Netflix’s Selling Sunset, a reality series about the personal and professional lives of top L.A. real estate agents, has become a somewhat surprising hit among viewers, with the last five seasons all finding themselves in the Top 10 lineup upon release. And the Real Housewives franchise might want to watch out, because this streaming empire is ever-expanding, with Selling Tampa premiering in December 2021 and Selling The OC coming in August 2022. The mothership series has now earned some major renewal news from the streaming platform, but that good news is coupled with the update that one star is not returning for Season 6.
Netflix Confirms Selling Sunset Was Renewed For Two More Seasons
In a rare pop culture moment, the rumors were true. Last January, months before Season 5 was even released, a ton of buzz circulated online claiming that Selling Sunset already earned the greenlight for two more seasons. Main castmate Heather Rae Young (now Mrs. Tarek El Moussa) seemingly celebrated at the time by posting a ton of sweet throwback pics of the cast. Well, Netflix has at last confirmed the speculation: Season 6 and Season 7 are a go, with the sixth set of episodes set to start filming later this summer.
Even without the earlier rumors fueling fans' eagerness, the renewal news isn’t exactly surprising. From the hoopla over Emma Hernan’s alleged Raya match-up with Ben Affleck to Chrishell Stause’s surprising romantic revelations, Selling Sunset has been the talk of the town in a way that Netflix execs probably wish all of their unscripted shows were. So much so that the realty series won big at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards, taking home Best Reality Star (Stause) and Best Docu-Reality Series.
Ahead Of Season 6, One Star Is Exiting Selling Sunset
Perhaps the only negative in the sea of Selling Sunset's success is that it’s losing one of its original stars. TMZ reports that Maya Vander, who has been a part of the streaming hit for all five seasons, is leaving for good. Production sources allegedly told the outlet that Vander is choosing instead to prioritize her growing family and her business in Miami going forward. Supposedly, she has already switched her real estate license from the infamous Oppenheim Group to the Miami firm Compass.
Maya Vander isn’t yet listed on Compass’ official website as one of their Miami real estate agents. But if and when it's confirmed to be true, this Season 6 update isn’t too surprising, either. The reality star had been dropping hints on Selling Sunset for some time that she might be leaving eventually.
Vander was candid with the New York Post back in January, too, in sharing that things were "tough" after the stillbirth of her son in December of 2021, on top of having to constantly commute from the East Coast to the West Coast for five seasons. She was firm about things at the time, saying, “I cannot be an absentee mom.” The alum also lamented that for all of the trouble she went through for the show, the editors would usually end up only using a quick sound bite of hers here and there.
What Else Is In Store For Selling Sunset Season 6?
Maya Vander isn’t the only one walking away from Selling Sunset ahead of Season 6. Her co-star Christine Quinn in fact officially exited the Oppenheim Group earlier this year. But there’s still some confusion over whether the 33-year-old is returning to the show in a different capacity. Previously, Quinn had said that she would figure into a future season somehow (and even had a logistics pitch), yet while on her book promotion tour at a later date, she hinted that she was “free” from the Netflix streamer’s control.
Allegedly, there was a lot of “horrifying” BTS behavior that Christine Quinn experienced from one Selling Sunset executive producer in particular. She claimed that the misconduct resulted in the exec being banned when the cast was on set, but said his “retaliatory behavior” against her ultimately continued. After exiting the business, Quinn has decided to move on by opening up her own cryptocurrency brokerage alongside her husband. Her infamous tenacity is sure to make it a success, although I can’t help still wondering if the future of Selling Sunset can survive without her and her drama…
Everyone can probably live easily enough without Maya Vander, but Christine Quinn... I’m not too sure. Quinn’s protégé from Season 5, Chelsea Lazkani, has gone on record saying she wants to advocate for more Black women in real estate and on the show, so she will presumably take up more of a role. The other alums will likely have to step up their game as well without Quinn there to constantly lean on to complain about.
We’ll keep you updated on the latest. For now, though, fans can check out Selling the OC when it premieres on August 24 and all the other titles still to come on the 2022 Netflix TV schedule.
