvy and absurdly well-dressed agents. They are (in alphabetical and not popularity order, lest this writer get a stiletto in her eye) Heather Rae El Moussa, Mary Fitzgerald, Emma Hernan, Davina Potratz, Christine Quinn, Amanza Smith, Chrishell Stause, Maya Vander and Vanessa Villela. Some are tight-knit; others act like Switzerland, striving to remain neutral; and one or two of them always seem on thin ice. Many of them have issues with Christine. And the feeling is mutual. The show’s roots can be traced back to The Hills (no coincidence since executive producer Adam DiVello created both series) and Melrose Place. (In another universe, Heather Locklear’s Amanda Woodward and her micro-minis would have been at home at the Oppenheim Group.)
This season, British-Nigerian agent Chelsea Lazkani joins the cast, thanks to a fortuitous open house encounter with Christine, and her bejeweled Versace heels leave quite the footprint. “I have two little kids, so we literally watch Moana, The Lion King and The Jungle Book every single day. So when this opportunity came up, I spent two whole days binge watching [Sunset],” Chelsea says. “I would love to say human psychology didn’t play a part and I went in unbiased, but I was like, ‘Christine’s outfits are bloody killer, and I’m going to kill it even more.’ Sorry, I’m coming for the crown.”
In the season premiere, Chelsea and Christine instantly bond over things like Balmain (pro) and bending over to pick up something on the ground (con). Needless to say, some castmates are wary of bringing in an office ally to Christine, and their fears are realized when Chelsea describes their behavior with terms like bully and mean girl.
Heather Rae El Moussa
“The type of person I am and where my value system lies, I really just call things out how I see them, and I didn’t take into account prior behavior,” Chelsea says. She adds that the other women staged what she refers to as a “care-frontation” to inform her (in a caring way, of course) about what they perceived as the dangers of a friendship with Christine. “I hate that we’re being portrayed as mean girls this season,” Heather Rae says. “There’s a reason why we choose not to have someone in our lives. There’s one person all of us girls have an issue with.” Adds Emma, “These people are the opposite of mean girls. These are the most supportive girls to me, personally. I struggled in high school and coming into this group has been the biggest breath of fresh air.”
Bring up the C-word (Christine, not closing costs) to cast members and some are poker faced, while others’ eyes instantly start to shift with discomfort. “I’m not in high school, so I’m not going to be like, ‘I’m on this side,’ ” says Vanessa. “I just stay neutral. I like to support women.” Conversely, Chrishell doesn’t even mention her colleague’s name when saying, “It’s true that we don’t all get along. It is really hard if you’re being given an energy from someone. There are always times I wish I could have been better, but it’s difficult to support someone toxic.”
Emma Hernan
What Chrishell may consider toxic, Christine says is tenderness. “I think the thing they get wrong about me is that I’m just like everyone else. We have this thing up here that is our brain, and we have this thing here that’s our heart,” Christine says. “I think the hardest thing is you’re seen one way, and then people don’t realize that you have feelings. People make mistakes and it’s OK.”
For the record, Chelsea’s friendship with Christine is intact. “We speak almost every day and send each other memes back and forth,” Chelsea says. “I try my best to keep my relationship with her separate from my relationship with the other girls. If she asks me anything about them, I just say, ‘Who are you talking about? I don’t know who that is.’ I am not sharing anything. I’m like a vault.”
Christine Quinn
Then Christine might need to watch the whole season, because there’s a lot to cover with the rest of the team. Vanessa contemplates giving it all up to travel with her man, Mary gets a giant promotion, Chrishell wins a listing price bet by crawling through a doggie door and Davina tries to rekindle a professional relationship with a disgruntled client. Heather Rae’s bridal shower and wedding to Flip or Flop’s Tarek El Moussa are swoon-worthy, though who knew there was such a thing as an edible vegan bondage set? (That shower gift came courtesy of Chrishell, though Heather Rae now says she’s not sure what happened to it. Hmmm.)
Chelsea Lazkani
But perhaps nothing gets as much attention as the coupling (and uncoupling) of Chrishell and Jason Oppenheim. Though the news broke of their breakup late last year, the season documents their entire journey, from the doting duo pledging their love in Greece to tears and more tears when Jason can’t commit to having children. For Chrishell, whose Season 3 storyline focused on the dissolution of her marriage to Justin Hartley of This Is Us, sharing another breakup with the world is accompanied by a hefty dose of dread. “Knowing it’s coming, I almost just want to rip it off like a Band-Aid,” she says. “We are going to have a laugh about it, a cry about it, take a minute, take a breath, regroup.”
Maya Vander and Davina Potratz
For all the cuffs, couture and conflict, this season’s houses do not disappoint. From Cary Grant’s former estate to a $20 million Sunset Strip party pad filled with oversized Buddhas that would make a monk weep, there’s not a Louboutin or Lanvin that can match the splendor of some of these layouts. (The deep bathtubs with insane views this season deserve their own spin-off.) And oh, the places those commissions will go! Chrishell gets to ring the legendary Oppenheim Group closing bell for herself after she shells out $3.3 million for a four-bedroom pad in the Hollywood Hills. (Keeping it all in the Oppenheim family, she hires Amanza to decorate.) Emma tries to buy her parents a place nearby, but one of Mary’s clients snaps it up first. Awkward!
Chrishell Stause
Meanwhile, some 35 miles south of LA, a group of Orange County–based Oppenheim agents is prepping for the spin-off Selling the OC, which premieres later this year. For some, more cameras pointing their way is daunting. “I don’t want to be in the midst of every crazy storyline, even though if I would say more things I’d be featured more,” Maya says. “I do real estate full time. That’s my job.” Others seem game for anything, even if it means opening up their personal lives so much that they often get unsolicited advice about freezing embryos. Says Chrishell, “I’m embracing the show for what it is.”
By now, the agents have grown accustomed to tour bus looky-loos stopping in front of the Sunset Boulevard office and fielding curious calls from prospective buyers. “I was on the phone with a guy who seemed legit and was interested in an equestrian property,” recalls Mary. “All of a sudden, he wants to know if he can come shadow me and hang out. ‘Will you be filming?’ Oh my God, are you kidding me?” At least he didn’t critique minor appendages, as one creep did to Davina. “Someone actually posted ‘Her left toe looks weird’ about me on social media,” she says. “They make fun of all of us. You have to take everything with a grain of salt.”
Mary Fitzgerald and Vanessa Villela
Which brings us back to Christine. There is, shall we say diplomatically, uncertainty by the end of this season about her future at the Oppenheim Group. We won’t spoil where allegiances lie, but there are those in favor of quitting Quinn and others who don’t want to imagine the show without the 7-inch-heeled chaos she brings.
“Christine runs Selling Sunset, let’s face it,” says Maya, who may or may not be returning to the series herself. “If Christine leaves the show, what are we going to have?” Plus, several other agents probably have a thought or two, and by the sound of things, someone else behind the scenes has an opinion as well. The minute after Christine snips that Chrishell is only getting listings because she’s dating Jason (her words are more colorful, of course), a techno beat starts thumping in the background. The song? “Bad Energy.”
Amanza Smith
