Power Ranking the Real Estate Agents, From Worst To Best
Viewers of Selling Sunset may have needed to pick their jaws up off the floor at the sight of the homes, fashion and events of the LA realty reality show – but it was the powerful women of The Oppenheim Group that has kept viewers hooked. Despite being a reality show, Netflix‘s Selling Sunset presents a level of glamour and luxury lifestyle that feels more like a fairytale fantasy. And the millions of dollars in property listings shown throughout the series would not pass through the doors of The O Group were it not for the powerful women who represent it.
Wrangling million-dollar deals in six-inch heels, it’s no doubt that every woman in The O Group is a powerhouse. Over forty-five episodes, they juggled relationships, pregnancies, motherhood and office politics all while looking flawless and managing premium property listings. But with season six on the horizon, there are some realtors whose power is in jeopardy, and others fans expect to see holding their own in the lion’s den of The O Group office.
10/10 Davina Potratz
Davina appeared in all five seasons, despite her brief hiatus from The O Group and an uncomfortable return in season four. The Gretchen Wieners to Christine’s Regina George, Davina came across as a sycophantic cheerleader for most of the series.
Davina’s tactlessness landed her in hot water with her colleagues time and again, and as she scrambled to defend ill-chosen words, her power wavered. When Davina posed the question “Do any of you feel like I’m… desperately trying to be liked?” she was met with awkward silence. That silence spoke volumes about the transparency of her campaign to wrangle power within the group. Yet, as she found her voice in season five when she stood up to Chelsea, there’s hope that fans can expect to see a more self-confident and powerful Davina in season six.
9/10 Christine Quinn
Drama vampire and self-professed “gothic Barbie”, Christine is the queen of high fashion and low blows. A Machiavelli in Manolos, she knows exactly how to turn a look, make an entrance and throw a party.
With a mentality of dividing to conquer, her modus operandi was a calculated campaign of social recruitment. Christine’s cocktail of power-plays was manipulative and underhanded. She played the victim when she wasn’t getting her way, made rude comments about her colleagues to the press and rewrote narratives before viewers’ very eyes. There is no power in diminishing or belittling other women, and throughout five seasons it became clear that Christine was never able to celebrate anyone else’s success or happiness without a side-serving of bitterness. Her inability to champion the surrounding women caused her power to dissolve by the end of season five, and it’s unlikely she will re-join the season six cast.
8/10 Heather El Moussa
The struggles of a long-distance relationship in season one saw Heather understandably distracted from her duties as a realtor. With a shaky grip on her emotions, she got the staging on a five-and-a-half-million dollar property wrong, setting back the selling process. Further issues arose when she and Christine couldn’t co-operate on a co-listing.
By season two, she was dating Tarek and became a step-mother. Heather gradually found a way to manage her demanding home life, but her inability to stay cool in the face of Christine’s negative commentary was hard to watch. The catharsis when Heather calmly stood up for herself against Christine in season five came right on time, and viewers can hope to see Heather holding her power more in future seasons.
7/10 Vanessa Villela
Joining the cast in season four, Vanessa quickly adopted the role of peacemaker between Christine and the rest of the realtors. There was a great deal of strength in her vulnerability, and it was deeply moving to hear about the passing of her sister, whom Vanessa dedicated her career to.
In season five, Vanessa made the decision to move away from LA to be with her partner. But not before doing her best to mend the burnt bridges between Christine and the rest of the office, taking Christine to a mindset coach and maintaining a refreshing neutrality in the office drama. Though only with the team for a season, this powerful woman who had found strength from adversity certainly made a lasting impression.
6/10 Chelsea Lazkani
Chelsea is a London-born mother of two who joined the cast in season five. Brought in by Christine, she served as an ally and much-needed confidant.
Chelsea proved herself as a force to be reckoned with professionally, bringing important listings and clients to the company’s portfolio. Confident and up-front, her most cut-throat power play came when she acknowledged that for her to earn a desk at the office, someone would lose their job – in her words, they must “chop the waste”. A shrewd move, her business acumen was powerful and impressive. It’s unclear if she will return, but without Christine, fans can hope to watch her be powerful in her own right.
5/10 Emma Hernan
Emma joined The O Group in season four. Walking confidently into a feeding frenzy, Emma held herself with dignity despite a rocky beginning as the target of Christine’s smear campaign.
Emma began investing in the stock market at just fourteen years old and now owns a nationwide food brand, proving that she’s a powerful woman with a keen sense for good business. Juggling relationships, realty and an empanada empire (all the while not being shaken by Christine’s efforts to tear her down) Emma was a powerful addition to the office who viewers can hope to see more of in season six.
4/10 Mary Fitzgerald
One of the top-selling agents of The O Group, Mary is a formidable presence in the office who was deservingly promoted to managing director in season five. A single mother at sixteen, Mary is a powerful woman with an unmatched confidence.
Showing her wedding venue on her wedding day while wearing her wedding dress (and closing the sale) was the very definition of a power move. Viewers also saw a heated showdown between Mary and Christine in season two. By season five, Mary had a firm and professional confrontation with Christine that was strong and level-headed. The personal growth and difference in how she handled difficult situations was palpable and powerful.
3/10 Amanza Smith
Amanza joined the cast in season two. A strong single mother, Amanza came from humble beginnings and worked her way into the industry, first as a decorator and property stager.
Amanza showed immense strength as she dealt with the sudden shift from being a co-parent, to being the sole caregiver to her two young children. Surviving a bitter custody battle while working on building up her skills as a realtor, Amanza admirably supported the women around her, her children and herself.
2/10 Maya Vander
Juggling pregnancies, motherhood and commuting between Miami and Los Angeles, Maya is a multilingual powerhouse. Somehow, Maya managed to float above the drama of the office and maintain neutrality.
The first indication of Maya’s power was in season one, when she put a sleazy client firmly in his place. Fantastic at her job and managing the demands of her personal life without letting it affect her business, Maya was strong, confident and inspiring. In season five, she left the brokerage to be with her family full time in Miami, and it’s unlikely she will return for future seasons.
1/10 Chrishell Stause
After joining The O Group in the first episode, viewers watched Chrishell hustle her way to being one of the top sellers in the brokerage. Straight-talking yet empathetic, her journey was far from easy and called on all her reserves of power and strength to overcome obstacles along the way.
Throughout five seasons, Chrishell suffered a brutal and very public divorce, bought her first home, grieved the passing of her parents, and survived a whirlwind romance with cast-mate Jason. Chrishell didn’t suffer fools or make excuses for herself or anyone else, handling the office drama with dignity. As Chrishell said, “empowered women empower women”, and that energy kept her an inspirational fan favorite.
