Is Selling Sunset Real Or Scripted? How The Netflix Series Is Edited

7 November 2023, 17:02 | Updated: 7 November 2023, 17:46

Are the lavish lives of the Selling Sunset crew real?
Are the lavish lives of the Selling Sunset crew real? Picture: Netflix
Capital FM

By Capital FM

Selling Sunset details the lavish lives of the estate agents working at The Oppenheim Group in LA – but is the Netflix series real or scripted?

Selling Sunset is the LA reality show following the dramatic and luxurious lives of the real estate agents working at The Oppenheim Group, but is the show real?

The fallouts and dramas between the likes of Bre Tiesi, Chrishell Stause, Emma Hernan and Mary Fitzgerald have fans wondering whether the Netflix show is real or scripted.

And as season seven returns we’re taking a closer look at what the cast have said about the series and whether Selling Sunset is real or not…

Selling Sunset is not a scripted show
Selling Sunset is not a scripted show. Picture: Netflix

Is Selling Sunset real?

Selling Sunset is not scripted and genuinely follows the real lives of the stars, fans will be thrilled to know. However, the drama is amped up a little through clever editing.

Chrishell spoke to TMZ during the first series about how accurate the scandals really are, admitting a few things are “amped up for the show” but it’s not scripted.

After she was asked about the moment a client got a little too hands-on with Maya Vander during a house tour, Chrishell said: “Obviously, there are certain things that are a little amped up for the show… but honestly, I don’t really think that they asked him to do that. I mean, who would do that on purpose?”

Selling Sunset has the same executive producer as The Hills, Adam DiVello, who also worked on Laguna Beach, and he confirmed to Variety the show is “fully reality.”

Selling Sunset is not scripted, but some situations are "amped up"
Selling Sunset is not scripted, but some situations are "amped up". Picture: Netflix

He explained: “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.”

Much like the format of The Hills and Laguna Beach, the cast are likely told to speak to another member about an event that happened so the crew can pick up a genuine reaction.

Watch the trailer for Selling Sunset Season 7

The Oppenheim Group is an actual real estate brokerage in LA which has been a successful business for years since it was formed by Jason and his twin brother Brett, meaning it was an easy start when DiVello had the idea for a property company to be the backdrop of a reality show.

He added: “I came across these two brothers, Jason and Brett Oppenheim, and they own the Oppenheim Group up on Sunset.

"I saw their ads in magazines: It’s the two of them, and then about five or six female employees they have working for them. And I thought, that’s the cast of a show right there.”

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