Awkward moments, non-stop drama, a cast that look like models, and swoon-worthy multi-million-dollar properties – it's easy to see why Selling Sunset became everyone's binge-watch of 2020 after not one, but two, seasons dropped on Netflix last summer.
The streaming giant recently confirmed that seasons four and five will go ahead, which means we'll see the return of Mary Fitzgerald, Chrishell Stause, Christine Quinn, Heather Rae Young and co.
Ahead of the show's launch, we caught up with fan favourite Mary as she starred on our exclusive April digital cover. Despite the scandal and scenes that can sometimes make us hide behind our hands, Mary, who used to date her boss and The Oppenheim Group co-founder Jason Oppenheim, admitted she wouldn't change anything for the world.
Mary Fitzgerald stars on our April digital cover
"When you get that many girls together and strong personalities, things are bound to come up," Mary tells HELLO!. "Whether it's real estate drama or just personal drama, there's always going to be drama. It's tough for us, but the rest of the world loves it. There are certain times where it's difficult and it's very uncomfortable, but this is just a really fun moment in our lives."
Speaking from her gorgeous new home in the Valley, Los Angeles as she gives us an exclusive look, Mary answered all our burning questions about her notorious feud with Christine, how Chrishell is doing post-break up, Heather's beach-themed wedding – plus, rumours that the show is scripted.
"Romain is so incredible. He's very mature and a very strong man," says Mary
Netflix has just announced season four and five are on the cards. How excited are you?
"We are so excited! We don't know when we'll start filming yet. I would say within a couple of months probably, but they haven't given us that information yet."
Will there be as much drama as fans can expect from previous seasons?
"I'm sure. It's all the same cast so I can't imagine that there's going to be anything less. Heather is getting married, so there's going to be ups and downs. Christine's pregnant. Romain (Mary's husband) and I are trying to freeze our embryos. Amanza still has issues with her kids. And then just being around each other again, after so long, I'm sure it's going to take some getting used to… well for some of us!"
"Whether it's real estate drama or just personal drama, there's always going to be drama," says Mary
You and Christine definitely had your share of awkward and tense moments. What's the status of your friendship now?
"Around the time that season three came out, I called her to try and extend an olive branch. The conversation went really well. We hashed out basically what happened and got back on a civil page with each other, a decent page, but we don't really talk that much now. We both just live our own lives.
"I sent her a voice message when I found out she was pregnant, congratulating her. And she said thank you. But then I saw an article where she was bashing me, Heather and Chrishell for not liking her pregnancy announcement. And I was like, 'What?' We don't even follow each other on Instagram. None of us do, so I don't know what the deal was with that, but I did reach out to her and I did congratulate her."
Do you think it'll be awkward going back to filming with Christine?
"I don't think it's going to be awkward. I'm excited. I'm very excited actually, to have everybody back together. I never look forward to the drama and it gives me a lot of anxiety, but it's bound to happen, so I just need to be prepared for it and roll with the punches."
The cast are preparing to film seasons four and five
Do you ever wish for a normal day at the office, without any drama?
"Well, I try to do that every day but for some reason it just happens. But when we film, we film so much that it's not just drama every day. Producers just edit those parts because it's not very entertaining if we're all sitting there silently working. But when you get that many girls together and strong personalities, things are bound to come up. Whether it's real estate drama or just personal drama, there's going to be drama. It's tough for us, but the rest of the world loves it."
MORE: Jason Oppenheim reveals truth about brother Brett leaving
Do you ever watch the episodes back and think you've been portrayed unfairly?
"No. I think all of us are portrayed exactly like we are. Almost all of the scenes are what they are. Sometimes not as much is shown that explains the full situation because the production team has to pick the best pieces that tell the story concisely, and make sure everything flows. But nothing's really taken out of context and no one's misportrayed.
"We normally have a launch party to celebrate each new season just before it airs to the public, so we can see what made the cut and just prepare ourselves. But other than that, I typically don't re-watch any episodes."
On whether the show is scripted, Mary says "not at all"
So then it's not scripted, despite what some viewers may think?
"Not at all. Unfortunately, I would like to say that some of the bad moments were scripted. I'm sure Christine would like to say that for the end of season one, but none of it is scripted. It's very real and just edited down to the most entertaining parts."
MORE: Christine Quinn responds to accusations show is 'fake'
You and Chrishell are very close. How is she holding up after her break-up with Keo Motsepe, and her divorce from Justin Hartley being finalised?
"I don't know how she does it. She's so strong. She just has a survivor mentality. She was heartbroken. Of course, everyone saw it with Justin and she just has this way of moving on. I'll let her answer any questions regarding Keo but she just said that if something isn't good in her life, she doesn't want it there. She'll move on and she only wants to focus on the positive.
"I admire her a lot. She's one of the strongest girls I've met because there have been situations where I think, 'How are you doing this?' But she just focuses on the good, and she's not going to let the bad take over her life or get her down. She's a great, great girl."
MORE: Chrishell Stause makes rare comment about divorce from Justin Hartley
"She's one of the strongest girls I've met," says Mary of her friend and co-star Chrishell
Chrishell had a pretty tough time at Christine's wedding, but you were very quick to support her.
"Oh yeah, I went off on one! I'm very protective of my friends. I was yelling at production and the cameramen to stop filming and following her when she was leaving. She was trying to be the bigger person and come and support Christine on her big day, but then she was attacked. To me, it was just all so crazy.
"And when she finally had enough, she started walking out and then couldn't even get away from it all. I just went into Mama bear mode and I was saying, 'Leave her alone!' I was going to say that was not my best moment, but actually I think it probably was one of my better moments, where I actually spoke up. If they'd actually filmed me going off on one… it wasn't pretty!"
MORE: Christine Quinn broke this tradition on her $1m wedding day
Chrishell pictured leaving Christine's wedding after a falling-out
Have there been any other moments when you've wanted the cameras to stop rolling?
"I didn't really want to talk about what happened at Romain's bachelor party, because I don't like losing control or being hurt. I knew he hadn't done anything, but they didn't actually end up showing all of our conversation out of respect. I almost wished they had though because it would have explained it more, and made it so that it didn't look like he had cheated on me.
"But it all worked out and behind the scenes, I talked to the other guys who were there and they said the girls were throwing themselves at Romain, but he just gave them that Romain look and said to them, 'Do you see this? This is my fiancée. Thanks.' It's just so Romain!
"The single guys, Jason and Brett, they can do what they want and bring girls back. My anger was more on the lie about it. That's the only time when I thought, 'No, I don't want to film this conversation.' But I ended up doing it anyway."
Mary admits she doesn't keep in regular contact with Christine (middle)
Speaking of weddings, Heather and her TV star fiancé Tarek El Moussa's big day is coming up this year. Will it be shown on Selling Sunset?
"I don't know what her and Tarek have decided. I think Heather probably will want it shown, as long as there's not some sort of an issue between Tarek's network and our network, if that comes into play. They are just the cutest couple. It would be spectacular if they did show it."
You and Chrishell recently went dress shopping with Heather. What kind of wedding theme is she going for?
"I love those girls, they're so great and we have so much fun together. I think Heather's wedding is going to be amazing. I think she's going for more of a beachy vibe. I don't know if she really wants to be on a beach, that's what she told us when we were dress shopping. She said she doesn't like the sand, but she wants a beachy vibe. She's thinking of a theme still. She won't tell us exactly because she doesn't want it to get out."
EXCLUSIVE: Heather Rae Young talks wedding plans, guest list and her dream dress
Her advice to bride-to-be Heather is "don't let any of the girls cause drama with the guest list"
Have you given her any wedding advice?
"Yes – don't listen to anybody else and don't let any of the girls cause any drama with the guest list. My friend Nicole, the one who actually married me and Romain, was the one who helped me realise that it's my day, it's for Romain and I, and if you're a good friend, you're going to understand if you're not invited. You're still going to be a friend afterwards. It's not anything other than trying to tone it down.
"I think Heather wants to keep it small. So I think she just needs to listen to her heart and listen to her man, and they make their own decisions. It's nobody else's place to tell them what to do."
Romain and Mary's second wedding was televised on Selling Sunset
Fans got to see your own beautiful wedding in season two. Were there any downsides to having a televised wedding?
"I think it was cool that we got to do that. It did cause more stress, but how many people get to have their wedding on Netflix? I sometimes re-watch it if Romain and I get into an argument and I'm mad. It just puts me in a good mood and reminds me of how much we love each other, but we don't really argue that much.
"I think the way it was portrayed, where I think it did take me a minute to accept, was that in your head you have a vision of your wedding. And then when you watch it back, you see that half of the wedding is people arguing and talking about petty stuff. And that was disappointing, but I had to understand that the episode wasn't just about me and Romain but about all of the cast.
"I read some articles that Christine was disappointed about how her wedding was shown, but that's what I had to tell her when I reached out to her. It's not the Christine show, this is about the entire cast and what happened on the day. But she was a stunning bride and her day was epic. I told her to just be happy with that because who gets to see their wedding on Netflix and have their pictures in People magazine? So just be grateful.
"There were parts of my wedding that I thought were the best parts that were cut. What our officiant Nicole said, she was telling stories and basically saying why Romain and I are perfect for each other. And that unfortunately got edited out because people don't want to watch your whole wedding."
Mary admits she was disappointed by how her wedding was portrayed, but she "had to understand that the episode wasn't just about me and Romain"
Have you kept your wedding dress and if so, will you repurpose it?
"I still have it but I haven't really decided what I'm going to do with it. I thought about putting it up in a charity auction – I thought it would be cool if a fan bought it. I'm not a super sentimental person when it comes to materialistic things. I think relationships are more important than material items."
Earlier in March you were celebrating your wedding anniversary, but on the show you got married in the autumn. Did you have two weddings?
"We signed the papers in March 2018 before our actual wedding, so we do have two anniversaries and they're funnily enough about six months apart. I think it's perfect. We didn't know we'd have two weddings going into it, so why not celebrate your love twice a year? Both dates are very important to us."
The TV star plans to auction off her wedding dress for charity
You and Romain have also spoken about freezing your eggs but you haven't had the time. Will we see more of that conversation in the next season?
"We still haven't been able to do it with COVID and our work schedules. When my results came back and I found out I was fertile, I just didn't really prioritise it. But it's been about a year and a half since then and I know the quality and the number of eggs go down less and less every year when you're 40, so I really need to make that a top priority.
"We'll probably do embryos because I don't really care about having another child of my own. I've already done that, but I do want to make sure that Romain gets that experience, if we decide to move forward."
Mary is planning to freeze her eggs
Do Romain and your son Austin get on well?
"They get along really well. They don't look at each other like a son and stepdad. Jason and Brett and all the guys that are very important and special in my life, Austin looks at Romain like that. He's one of the guys that he looks up to and admires and is a central part of my life."
How did you know Romain was The One?
"I think you kind of just know, but we got along really, really well from the beginning. And honestly, I was the one who pushed back. If it weren't for him, we probably wouldn't be together because I got scared. I started backing off and getting nervous and weird because I knew I had really strong feelings for him. There was the age difference and I just thought, 'I'm not going to get hurt again.' And he said, 'I'm not an LA guy. I'm not going to cheat. That's not who I am. That's not how I was raised.' He was all in and he's the one that wouldn't let me back away. And I'm so grateful for that because I would have lost the best thing in the world.
"He's so incredible. I'm very, very lucky. He's very mature and a very strong man. I don't deserve it actually! He just understands me and if I'm stressed out, he's always so calm and patient. And for me, him being so loving and so giving of himself, I think that is the most romantic thing ever."
MORE: Inside Mary Fitzgerald's relationship history
The couple celebrate both of their wedding anniversaries
Is Romain close to his family, and how supportive have they been of his new life in California?
"Absolutely. Romain is extremely close to his whole family, especially his mum. She misses him so much and we try to go back to France and visit as much as possible. She, of course, wants to see her little boy more, but she understands that he has this amazing life over here and she's very, very proud of him. She's happy for us and very, very supportive. He talks to her probably three times a week and I talk to her too. I don't speak a lot of French – I keep saying I'm going to prioritise it but the only thing that gets prioritised is work and family – but we text each other using translations. His whole family is just absolutely incredible."
You dated Jason previously. Is it ever awkward being managed by your ex?
"I respect him as my broker. We do argue when it comes to clients, especially if we're on different sides of a deal, because we're fighting for what's best for our client. But otherwise we get along very, very well. We work together great, we're like yin and yang. If we're working on something together, he's more forceful and will tell people like it is. He's very direct whereas I pacify people and coach them into something, so that they don't get nervous. I say things in a nicer way but if I'm not getting people to move quickly enough, then he'll chime in."
GALLERY: Jason Oppenheim gives us an exclusive tour of his LA home
Mary jokes she has to approve of everyone her boss and ex-boyfriend Jason dates
We don't hear much about his love life. Does he have his fair share of drama?
"He does go on dates. I have to approve of everybody! Just kidding. No, I mean, we are very protective. If he does start dating someone, I'll say what I think. Sometimes I say, 'Jay, no, she's using you.' Other times the girls are super sweet. He was dating this one girl not too long ago and we all went on vacation to Miami together, she was lovely.
"But he'll date around. He doesn't date often. He's just not a commitment guy. But when he does pick people, they stick around, they become our friends forever. All of his previous girlfriends are all part of our group now. We all become very, very close and he's got good taste. He picks good people when he actually decides to properly date."
Are any of them Mary clones?
"He does have his type! Besides one girl who I think was part Asian and had long dark hair – she was a stunning, stunning girl – most of them are petite blondes. That's just his type. Me, Nicole (my wedding officiant) and Katie, another of his exes, are all doing a girls' night soon because we all get along really well. Jason loves it and think it's cool, and it doesn't matter to us because we aren't in a relationship with him anymore."
"This is just a really fun moment in our lives that we can all share together," says Mary
Will the next season see new agents joining, like Nicole?
"I would love for Nicole to join. She's one of the top agents in our office. She does a lot of business and is one of our best friends. She's beautiful and funny. I don't know if she'd ever join but I would definitely love her to."
Would you ever consider leaving the show?
"No, I think I would always be a part of it. It's almost all positive for me. There are certain times that are difficult, like if Christine and I are arguing, but that would be difficult anyway. I don't like fighting with people, it's very uncomfortable and normally I just distance myself, but when you're working that close and with people, you have no choice but to talk to them.
"The show has just created opportunities for me that wouldn't have otherwise existed. And it's just a really fun moment in our lives that we can all share together. And that's not normal, to be able to share this with the most important in your life, to go through the same thing at the same time, and to support each other."
Selling Sunset seasons one to three air on Netflix.
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