Summary
- Nicole Young became a Selling Sunset villain after accusations of unfair credit, showcasing drama behind the scenes of the O Group.
- Young's feud with Chrishell Stause escalated with accusations of drug use during a bonding trip, sparking intense backlash from fans.
- Despite initial nervousness about exposing her life on the show, Young ultimately decided to fully embrace the dramatic real estate world of Selling Sunset.
When Chrishell Stause joined The Oppenheim Group in season 1 of Netflix's Selling Sunset, she immediately clashed with self-proclaimed villain, Christine Quinn. But when the latter left after season 5 to start her brokerage, Stause found herself feuding with another leggy blonde, Nicole Young – who joined the show in season 6 but has been the longest-standing realtor at the O Group, having worked there since 2014.
Stause – who said being cast in Selling Sunset was "a baptism through fire" – certainly proved it to Young, who admitted she was "scared" of joining the cast. While the newcomer threatened to sue Stause for defamation, fans still sided with the latter and called Young an "absolute garbage human" to her co-stars. Here's why.
Nicole Young Became A 'Selling Sunset' Villain After Feuding With Chrishell Stause In Season 6
The feud started with Young accusing Stause of taking "unfair credit" for a listing due to favoritism by Jason Oppenheim whom she was dating back then. In case you missed it, Oppenheim dated Young around 2012, then Stause in 2023. The former soap opera actress took offense at her colleague's comments, saying that past sales are a "huge part of real estate."
Young later told Tudum: "This issue has been a longstanding thing. I didn't just go on the show to pick a fight. This was already in the mix, and obviously when cameras come into play and emotions are heightened, things tend to come out."
"I wasn't just pulling something out of thin air," she continued. But in a separate interview, Stause confessed she was "blindsided" by the attacks. "She's come to my Friendsgiving, she's come to my home for parties. I think that we're friends," she said of her relationship with Young. "When you're joining a show and all of a sudden I'm seeing someone now with a camera crew kind of coming at me, it definitely threw me for a loop."
It got out of hand when Stause accused Young of taking drugs and being "cracked out" during a "bonding" trip in Palm Springs with the other agents. "I was gutted, absolutely gutted," recalled the latter. "I was so shocked that it took me a second to even process the words that had just come out of her mouth. The damage is in the accusation and I knew it was something that I was going to have to crawl out of."
Nicole Young tested negative for drugs in Palm Springs but decided not to sue Chrishell Stause for defamation.
'Selling Sunset' Fans Slammed Nicole Young For Being "Jealous" Of Her Colleagues
In the official Selling Sunset subreddit, a fan wrote that "Nicole is an absolute garbage human." They argued that "Nicole is jealous because Chrishell is a decent human being (with her own flaws as we all have). But Nicole is an absolute garbage excuse for a human and instigating person with absolutely nothing to back up her claims with."
Another critic called Young "quite possibly the most unlikable character on reality [TV]" for being "bitter over ancient history with Chrishell (when it's so blatantly obvious she's just jealous of her)."
They added that she "latches onto weird details for the sake of getting a one-up, can't articulate her point in arguments, and places too much emphasis on her professionalism as a real estate agent for the sake of trying to be more likable ("Im a stickler for punctuality", etc)." True enough, Young reiterated that during her interview with Tudum,
"I'm very driven, dedicated and committed to my job and clients, but on the personal side," she told the Netflix publication. "I'm also really fun and don't take myself too seriously." But like the passionate Redditor said some viewers just think, "Girl we get it, you're obviously a great real estate agent, but yeesh literally we do not care about your stance on punctuality and you are not good [TV]."
Here's a closer look at Nicole Young's relationship with her Selling Sunset co-stars:
| Chrishell Stause | Young said they've "gotten to a point where we can just coexist." |
| Emma Hernan | Young extended a "heartfelt apology" to Hernan at the O Group's 10th-anniversary party after calling her a "social climber" behind her back while speaking with show alum, Davina Potratz. |
| Amanza Smith | Smith seemingly sided with Young after she "blocked" Stause on social media "because the side of her face triggers" her. |
| Jason Oppenheim | Young "met [Jason] the very first year [she] was in real estate." She "just took the opportunity to shadow him whenever I could." |
| Brett Oppenheim and Mary Fitzgerald (including Jason and Smith) | Young said her relationship with them is "just on another level." |
Nicole Young Was "Nervous" About "Exposing Her Life" On 'Selling Sunset'
After years of being "in the background" at the O Group, Young decided to join Selling Sunset despite being "very nervous" about it. "I've been in the background. I've even had friends from growing up or college or high school who were like, 'Oh wait, you work there?'" she told Tudum. She was mostly anxious about her personal life being out in public.
"I really wanted to focus on real estate," Young shared. "I didn't know where the show was going to go, and frankly I just wasn't ready to expose my life to the world."
Ahead of the season 6 premiere, she told People "that's something I can't even fathom right now" and "that scares me a little bit." At that time, she admitted: "I'm excited. I'm nervous. It's felt like something that has been coming for so long that it almost feels a bit surreal that it's just a couple of days away. So I'm really excited to see what viewers think and how everyone takes it."
Eventually, she decided, "If I was going to do this, then I couldn't do it half-ass," she told Tudum. I couldn't be on the fence. I had to just trust it and go for it and that's what I did." She added that after all, "real estate is dramatic, even without the cameras. This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm just excited to embrace it."
Nicole Young has made over $100 million in real estate sales throughout her career.
Her longtime co-workers were also there to support her, coming into the show. "Going into a situation where I've been at the Oppenheim Group for 10 years, and these are people that I've worked with for years, definitely helped ease me into it," Young revealed to People. She was set to join season 1 of the show but backed out after getting "cold feet."
Her husband, Brandon Young ultimately pushed her to join season 6. "He was actually the one who pushed me to finally do it and accept this time," Young said of her supportive spouse. "So I give him the credit for me being on the show. He's always supportive."
