Selling The OC star SLAMS claims the Oppenheim Group fosters a ‘toxic’ work environment and says employees who can’t cope should ‘remove’ themselves – after former agent Alexandra Jarvis bashed the office following her exit

Selling Vanessa Hopp of The OC has debunked claims that the Oppenheim Group promotes a ‘toxic’ work environment, claiming that people should simply ‘remove’ themselves if they can’t handle the pressure.

The luxury real estate agent, who works in the company’s San Diego office, hit back at former colleague Alexandra Jarvis, who recently disrupted the workplace atmosphere following her departure from the Netflix show.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Vanessa said the property industry, like other industries, can be ‘cutthroat’ and ‘demanding’ as she believes agents need to have a strong ‘Type A’ personality to thrive – otherwise run they run the risk of being run over.

“I feel like ‘toxic’ is a common word now,” she said. ‘If it feels toxic to you, you should withdraw 100 percent, but real estate is like any other business: it’s a killer.

‘It’s also very competitive, but not toxic. Only the strongest survive.’

DailyMail.com revealed last month that Alexandra, who is often referred to by her nickname Jarvis, had become the third cast member to leave the Oppenheim Group’s Orange County office in a year, following fellow agents Sean Palmieri and Tyler Stanaland.

In a recent interview with People, Alexandra revealed that several factors played a role in her decision to quit, with the publication stating that “toxic culture” was one of them.

In response to her comments, Vanessa continued: “I understand that Alexandra does not want to be exposed to this energy anymore.

‘But that doesn’t mean the Oppenheim Group is toxic. That just means that this industry is very demanding.

‘I have only felt enormously supported at the Oppenheim Group. It’s like a family. Families argue and sometimes they make up.

‘So much can go wrong and be misinterpreted, and then people have nothing to talk about.

‘The special thing about this sector is that it is like a pressure cooker and emotions are constantly rising.

‘Everyone has very strong personalities. You have to be Type A in this business or you will be eaten and spit out.

‘If you don’t stand up for yourself very emphatically, people will walk all over you.’

Type A refers to a behavioral and personality pattern that involves high performance, competitiveness and impatience, among other things, according to WebMD.

Vanessa turned her attention to her boss Jason Oppenheim, who founded the brokerage and features on both Selling The OC and Selling Sunset, claiming he fosters a go-getter environment.

She said, “Jason is not toxic. He is very professional and he is extremely good at his job. And it is also natural that he demands that the people around him rise to his level. He doesn’t have to say it, he just assumes.

‘He is also very embracing and when he sees that you are doing good work, he is very good at gathering a group around him that is successful and goes for it.

‘That does not apply to everyone and not to every phase of life.’

Vanessa stressed that while she is sad that Alexandra, Sean and Tyler are no longer agents with the Oppenheim Group, she does not believe there is any bad blood.

“For example, Jason always keeps in touch with everyone,” she said.

Elsewhere in her interview, Vanessa emphasized that Selling The OC’s storylines are authentic and in no way manufactured by producers.

“You can imagine that people always ask if the tragedy in Orange County is real. It’s all real. This is real life,” she said. ‘It’s true. It all happens.

“The castmates are all working cops, by the way. I know people say, “Oh, but they don’t work.” Not true. Everyone works their butts off. They’re all rock star cops.”

Vanessa has been an agent for the Oppenheim Group in the San Diego office since opening in April 2023.

Although Selling The OC fans have only seen a small glimpse of workplace life so far, she is passionate about the idea of ​​a new spin-off based in her office.

“They introduced the San Diego office this season, and if you remember in the original Selling Sunset, they did the same thing when they introduced the OC office,” she said.

‘I haven’t heard anything more, but I think they should definitely get a spin-off from our office.

‘There’s so much happening. It’s a very competitive business and we have the deals and we have the estates.

‘San Diego was the most expensive city in the world a few months ago. You can imagine who lives here… and most of the people here are changing the world. It’s a very inspiring place to be.’

As she was for her San Diego colleagues, Vanessa also described them as “rockstar agents.”

She continued: “I have so many deals going on right now that I have an escrow on two huge deals, one of which is a double ending, which means I represent the buyer and the seller.

“I feel really supported and I have nothing but great things to say about my colleagues.”