Before we dive into this article about the fifth season of Selling Sunset, I would like to clarify that I am not a fan of the show. Yes, I watch each season as soon as they’re released, keep tabs on the stars’ Instagrams, and dive into the tabloids, but I am not a fan. Fans are people who want the show to continue, who defend the show, who actually like the show — and I am not one of those people. But the way fertility and its difficulties were discussed in this season made me consider changing my attitude toward the show.
In case you’ve avoided Selling Sunset for the past several years, it’s a reality show that follows the professional and personal lives of several realtors at a luxury L.A. brokerage. Most of the show covers the drama between agents at the brokerage, but in between are quieter storylines of romances, friendships, and, of course, L.A. real estate. The big seller for this season was Chrishell (a realtor) and Jason’s (the founder of the brokerage) romantic relationship, which was introduced to the viewers through their couples trip to Greece in episode one. During the trip, Amanza (another realtor) outwardly states to the couple while being in front of a dinner party, how excited she is for them to get married and have babies. At first I was completely taken aback by Amanza’s comments because it seems completely inappropriate. But as I continued through the season it became clear that this budding romance by itself is not the major storyline, but the possibility of marriage and babies from said budding romance is the bigger storyline.
With virtually every conversation Chrishell and/or Jason were in, the other cast members asked about their plans for marriage and babies. It felt super odd that none of the other cast members who were in serious relationships were being asked about their marriage and child-bearing plans. Even Mary (another realtor), who married Romain in the second season, has not been interrogated about having children like Chrishell was.
Soon enough Chrishell and Jason tell others that they have been taking steps to ensure that having children could be in the cards for them if they choose to do so. I really liked how both members in the relationship were very open about Chrishell being forty years old and that in order to have children, medical intervention is fairly necessary. Relying on the work of doctors to conceive a baby, rather than naturally, is a topic only just starting to become less taboo, and I think this season helps our culture move forward in that. Jason also mentioned during the season that at the beginning of their romantic relationship, Chrishell was very upfront about wanting to have children even though Jason continued to show some apprehension. Chrishell tells him that if he decides he does not want to be a father then there is no future for them.
If Jason was completely confident in wanting to be a father, there wouldn’t have been so many discussions about having children throughout the season, there would have been a joyous season finale, and there would have been no need for the Instagram post on Dec. 21st, 2021, where they announced to their followers that they were no longer together because of their “different wants regarding a family.” But, of course, that’s not the case.
So much of Selling Sunset focuses on the realtors following their career goals and living luxurious lifestyles, but I appreciate how this season still allowed those aspects to shine while also highlighting Chrishell’s personal goal of having a child. In order to achieve any goal, one must make a plan to get there. And Chrishell made that plan. She was realistic about her age and stage in her life and knew that if she wanted to have a child of her own, time wasn’t of the essence. This season portrays women’s fertility in an honest light. The audience was shown the stress many women carry in finding a suitable partner, working on that relationship to last, and establishing a financially stable career, all in such a short amount of time to still be able to birth a child after. For plenty of people, trying to attain these goals can be next to impossible and heartbreaking and the producers showed exactly that.
The way fertility difficulties were depicted is not enough to make me a fan of the show (as it still has major issues with the diversity of the cast members, glorifying luxurious and unattainable lifestyles, and constantly praising thinness) but it was enough to grab my attention and feel genuine emotion for one of the realtor’s, something I have not experienced yet. I think Selling Sunset deserves a round of applause for this season’s portrayal of fertility struggles that are relatable to many.
