Selling Sunset Season 8 only dropped on Netflix on September 6, but the new series has already been slammed for “embarrassing” drama over ownership of a small Californian town.
When you sit down to watch any reality TV show, drama is a given. But falsely claiming to own a town when it can be easily proved you don’t? Not usually in the lineup.
However, that’s exactly what’s happened in Season 8 of controversial Netflix series Selling Sunset. New episodes haven’t even been out a week at the time of writing, but newcomer Alanna Gold has been slammed for a strange new storyline.
The 32-year-old real estate agent makes her debut in the latest episodes of the binge-worthy TV show, immediately telling colleagues she owned a “little Western town in the desert” known as Pioneertown.
She later added, “I’m (the) sheriff of the town, yeehaw!” and remarked, “You guys don’t get to know that. You can’t have it, it’s ours” when asked by boss Jason Oppenheim about the price.
However, the glory was quickly short-lived. On September 9, the town’s newspaper The Pioneer Gazette called for a public apology from Gold, claiming she “belittled” their town.
Saw this on Reddit!! How embarrassing lmao #sellingsunset pic.twitter.com/Gva1c3uk4p
— Eileen Slayvidson (@eilenslayvidson) September 10, 2024
Its Instagram statement read: “The baseless claims by Selling Sunset’s Alanna Gold that she ‘owns Pioneertown’ undermines 78 years of internationally celebrated film, arts, and cultural history. These claims belittle generations of artists, neighbors, nature lovers, community members, musicians, small business owners, and otherwise magnificent people of Pioneertown.
“Pioneertown is a mile-square census designated community with over 400 residents and is privately owned by more than 100 independent parties. Mrs. Gold has a small minority non-controlling interest in an entity that owns six of 35 parcels in the Mane Street area, constituting less than 1% of Pioneertown’s total 640 acres.
“The claim she owns the ‘entire town’ is verifiably false.”
According to The Independent, Gold has since issued a statement apologizing for her words.
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It reads: “I want to reach out to personally say I am so deeply sorry for the confusion I have caused. I certainly do not own Pioneertown, I never should have said that and I apologize for doing so. I want you to know that I did not mean any harm, I absolutely love Pioneertown and I simply got too excited talking about it.
“My first date with my husband was there and our wedding was at the Soundstage. We wanted to become part of the community so we invested in a home and other properties there.
“We are contacting any and all reporters to make sure they update their stories and correct the record. Again, I am so sorry to the people of Pioneertown, I would never want to disrespect the town’s history or any of the people who make it such a wonderful place.”
However, Gold’s apology may have come too little too late, with fans already criticizing the “embarrassing” drama and apology.
“After the season aired, the town came at her asking her to apologize because surprise surprise, she doesn’t own the whole town, lol it’s so hilariously embarrassing. I have never heard a whole ass town come after a reality TV show actor like this,” one posted on Reddit.
A second agreed, “I’m stunned that she thought she’d be able to get away with this. I mean she’s telling people on a television show not at a cocktail party. Did she think no one would find out???”
Selling Sunset Season 8 has also come under fire for continuing drama between realtors Chrishell Strause and Nicole Young, with Strause threatening to quit if Young is in Season 9.
Selling Sunset Season 8 is available on the streaming service now. For more, take a look at the best TV shows of the year so far, alongside more TV shows streaming this month.