All the Rules You Didn't Know the Cast of 'Selling Sunset' Has to Follow
It's not easy being a member of the Oppenheim Group.
Whether you've been watching Selling Sunset since day one or you've just tuned in to season 6 because you heard about Chrishell Stause and G Flip's adorable relationship, there's no denying the Netflix show is totally binge-worthy. Between the drama (we'll talk about *that* Nicole and Chrishell fight in a minute), the fashion, and those gorgeous houses, there's something for everyone to enjoy.
And when it comes to making the show, there are certain rules the Selling Sunset cast has to follow. Some of them are pretty obvious, while others might surprise you. Like: Did you know that they have to sign away some of their rights in order to join the cast? Or that some of the cast's spouses are contractually banned from appearing on the show? And that's only the beginning. Fingers crossed that we get even more juicy tidbits once season 7 drops, hopefully later this year.
Here's everything that former and current Selling Sunset cast members and producers have shared about the rules they must follow in order to create the show.
Cast members "sign away their rights to sue" when they join the show.
After a heated onscreen fight in which Chrishell Stause told cast mate Nicole Young she was "acting a little cracked out," fans suggested that Chrishell's public accusation could land her in legal trouble. But it seems like Chrishell isn't worried. "We sign away rights to sue when we sign on to do the show," she wrote on Twitter.
Pre-season meetings with producers are mandatory.
According to Cosmopolitan, producers on the show require cast members to have pre-season meetings to discuss developments in their lives and "storylines" that happened in the off season.
Producers may cut something they deem unfit for TV.
For example, a Buzzfeed News article revealed that producers decided they couldn't include certain shots of Christine Quinn driving because she had decorated her car somewhat gruesomely for Halloween. "I wrapped it all in blood like a zombie hit it, and Adam [DiVello] didn’t want to show it," Christine shared. (Producer and creator Adam DiVello's rebuttal: "What she’s not telling you is that it looks like they hit a human being. There’s a sliding handprint on the hood of the car.")
Production doesn't pay for the extravagant outfits you see.
Plenty of social media users have shared thoughts on the over-the-top outfits worn by cast members in season 6. Netflix isn't footing the bill for these clothes. Stylist Sammie M, who works with the cast, told Vice, "I’m not going to name names, but some girls will pay between $5,000 to $10,000 for a custom-made outfit. Sometimes more. But we’re in Hollywood, and there’s a lot of access to rentals.”
They don't cover the cost of hair and makeup either.
As Chelsea Lazkani explained in a TikTok, the cast pays for their own glam. "This is very standard in reality TV," she said. "On Selling Sunset, we definitely turn it up for y'all ... so we get glam to film, for the most part, every single time, and it is out of our own pockets."
Not even for interview looks.
Former cast member Christine admitted that this is where she did enlist some professional help. "I do all of my own makeup unless it's an interview look, and I pride myself on that," the reality star told Page Six in 2020. The same year, she said in another interview that she spent close to $1,000 per day on glam when she got it done.
The agents must have a real estate license.
Let's put this to bed, once and for all: Viewers questioned the legitimacy of the cast's credentials after Chrissy Teigen tweeted claims that she'd never encountered any of the Selling Sunset real estate agents in the L.A. market before. Cast members fired back and one of the owners of the Oppenheim Group, Jason Oppenheim, hit back with a statement to Reality Blurb, alongside proof of his agents' valid real estate licenses.
"Any insinuation that the agents on our show are not experienced, successful, or licensed, evidences a complete disregard for the facts. Even a superficial investigation would identify previous team photos, hundreds of millions in transacted sales, and more than 50 years of combined licensed real estate experience from these agents," he wrote.
They are 100% responsible for creating the drama.
From Chrishell accusing Nicole of being on drugs to Bre Tiesi and Chelsea's confrontation about Nick Cannon, there's no shortage of drama between the cast members—and it is real, people. "The show isn't scripted. If it was, I would be pissed! Who wrote that plot twist?!" Chrishell said on Instagram in reference to her divorce from This Is Us actor Justin Hartley.
...but they have to keep employees who don't appear onscreen out of the drama.
What, did you think the cast makes up the entirety of the Oppenheim Group? Nope. There are other employees around the office, but the reality stars have been asked to respect their privacy and not involve them in the show's drama.
All employees are to be treated equally when they're at work.
As mentioned, Selling Sunset stars at the Oppenheim Group work alongside agents who aren't on the series. In order to function as a successful business, agents both on and off the show have to maintain positive professional relationships with each other (as it should be in any workplace!).
Series newcomers "stir the pot."
After buying her first property from Jason Oppenheim himself back in 2017, Emma Hernan found herself employed by the company. She worked behind the scenes for years before stepping into the spotlight in 2021 for season 4, along with Vanessa Villela. Chrishell shared with Us Weekly at the time, "They are in different stages in their real estate [careers] and obviously, it definitely stirs the pot a little bit."
The cast must allow producers (and Netflix) to edit their storylines.
Like every other reality show, Selling Sunset producers are responsible for editing each episode and shaping the story. "I can’t tell you how many hours we would sit in an edit bay just working on one scene. I think most reality shows would have turned it out in a day and we'll spend a week," producer Adam DiVello told Variety.
And they have no control over how they're portrayed.
Fans loved to hate Christine as the outspoken villain during her five seasons on the show (she didn't appear in the sixth season). But apparently, she was surprised by how she was portrayed during her years on Selling Sunset. "I'm not used to being on television like this. There were certain things where I had trust in production, but they didn't have our backs. I was really surprised seeing the way they portrayed me," Christine told Nylon in 2020.
*Trying* to get cast doesn't work.
Setting out to be on the show won't work in your favor, especially if you have previous reality TV experience. "I tend to try to find the people who don’t necessarily want to be on TV. It’s a good starting off point,” producer Adam DiVello told Variety.
They have to be themselves on camera.
"I think that being vulnerable and showing people your true self is really important," Emma shared with Grazia. "It's difficult sometimes to talk about things that are personal and to put your life out there for the world to judge but at the end of the day — it's something that I signed up for, and I don't think it would be fair to be honest to the audience if I didn't show my whole self."
Recurring cast members can be promoted to full-time.
Sometimes patience really does pay off—at least it did for Davina Potratz. The real estate agent appeared as a recurring cast member for the first two seasons and was brought on as a full-time cast member in season 3. Although she left the Oppenheim Group in 2020, she's continued to appear on the show occasionally—that is, when she's not busy partying at Burning Man.
The agents are responsible for signing *real* listings.
It may sound self-explanatory, but all of the homes that are featured on the show are real homes listed with the Oppenheim Group, and the women really are competing with one another to sell them.
They've got to be willing to drop everything to make a sale.
As a luxury real estate agent, there's no time to sleep on a sale—even if it's your wedding day. Case in point: Mary Fitzgerald sold a mansion while getting her hair and makeup done for her wedding. If that's not commitment, I don't know what is.
But they can take some personal time when cameras are off.
In 2020, Chrishell traded the office for the ballroom when she competed on season 29 of Dancing With The Stars. She finished in eighth place—not too bad!
They follow extra safety precautions when necessary.
Reminder: Seasons 4 and 5 of Selling Sunset were filmed in 2021. As Mary explained to Express, this meant the cast and crew were following COVID-19 safety protocols. "We have COVID compliance officers on site at all times. Everything is very restricted," she said in an August 2021 interview. "All production still have to wear masks and everyone still gets tested for coronavirus even if they're vaccinated or not."
When a cast member later tested positive, production shut down for 15 days until it was safe to return.
Jamie Ballard (she/her) is a freelance writer and editor who covers news, lifestyle, and entertainment topics, including sex and relationships, TV, movies, books, health, pets, food and drinks, pop culture, shopping, and personal finance. She regularly contributes to Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, and YouGov, among other publications. When she’s not working, you can find her running, traveling, or scrolling TikTok. Follow her on Twitter.
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