Selling Sunset Season-Premiere Recap: The Battle for Manhattan Beach

As an avid fan of reality television and someone who has had their fair share of hallucinogenic experiences, I must say that the latest season of “Selling Sunset” feels like a whole new ball game. It’s as if the cast has taken the advice of my friend who went on the ayahuasca retreat: they’re not fighting the chaos anymore; instead, they’re jumping into it headfirst.


A friend of mine recently went on an ayahuasca retreat, and he told me the key to a good experience with hallucinogens is not to fight their effects: “If you see a demon, jump in its mouth.” I don’t know if maybe the cast of Selling Sunset were all given this same advice before filming the season-eight premiere episode, but something definitely feels different, for the better. The participants of this project have historically fought its delirium, never entirely on the same page about how messy to be, insisting on professionalism while doing shots in a bra top, trapping themselves in a bad trip. This chaos made the show feel dangerous and experimental at times, at least until last season, which ended with a real sense that no one really wanted to be doing this anymore. But the premiere left me feeling like everyone finally gets it: You can’t avoid conflict on a reality-TV show because conflict is the show. You have to jump in the demon’s mouth.

The show begins as Chrishell steps into a luxurious property, often called a home, valued at $38 million. She greets the trio responsible for its construction: Branden, Jason (not Oppenheim), and Preston, whom I’ll refer to as BRAJATON from now on. Despite a rather peculiar sight – a dead peacock in the lounge – the house is quite delightful, with a door that opens into a room filled with disco balls. The fun factor diminished slightly when I discovered that BRAJATON had bought a $2.9 million house back in 2016 and replaced it with a high-end event venue, ideal for expensive bachelor parties that can potentially cause harm. Cheers to you, BRAJATON.

Essentially, Chrishell is present due to Jason Oppenheim’s presence as well, who is advocating for Chrishell’s abilities in selling a house. On the other hand, Chrishell wants to discuss with Jason about persuading Bre to rejoin the brokerage. This tactic from Chrishell is quite strategic, as she has skillfully inserted herself into a narrative that doesn’t directly involve her, yet provides an opportunity for screen time and a subtle reminder of her beauty and potential stardom if our lives had taken different paths. Cheers!

After that, our destination is Mary and Romain’s residence, where we observe the common Los Angeles practice of having professionals come to your home to provide services. Oh, how Angelenos cherish these services! This time, Mary has arranged for a spray tan professional to set up shop at her house and give everyone a tan: Mary, Nicole, Amanza, even Romain! Once the services are completed and everyone is tanned, Mary gathers them together and discloses a feud she’s already ignited with Chelsea. It seems that during a “content day,” Mary, Emma, and Bre answered questions from followers on Instagram Live. When asked who was the most troublesome in the office, Mary pointed to Chelsea, which Emma later passed on to Chelsea herself. Although this is hardly an insult, Chelsea seized the opportunity and flew into a rage, sending Mary an angry text that left the Bonnet household in shock, even prompting Romain to intervene. Interestingly, Mary seems eager for this confrontation. Even as she speculates that “something else is going on” with Chelsea to cause her reaction, she also declares she will not be spoken to disrespectfully. Later, we move to a scene at the office where she remains courteous towards Chelsea in person since, after all, who is she fooling?

Check out the stunning Oppenheim Group headquarters, the project that consumed the boys’ time and resources last season. This sleek building boasts numerous bathrooms, TVs integrated into large artwork frames, and a digital representation of fire alongside a stack of seemingly real firewood. Here we are introduced to Alanna, the latest recruit to the team who, at 32 years old, has already spent three years in real estate. At present, she doesn’t have much backstory, but when Chelsea is around with her fabulous new hairstyle and exposed cleavage amounting to nearly all of her breasts, it’s hard for anyone’s attention to be captured by Alanna.

In an unexpected turn of events, Jason and Brett are found presenting a potential client with the Oppenheim Group’s services, causing quite a stir throughout the office. It’s charming to witness these gentlemen at work! What a unique scenario! The client, Jeff, owns a property worth $29,900,000 in Manhattan Beach and sports less-than-impressive hair. The Oppenheim Group may be able to address one of these issues; however, first, Jeff must decide on an agent. Thus, commences a tough competition between Mary, Chelsea, and… Alanna? Indeed, let’s bring Alanna into the mix.

Each of them encounters Jeff and his wife Jamie to discuss their services. Chelsea points out that she resides in Manhattan Beach currently, Mary highlights her experience of raising a child there, while Alanna suggests that continued foreign investment is necessary due to the American Empire’s decline, with houses like the one they’re selling costing $29 million. Although Alanna isn’t mistaken, it doesn’t earn her the prize. Instead, the award goes jointly to Mary and Chelsea in a tie, following Chelsea listening in on their conversation about liking Mary. She then slips back in to invent a potential buyer eager to view the property immediately. I must admit, Chelsea is the last person I would ever underestimate.

Unlisted Observations

In this scene, Jason extends an invitation to Bre to visit a house boasting a lush, living moss wall, particularly appealing to its wealthy resident who has a strong affection for moss. At the moss-adorned location, Bre requests a pay raise from Jason, which he denies. Subsequently, he acknowledges that the tension between Bre and Chelsea is unfortunate. That’s all there is to this intriguing vignette.

A solemn dog funeral is approaching, and Alanna’s Old West town is the setting. Shall we… head over? Let’s go? I suppose so.

Mary said to Romain, “I was unaware that you had a pair of swimming trunks like Speedos, considering they’re primarily designed for people like yourself!” (Romain being French)

Recalling intricate tales from “The Rin” seems significant to Chrishell, as if it offers a glimpse into her mind that I’m still struggling to decipher fully.

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2024-09-06 16:54