‘Selling Sunset’ season 9 review: The market crashes out

Life isn’t so sunny on Netflix’s Selling Sunset anymore. Trouble has found the brokerage on Season 9 … and we’re not just talking about the slower real estate market. Internal drama swept up the Oppenheim Group’s L.A. office, so much so that it enveloped the entire season.

“Toxic office culture” may be the theme of Selling Sunset Season 9 because there was no limit to how petty, cruel, and uncomfortable things have become. The show can’t ignore the real-life issues that came up, regardless of how much the edit tries to bury them.

Where has the real estate gone?

Selling Sunset is a show about selling real estate in Los Angeles. You may have forgotten this because Season 9 barely had any sales or discussions about selling houses. There was only one sale this entire season; maybe two? Granted, this could be attributed to the slow real estate market that was in Los Angeles and the L.A. wildfires that happened during filming.

However, it can also be posed that the cast’s priorities may be elsewhere outside of real estate. Further, as the series has developed, the focus seems to be more on the show itself than on the act of selling real estate.

How many team meetings did the cast have together at the O Group office? Does the cast go into the office outside of filming? Who still has (and uses) their real estate license? These are all open and looming questions, which show just how far the mainline series has skewed away from the concept.

Spin-off series Selling the OC and Selling the City, while wrapped up in drama, still prioritize getting the deals done. While I love looking at the gorgeous properties, they shouldn’t only be relegated to backdrops for office gossip and scenes.

Crossing the line.

The first big drama of Selling Sunset Season 9 came from a confrontation that reached its climax: Emma & Chrishell vs. Nicole. This hotly tension-filled feud was a dynamic storyline that blew up in a way no one expected. For a little context, Nicole started drama by making assertions about Chrishell (i.e., her real estate deals, dating Jason Oppenheim, etc.), and Emma allegedly having an affair with a married man. This led Chrishell and Emma to comment on Nicole’s alleged past drug use. Now, fast-forward to this season when Nicole made a spiteful comment about Chrishell’s dead parents, who were former drug users.

This arc was a delicious powder keg that most reality TV fans (and Bravo fans) would love to watch. On one side, you have a group rallying together and acknowledging that the comment crossed the line, even for a drama-filled reality TV show.

And then you have Nicole, who can’t seem to understand the concept of apologizing … or having the ability to say, “I’m sorry.” Selling Sunset did a good job of fleshing out this storyline on screen, capturing the cause and aftermath of this nasty blowup.

In one of Brett and Jason’s better managerial moves, they made the right call to remove Nicole from the office. Granted, she was moving out of state regardless, but from a business standpoint, the dynamics couldn’t work anymore. Emma and Chrishell could be told not to reiterate the drug accusations, but Nicole proved she would never reach a point of apologizing (or stopping) her actions. The resolution couldn’t be just one side; Selling Sunset did well in showing this, even on the lackluster reunion.

Stealing the truth.

A common theme of Selling Sunset Season 9 stemmed from the shady and outrageous narrative choices. For some reason unknown to viewers, the show and select cast members chose the most baffling positions, skewing the editing in its direction. For example, Mary’s blowback against Chelsea and the flowers. Seriously, they were merely sympathy flowers!

We’ll give Mary’s first reaction when receiving the flowers some understanding. Her home had just been broken into, and most of her personal belongings were stolen. Bre’s and Romain’s reactions didn’t help, but it’s understandable; she was dealing with trauma.

However, the subsequent comments during the team dinner, Bre’s party, and the reunion made no sense. It was uncalled for and illogical! There was no way that Chelsea would know when Mary was filming, AND to ensure the flowers would be delivered on camera. If she wanted a big moment for the camera, she could’ve done a lot worse.

Plus, Mary saying things like “she didn’t feel safe” at the idea of working with Chelsea or being in the same room with her wasn’t a good look. Even by the time of the reunion, the narrative seemed completely off, almost as if crucial and pivotal scenes were missing.

It has been said that her reaction showed signs of microaggressions and biases against Chelsea, and based on what has been shown, there seems to be merit to this. A simple bouquet shouldn’t have illicit this big of a reaction, especially when other cast members have done much worse things on camera. Selling Sunset Season 9 did Chelsea wrong.

A broken friendship.

The other big questionable storyline came from Chrishell and Emma’s falling out. Are you sad to see them separate? These two, along with Chelsea, have been a dynamic group of besties on camera. So, for real-life to tear them apart, it’s sad to lose that in life and on the show. In this case, Emma’s on-again, off-again relationship with Blake was the catalyst that did them in.

The strange position from Selling Sunset Season 9, especially during the reunion, was how no one shifted the blame onto Blake’s actions. Instead, the topic of conversation stayed on Chrishell’s reactions. Why was the show dead-set on portraying Chrishell as a villain? Emma has been stuck in a toxic relationship cycle with someone who has said, done, and posted online terrible things. Chrishell had supported her best friend for a long time before it got to the point where she had to set a healthy boundary for herself, her partner, and her life. So, why and how is Chrishell the problem in this situation?!

Granted, Chrishell shouldn’t have brought up a deeply personal moment about Emma during the reunion. A good rule of empathy and ethics should be that anything shared in confidence as best friends should be kept that way, even after. However, she’s well within her rights to comment about and reshare screenshots that Blake posted to his public social media channels.

This is especially true when his actions directly affect Chrishelle, her partner, her loved ones, and her beliefs. It’s baffling how the rest of the cast took a strong stance to shift the blame to Chrishell for calling this out. In a season of terrible looks, this wasn’t a good position for the cast to take, especially for enabling and defending Emma’s return to an unhealthy relationship.

An empty office.

Speaking of the Selling Sunset Season 9 cast, a spark seemed to be missing. The main storylines came from only a handful of people, and even then, only a few of them walked away from the season as likable. Mary’s reaction to Chelsea was harmful. Bre instigated lots of drama and went full mean girl, and Emma has switched sides. Nicole, Chrishell, and Chelsea are all leaving the show. So, who is even left to watch and root for?

Amanza and Alanna were barely on the season to begin with. And let’s be direct here: newcomer Sandra was obviously a plant to stir up drama. She turned her sights on Chrishell to create plotlines, which had no weight to them since they didn’t know each other.

Mix this into the messy office dynamics and Brett/Jason’s favoritism of certain employees, and we’re left with many questions and gaps. If Selling Sunset returns for another season, it won’t feel like the same show as before. Based on where things have left off, it’s not starting on a good and healthy step either way.

Overall.

Selling Sunset Season 9 is a rough season. Does it have scandalous drama that will hook you? Absolutely! These are the types of reality TV fights that most shows would hope for. However, the structure of the season makes it clear that something is missing.

Between the foundation, the supporting scenes, and the narrative itself, the show leaves you with an unsatisfying, uncomfortable feeling.

The drama has taken over and exposed how toxic the office culture has become (or always was?), with many in the office taking the wrong position. Season 9 is a perfect example of toxic office culture and gaslighting.

Selling Sunset Season 9 is available to stream now on Netflix.