Alex Hall: All Reasons Why It Might Be Time Her To Leave ‘Selling The OC’ And The Oppenheim Group Altogether – A Deep Dive Into Her Rift With Ashtyn Zerboni

The very, very brutally hostile reunion episode of Selling Sunset featured the cast of the spinoff show Selling The OC. They were all there to promote the 4th season of their show, which follows the agents as they navigate their personal lives while selling houses in the OC area. Before the latest season premiered, it was revealed that 6 of the original cast members didn’t make the cut. They quit before filming had commenced. Notably missing were missing from our screens are Alexandra Jarvis, Alexandra Rose, Sean Palmieri, Kayla Cardona, Lauren Shortt, and Ali Harper. Alex Hall, Tyler Stanaland, Gio Helou, Polly Brindle, Brandi Marshall, and Austin Victoria did return and made their mark on their respective storylines, and there were new faces introduced too: Fiona Belle, Ashtyn Zerboni, and Kaylee Ricciardi.

Personally, I didn’t find Selling The OC too appealing. Perhaps the most interesting storyline that ever came out of the whole thing was Alex Hall and her relationship with Pitch Perfect actress Brittany Snow. I’m not even sorry that I’m referring to him as that, because at the end of the day, that’s all he’s really known for, and if he wasn’t involved with Alex Hall, he wouldn’t have even been mentioned at all in any of the details of the Netflix reality show.

Professionally speaking, Hall has proven herself to be a skilled negotiator, visionary, entrepreneur and expert strategic planner. She ranks in the top tier of Orange County real estate. This is as per the list of her top accomplishments included on The Oppenheim Group’s official website. Hall’s personal life, on the other hand, has been nothing but the talk of town; particularly at the office. She and Stanaland have had a particularly complex relationship throughout the seasons, rooted in a long-standing friendship that turned romantic, causing drama due to Tyler’s marriage to Brittany Snow, but ultimately fizzled, leaving them as “just friends,” though they’ve recently reconnected for closure, with both now in new relationships, as shown in the latest seasons.  To break it down more thoroughly:

Key Points of Their Relationship:

• Long-Time Friends: They knew each other from high school, establishing a deep, tactile, and “touchy-feely” friendship before the show. 

• Marriage & Speculation (Season 1): Tyler was married to actress Brittany Snow when the show started, but viewers noticed their flirtatious behavior, leading to speculation. 

• Developing Romance (Season 2): After Tyler’s divorce, their bond deepened, culminating in a hot tub kiss, but they claimed to be just navigating their friendship. 

• “The Other Woman” Drama (Season 3): Alex faced backlash for being the “other woman,” a label she denied, as Tyler was also seeing someone else during his divorce. 

• Closure (Season 4): They had an emotional reunion, clearing the air about past misunderstandings, with both agreeing to move forward as friends, acknowledging their past feelings but recognizing life had moved on. 

• Current Status: Both have moved on; Tyler is married to Hannah Morrissey, and Alex recently dated Ian Young (though they’ve since split). 

It was Hall’s new boyfriend that she dated after things didn’t work out with Brittany Snow’s ex-husband that had encouraged her to have a much needed heart-to-heart with him. It brought both of them closure. Since that conversation seen on the show, there hadn’t been much of an interaction between them – not on-screen nor off. Earlier this month, he eloped with his new wife, so naturally, fans everywhere had been wondering how Hall felt about her ex’s new life event. She told People, ‘I genuinely want nothing but the best for him and want him to find happiness, and it seems like he has. To an outside perspective, people might be thinking sirens are going off because of his elopement. But I’m not here to judge because I also have done crazy things and am spontaneous. I just hope she doesn’t get hurt by him and that he isn’t repeating old patterns like he did with his ex-wife and with me.’

Since everything between Brittany Snow’s ex-husband and Hall had unfolded, he’d gotten a pretty bad reputation in his treatment of both women. He’d done them both dirty in different ways, and it had a great effect on Hall’s work and the relationships she’d developed with her co-workers and co-stars. This leads me to discuss Ashtyn Zerboni. It was Zerboni who’d been the one to end Hall’s relationship with Brittany Snow’s ex-husband, or the relationship that could’ve been between them had it even begun. Before it could lead to any sort of future, Zerboni felt he need to meddle in what the two of them shared and told Hall that she’d heard rumours that Hall’s fling was being flirtatious with another woman.

An entire fiasco had happened at a dinner party with the whole crew. It even lead to Zerboni to suffer a mental breakdown. Hall stopped herself as soon as she saw how the entire situation was affecting her pregnant co-worker, and even went to comfort her. This entire situation made me think as someone who has a background in Human Resources, and how it’s NEVER a good idea to have two people in the office date each other, especially in a small company. It blurs professional boundaries, invites gossip, creates awkwardness, risks career damage (especially with power dynamics), makes breakups incredibly difficult, and can lead to conflicts of interest or even harassment claims, compromising your focus and the office environment. The lack of separation between work and personal life increases stress, and a bad breakup can make working together unbearable, potentially forcing one person to leave the job. To break things down more thoroughly:

Professional & Career Risks

• Conflicts of Interest: Especially problematic if one partner supervises the other, leading to accusations of favoritism or unfair treatment.

• Jeopardized Career: Promotions, raises, or even job security can be at risk due to perceptions of bias or unprofessionalism.

• Harassment Claims: A breakup can lead to false or real harassment claims, creating major HR issues and career damage. 

Workplace & Social Problems

• Gossip & Judgment: Other colleagues often gossip, feel uncomfortable, or resent the couple, leading to social isolation.

• Distraction: Constant proximity and relationship drama can decrease productivity for both partners and those around them.

• Blurred Lines: It’s hard to separate personal arguments from work discussions, and you lose the healthy escape of not seeing your partner. 

Personal & Relationship Fallout

• No Escape: You’re with your partner 24/7, eliminating personal space and making it hard to miss them or have independent downtime.

• Messy Breakups: A breakup becomes excruciating when you still have to see your ex daily, making moving on nearly impossible and creating intense awkwardness.

• Constant Stress: Juggling relationship issues with work responsibilities adds significant stress and can lead to resentment. 

While some office romances work out, the potential downsides are significant and often outweigh the benefits, especially if you value your long-term career stability. 

With everything that had gone down between them, Hall was willing to let everything go and start anew with Zerboni. She even was on the guest list for the very extravagant baby shower, and had an extremely cute baby gift prepared for the mom-to-be. Things were looking up for them two. That was the case at least until Zerboni took Hall aside to confront her about another matter, which had to do with a listing appointment that happened the previous day with Hall and Zerboni friend. The client’s girlfriend, who’s also friends with Zerboni, said he felt uncomfortable with Hall claimed she flirted with him and acted unprofessionally.

Nothing of that sort actually happened during that particular meeting. Hall was nothing but professional, and she was just trying to do what she thought was best for everyone. Of the entire ordeal that had occurred, Hall told Entertainment Tonight, ‘I think this being our fourth season, I feel like some of the original cast, there’s targets on our backs to a certain degree, and from the moment I very first met Ashtyn, it was just drama and trying to stir the pot and trying to do things. I really felt like the baby shower was me extending an olive branch that I didn’t even, wasn’t even my place to extend. And how [the show is] shot also isn’t always how it’s in real life, you know, shot. So, what you guys see is not always 100% accurate. It’s edited. I was very clear, I’m going to come and I’m going to be the bigger person and I don’t want any drama. And the first thing that she did when she walked through the door was come straight to me and drop that bomb. And I took off my mic because I didn’t want to give her anything to work with. I just wanted to not be there. And to be honest with you, I was so hurt in that moment. I stormed off and I got in my car and I was like, I don’t want to say something that I’m going to regret. I don’t want to give this any validity. This is my career. This is my life, my livelihood. And I was at a breaking point because it was so inappropriate and such a bold-faced lie. And as a girl, I’m just like, ‘How, what are you doing? … It was really, really difficult for me and I was getting very emotional and I felt like I had to just out of there, eject, remove myself.’

During that meeting Hall put an emphasis to the client in question that it was never a good idea to hire friends to do a job for you, which was a true reflection of how important it is to separate business and friendship in certain instances such as the one that we saw unfold. Following the baby shower, the client signed a contract in favour of working with Zerboni over Hall. Nevertheless, this doesn’t change the fact that Hall was absolutely right in her argument as to why he should’ve chosen her to get Zerboni. It IS best to separate business from friendship. The high stakes, emotions, and differing expectations can easily ruin both, leading to financial stress, resentment, unfair discounts, awkward confrontations (like firing or invoicing), blurred boundaries (feeling “on call”), and leveraging inside knowledge to win arguments, ultimately risking the loss of both your livelihood and your personal connection. While shared trust can be a benefit, the potential for emotional conflicts over money, roles, and performance makes clear separation crucial for protecting both the friendship and the business. To break it down more thoroughly:

Risks to the Friendship

• Emotional Strain: Disagreements over business decisions (money, vision) become personal, causing hurt feelings or resentment.

• Unfair Leverage: You might use your knowledge of their vulnerabilities to “win” arguments, damaging trust.

• Awkward Situations: Asking for payment, giving negative feedback, or even firing a friend is incredibly difficult.

• Blurred Boundaries: Friends expect personal time, but business demands can make you feel like you’re “on call” 24/7, straining the relationship. 

Risks to the Business

• Lack of Objectivity: You might avoid tough decisions or give too many “friend discounts,” sabotaging profitability.

• Unequal Contributions: Differences in work ethic or skill can breed resentment, but it’s hard to address directly with a friend.

• Poor Communication: You might be too hesitant to give honest, critical feedback to avoid hurting feelings, leading to bigger problems.

• Compromise Over Quality: To keep the peace, you might compromise too much on crucial business aspects, leading to dissatisfaction. 

When It Can Work (With Extreme Caution)

• Clear Contracts: Establish roles, responsibilities, equity, and exit strategies before starting.

• Separate Communication: Have designated times and methods for business talk, distinct from personal chats.

• Defined Boundaries: Agree on business hours and the need for professional, objective feedback.

• Subordinated Egos: Be ready to put the business’s needs above personal feelings or “winning”. 

The entire premise of the Selling Sunset franchise is the hardships of mixing friendship with business; mainly female friendships, that is. The drama that comes with it is endless. Most of it seems to be scripted or planned out for entertainment purposes by producers. After all, drama is what sells in reality TV, especially when it comes to drama involving women. Barely anyone’s talking about the male agents seen on the show, and if they are talked about, it usually involves the drama involving their female co-workers. Otherwise, they’re mostly forgotten about.

The latest season of Selling The OC concluded with ongoing relationship complexities, unresolved professional conflicts, and personal milestones, setting the stage for continued dynamics and new challenges in the OC office. Perhaps the most heartbreaking scene at the end of the season was where Gio Helou tearfully revealed that his wife had suffered a late-term miscarriage. What was even more sad about it was that it was their second loss. As Helou broke down in tears, Hall was there for him, showing him empathy and kindness towards the situation that he was handed. She was actually the first person he told of this to. Despite her own heartbreak, Helou’s wife was there at the baby shower to support Zerboni and her new bundle of joy.

As someone who’s suffered several losses and had gone through years of infertility, I would’ve loved to see more of Helou and his wife’s story rather than watch the endlessly boring and useless discussions of Zerboni’s personal lives; particularly of how exactly she and her husband met. Like, who fucking cares?!!!?! The group of agents were giving way too much time on trying to figure out someone’s life story that wasn’t even theirs to begin with. The one person who didn’t seem to lean too much into the discussion was Hall herself.

Like Christine Quinn and Nicole Young on Selling Sunset, Alex Hall was made to seen as the villain of the group. Of course, it was done through great editing and manipulation by producers. But she wasn’t that. She was never that person that she was painted to be; not by producers and not by the rest of her cast mates. She’s her own strong suit of steel. She joined The Oppenheim Group in November 2021. She used to be an interior designer, then she obtained her real estate salesperson licence back in 2014. She’s worked for Christie’s International Real Estate and Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty. Her ex-husband is Neil Flores, a law firm owner called NDF Legal in Santa Ana. The former couple divorced in 2015 after 7 years of marriage. They have two children together.

To fully understand Hall not as a character, but as a person, I think it’s important to understand the psychological impact of a divorced woman who’s also a single mother. It shaped by a unique combination of grief, stress, resilience, and identity shifts. This experience is often influenced by significant challenges related to finances, social support, and societal stigma. To break it down more thoroughly:

Key Psychological Aspects

• Grief and Loss: Divorce is a type of loss, and women often go through the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This involves grieving the loss of the marital relationship, the shared future, and their identity as a partner.

• Identity Shift: Many women experience a shift in self-concept, moving from “partner” or part of a “two-parent family” to “single mother”. This can lead to a period of adjusting to a new, independent self, which some find empowering, while others struggle with a sense of loss of identity.

• Emotional Burden: There’s a heavy emotional weight from bearing all family responsibilities alone, from parenting and financial decisions to household tasks. This can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, emotional and physical fatigue, and an increased risk of depression.

• Guilt and Self-Blame: Single mothers often grapple with guilt about the divorce’s impact on their children or feel they are not providing enough due to financial or time constraints. They may internalize societal judgments and perceive themselves as “failed mothers,” which contributes to low self-esteem.

• Loneliness and Isolation: The absence of a partner to share daily experiences and decision-making can lead to feelings of profound loneliness and social isolation. This is sometimes compounded by a reduced social network after the divorce. 

Challenges and Influencing Factors

• Financial Instability: Economic hardship is a primary source of mental strain for single mothers, leading to anxiety and worry about providing for their children’s needs (housing, food, education).

• Societal Stigma: Despite changing attitudes, stigma surrounding divorced single-parent women persists in many societies that uphold the norm of a two-parent family. This external judgment can be internalized, leading to self-stigma and poorer mental health outcomes.

• Lack of Support: An inadequate support network, both formal (governmental assistance) and informal (family, friends), heightens psychological distress. Support from others is a key factor in building resilience.

• Parenting Stress: The sole responsibility for child-rearing and making all major decisions can be overwhelming and a significant source of stress. 

Resilience and Adaptation

Many single mothers demonstrate remarkable resilience and find ways to thrive. 

• Proactive Attitude: Some women actively work to shape a positive self-identity, viewing the divorce as liberation from an unhappy marriage.

• Strong Parent-Child Bond: Many report a unique and close bond with their children, developed through shared challenges.

• Building Support Networks: Connecting with other single parents or seeking professional help (therapy, support groups) can provide validation and practical coping strategies.

• Focus on Self-Worth: Prioritizing self-care and asserting one’s own values can help counteract negative societal judgments and build self-esteem. 

Understanding these psychological dynamics highlights the need for a compassionate and supportive environment that recognizes the strength and unique challenges faced by divorced single mothers.

At the Selling Sunset reunion episode, Hall mentioned that she was no longer has a close relationship with anyone of the agents working with her at The Oppenheim Group, and honestly, it wasn’t much of a surprise, especially considering everything that had happened between her and the rest of the cast, especially within the latest season of the show. She’s just doesn’t have time to be involved in a drama created by others out of nothing. She’s just there to do her job and provide for her family. She’s did want to have connections and friendships with the other agents, and she most definitely tried her hardest to maintain them when no one actually deserved it, but not at the expense of her own happiness and well-being, as well as her reputation in her business.

In a recent Instagram Q&A, Hall was asked if she was still in a relationship with Ian Young, her boyfriend seen on the latest season . Hall’s response was, ‘No….and it’s been a complete cluster f***. I moved to Temecula with an open heart but some things came to light that did not align with what I want mine and my kids’ future to look like. I no longer have my home in [Orange County’s] San Clemente and all of my furniture and belongings are currently in a storage facility and the kids and I are in a short term rental in Dana Point. We are looking for a new home but haven’t found one yet. Sometimes you can have the best intentions but reality just doesn’t play out the way you imagined it would 💔.’

Helou was one person who voiced his concern about Hall’s relationship with Young. He said oh them two during a season 4 confessional, ‘[Alex] is lowering that bar way too far. He’s just a little puppy dog following her around, and maybe she’s dating the opposite of what Tyler is to try to get over him.’ I can’t fully say I disagreed with him. Luckily, she got out of building any sort of future with him that would’ve affected her kids’ lives in the long run too. Hall was the one to speak the last words of the latest season, saying that she didn’t know what the future looked like before the screen faded to black. It’s true. No one knows where the future’s headed, but one thing is for sure: she deserves better than what she’d been handed on the show. That said, I hope she left the show following the fourth season, as well as The Oppenheim Group, for one simple reason: She deserves more. Maybe, just maybe, she should consider opening her own firm.