The fourth season of Netflix’s popular real estate reality show, “Selling Sunset,” recently dropped after more than a year’s wait. The show, which follows the agents of the prestigious Oppenheim Group brokerage through their professional and personal lives, gained immense success in the early days of the pandemic. Unfortunately, due to said pandemic, filming was halted, making season 4 the first season to be filmed since. If you follow the cast on social media, you would know that a lot has happened since the season 3 finale where Christine Quinn got married. I was intrigued to see what would be shown from the last year and a half of their lives and ended up being quite disappointed in the final product.
This season was chaotic, to say the least. We get introduced to two new agents, Vanessa and Emma. They come in to supposedly replace villains Davina, who left after the unsuccessful attempt to sell the $72 million house, and the pregnant Christine. I had the impression that Davina and Christine would, therefore, be taking a step back from the show. The drama that they constantly attracted would, as a result, diminish. I was wrong. Despite Christine being on maternity leave for most of the season, she was still a part of every argument. The worst part: the primary drama that played out throughout almost every episode involved a guy that Christine, Emma, and Heather supposedly dated many years ago. Christine kept claiming that she was happily married, yet she could not stop bringing up this guy that was her boyfriend for two and a half years and was cheating on her with Emma behind her back. Oh yeah, and Heather dated him seven years ago as well. This old rift that came back to the surface after Emma made a full return to the Oppenheim Group seemed unnecessary and petty.
There was a lack of real estate in the ten episodes. In previous seasons, I loved that there was a good balance of both drama and property viewings. It fell short this time around. Most of the conversations about properties involved the Oppenheim Group celebrity clientele. Names like French Montana, Alesso, Simu Liu, and Thomas Bryant are attached to some properties shown. Even Harry Styles and Tyra Banks are named dropped as previous owners of certain homes for sale. While the houses were beautiful, there was a lack of detail about them compared to what other seasons have shown. I understand that the long hiatus in filming meant tension had built up amongst the girls. However, the drama was overbearing at times. Why was the Mary-Christine friendship break up constantly rehashed? Why was an ex from years ago causing co-workers who have supposedly moved on to start fighting again? It is a TV show so it needs conflict to be engaging. It is, however, quite embarrassing to think that these girls work together daily and cannot seem to work in cohesion with one another.
In previous seasons, it was always easy to pick out a favorite. This time, not so much. Most of the agents were portrayed unfavorably at some point, making it hard to relate or like any of them. While newbie Vanessa seemed kind-hearted, her friendship with Christine makes it hard to love her. If you wish to be neutral, Maya is a good choice. She is always unbothered by the drama and focuses primarily on her job and family. Per tradition, she announced she was pregnant again, something she seems to do every season.
Despite season 4 not being Selling Sunset’s finest, I will be watching season 5, which has already wrapped up filming. A teaser at the end of episode 10 shows the beginning of Chrishell and Jason’s relationship, which was confirmed by the pair on social media earlier this year. Those who watched the current season closely will have noticed little hints that Jason had a soft spot for her. He even showed some jealously when Chrishell flirted with actor Simu Liu when he visited the office. However, we will not see their relationship play out until next season. It should be an interesting storyline that will probably spark more drama, particularly with the full-time return of Christine and Davina, who both do not like Chrishell.
While season 4 was the most dramatic season of Selling Sunset so far, it is a must-watch for fans. Even though the drama can get quite irritating at times, it does have some real storylines that people can relate to. Friendship breakups over men and the introduction of new friends are common as well as poor dynamics between co-workers. Most striking was the continuation of Amanza’s storyline revolving around the custody of her kids. Her fight to give her kids the best life possible despite all the challenges is admirable. Her hardships made her take a step back from this season from both work and drama. However, her bravery in opening up about her home life on the show is commendable. Overall, I hope that season 5 returns to its roots and focuses more on the gorgeous properties the Oppenheim Group sells rather than just petty high school-like drama.