Kriti Mehrotra
With luxuriously beautiful homes, incredibly feisty realtors, endless catty drama, and undeniably alluring settings, Netflix’s ‘Selling the OC’ lives up to its franchise name in every way imaginable. That’s because it follows The Oppenheim Group’s elite agents as they navigate not just their professional but also their personal affairs — the only difference is they’re from the Orange County office. So since we’ve now seen the over-the-top yet intricate way things play out within this gripping production, let’s dig deep to uncover precisely how much of it is natural — if at all — shall we?
Selling the OC is As Real As Possible
Ever since the entire real estate-based concept of ‘Selling Sunset’ came to light in 2018, it has been billed as unscripted, and the truth is there’s never been any sure evidence to dispute the notion. Thus, of course, its spin-off ‘Selling the OC’ is the same, especially as it is again created by Adam DiVello — the man behind both the original series as well as its first branch ‘Selling Tampa.’ It thus promises that none of the conversations, emotions, or situations are pre-penned by professionals and then handed over to the dynamic cast for proper execution in front of the cameras.
However, because the show utilizes a myriad of resources to ensure its long-term success, the producers do supposedly play a key role in pushing the narrative in the most engaging direction. They seemingly do not ever concoct anything from the ground up, but they may nudge a few topics of conversation at particular times to create what can only be described as authentic drama. It can be during the cast’s confessionals to really get to the heart of their true feelings behind an individual/an incident, or it could be in group settings in real-time to ignite one spark after another.
The prime example is the whole season 1 plotline of Kayla Cardona attempting to kiss a married Tyler Stanaland while drunk — yet we don’t get a glimpse into the actual incident, just its aftermath. The cameras actually ostensibly weren’t rolling at the time as the realtors were on a spontaneous night out, but the prior implications, ensuing exchanges, arguments, and breakdowns are captured. This facet only signifies the fact there’s clear, careful staging done by the behind-the-scenes personnel to guarantee the best audio, video, and content quality for our sheer entertainment.
In fact, The Oppenheim Group’s owner/president Jason Oppenheim has since elucidated, “At most, I would say that in some situations, if some things need to be addressed or we’re meeting a client or something, we’ll be asked to wait to make sure if we get everything on camera, but that’s certainly not scripted.” In another interview with People, he made sure to assert that “Any insinuation that the agents on our show are not experienced, successful, or licensed, evidences a complete disregard for the facts,” which essentially means every individual we see on our screens is really who they say they are, including new cast member Ali Harper.
But alas, apart from the staging as well as persuasion, there’s even producer interference in post-production, but that’s truly unavoidable since it brings together a smooth flow amid different scenes to maintain the audience’s interest. In other words, despite the prompting, the planned settings, as well as the editing, ‘Selling the OC’ is as unscripted as it can be because there’s just effective manipulation (not manufacturing) throughout. With this said, we have to clarify that no matter what, you should always take any reality, unstructured series with a grain of salt as you never really know exactly how much the producers are involved.
Read More: Is Selling Tampa Real or Scripted?
