The real estate reality show Selling Sunset has been a growing fan favorite since its premiere on Netflix in 2019. The show follows the juicy personal and professional lives of realtors with the Oppenheim group, as they attempt to sell homes worth millions of dollars. Glitzy L.A. mansions plus competition plus everyday drama is clearly the recipe for success. But Netflix's decision to renew Selling Sunset simultaneously for Seasons 4 and 5 has actually posed quite a problem for one of its leading stars.
Selling Sunset is set and filmed in Los Angeles, California, as the Oppenheim real estate firm literally sits on Sunset Boulevard. This is a huge concern for Maya Vander, a cast member of the show since Season 1, as she recently moved to Miami with her family. She still plans to take part in Season 4 and 5 but admits it will be a struggle to commute to work. Vander told Page Six:
I’ll just fly back and forth, potentially stay there for maybe longer doing the summer. I have to still figure it out because I do have two kids now, so things are a little bit different, but I always get things done, so I’ll get this done as well.
Though Maya Vander doesn't necessarily cause the lion's share of the drama on Selling Sunset, her calm, direct level-headedness is a nice respite on a show that is constantly over-the-top. Yes, I'm looking at you, Christine Quinn. But it seems likely that Vander's role will have to be significantly less involved if she can't find a good balance for the commute.
Back and forth between the East and West Coast for filming Selling Sunset would be a huge undertaking for Maya Vander, her husband and two children, especially when she already has her own real estate group in Miami. But according to Vander, her family would be able to handle it if it weren't for the coronavirus pandemic affecting their plans. She said:
Thankfully, I have an amazing, supportive husband and we just have to bring some help in when I’m filming in L.A. Hopefully I can fly with them, too, but I don’t want to hop on the plane with the kids with the COVID environment. So that’s another obstacle that we are dealing with. Thankfully, I’m going to be fully vaccinated by the time we actually film, so I’m very lucky about that.
The coronavirus has had an insidious effect on everyone's day-to-day lives and businesses, but film and television production came to a grinding halt early last. No show was safe to continue filming due to the large cast and crews always present. However, the filming of Selling Sunset for Season 1 through 3 is odd in that they significantly predate the actual premiere dates. Just last season, fans finally saw Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartley's divorce drama unfold.
Nevertheless, Maya Vander has an idea that would be good not only for her but Netflix as well. She speculated to Page Six:
It would be nice, honestly, if we filmed a little bit here, but I don’t know if the producer will do that. I wish they would actually show some Miami real estate, especially with this whole movement from California and the northeast to Florida. I’ve been super busy here, but I think I have to fly back to LA and that’s my plan.
The idea of splitting Selling Sunset’s screen time between Los Angeles and Miami wouldn't make much sense for the title. But pursuing spin-off options in the vein of “Selling Miami,” with Maya Vander at the helm, might be something fans would watch. Netflix need only look at the Real Housewives franchise to see that a change of location is sometimes necessary to bring in more of a fanbase.
Either way, fans will certainly hope that Maya Vander stays in Selling Sunset’s loop somehow. For every Christine Quinn type, there should be a Cool Hand Luke-esque figure.
