Momentum for the spin-off series, “Selling The OC”, was building in season five of “Selling Sunset” as brothers Brett and Jason Oppenheim set up shop in Orange County.
Admittedly, the new office is bigger and so are the egos. But we will get to that in a bit.
In one of his recent interviews, Jason discouraged any comparison to the original series, which has been given the green light for a sixth and seventh season.
Of course, that was wishful thinking on his part. Fans are most definitely going to draw parallels – and that is exactly what happened.
We have identified the queen bee of bitchiness in Alex Hall. Now she may not have Christine Quinn’s exquisite sense of fashion, but the single mother channels that cattiness with finesse.
Brandi Marshall reminds me a lot of Amanza Smith. If I didn’t know better, I would think they were related. Now Brandi, for all intents and purposes, is more of a puppet. She has Alex pulling at her strings, even though she may not realise it.
A former public relations executive, she is married to former pro-basketball player Sean Marshall and they have two children. She just wants a better life for her family and selling high-end real estate is her way of achieving this. Also, she has a mother who is gravely ill and that weighs on her.
The other ladies in this particular clique are Lauren Shortt, who is pretty much in the background in the series, and Polly Brindle, a former model who joined the O Group on the back of a bitter divorce.
While many of the cast struggle to understand Polly's heavy British accent, she finds it ridiculous since she’s speaking English. But that is an argument no one is going to win.
Then there is Kayla Carmona, also a single mom like Alex, but someone who wears her heart on her sleeve.
Her loneliness hogs the spotlight this season and it gets her into trouble when she hits on her sexy and happily-married co-worker Tyler Stanaland.
Tyler is a fifth-generation estate agent but he stepped away from the family business to carve his own path. He’s easy on the eye, an avid surfer and eye candy in the office. Also, he’s just sweet-natured.
What’s great about this spin-off offering is that some welcome testosterone offsets it with Gio Helou, whose mum taught him the ropes in the business, and Austin Victoria who, like Gio and Tyler, is married. He has twin girls.
There is also Sean Palmieri, who is enjoying the freedom of dating whoever floats his boat.
Last but not least, there are two “outcasts” in the office: Alexandra Jarvis, a former lawyer, and Alexandra Rose. These BFFs bring in the moolah by closing on the biggest properties.
When it comes to their drive and knack for closing major deals, they are very similar to Gio.
But there is a major mean girl vibe at the brokerage and it makes get-togethers seriously awkward.
Personally, I admire both Alexandras. They stand their ground, speak their mind and aren’t swayed by popular opinion – even if they are ostracised for it.
Now let’s get to the crux of the matter – “Selling The OC” is a hit. There is no question about it.
There are plenty of explosive fallouts with Alex, Brandi, Polly, Lauren and Kayla dominating the conversation. The eye-rolling, nasty comments and hypocrisy is toxic and these ladies have got it down to an art form.
Kayla is more of a swing vote. She wants so badly to be accepted that finding a backbone is not an option.
The guys try to steer clear of all the cattiness until it becomes unavoidable.
Not much of Brett is seen in the season but Jason gets some screen time.
“Selling The OC” ticks all the boxes of a hit reality show. There is great escapism as it balances the soft life with work.
Of course, the tears and outbursts incentivise streamers to binge all eight episodes.
“Selling The OC” is currently streaming on Netflix.