Who knew the Oppenheim Group’s Newport Seashore, California, workplace patio might double as a struggle ring?
It practically did on season 3 of Promoting the OC, as Austin Victoria squared up with Sean Palmieri after a rumor circulated throughout the solid circle that Austin and his spouse, Lisa, had made some type of advance on Sean one night time when he came visiting for dinner.
“All the things was fabricated, all the things was a lie that was stated,” Austin tells ET, sitting down along with his castmates — Kayla Cardona, Ali Harper, Alexandra Rose, Jason Oppenheim and Brandi Marshall — to debate the just-released episodes.
“What really occurred the night time that he came visiting to my home, we have been simply texting forwards and backwards, my spouse and I, we’re gonna have dinner, she was gonna bake some cookies and I simply acquired an Oculus — a VR, I am a giant gamer — so Sean and I are texting forwards and backwards,” Austin remembers. “He requested if he might be a part of us. I stated, ‘Certain,’ so he joined us for dinner. My spouse baked some cookies — she does loads of baking, she’s, like, in her Martha Stewart period — after which Sean and I performed Oculus.”
“It was a boring night time,” he continues, “after which he went residence. That was it. There was nothing extra to it, after which a rumor began I might say, in all probability, six months later is the primary time I heard it — and the primary rumor I heard was simply that Lisa and I we’re a really flirtatious couple, so getting vibes or no matter, after which it continued into this factor the place we’re into three-ways and blah, blah, blah… so, it is all a lie. I am a household man. I’ve children. I am not into that; by no means was, by no means shall be.”
That cookie element is a key a part of the story, as Kayla recalled Sean privately telling her they have been laced with marijuana. When the group requested Sean to make clear that particular within the finale, he claimed he by no means stated that and did not even like edibles.
“When Sean informed me about him being at Lisa and Austin’s home, he informed me that there have been edibles,” she mirrored in a confessional throughout the finale. “And now, he is appearing like he by no means heard concerning the edibles earlier than? It simply would not add up. He was so convincing.”
Austin is adamant they have been easy, on a regular basis cookies; not edibles.
“He is been so obsessive about, ‘You are gonna have my again? You are gonna have my again, proper?'” Kayla additionally shared. “It is like, why are you so apprehensive? I do not know, now I am questioning all the things.”
“I did not go round and ask folks to have my again,” Austin factors out. “Sean was going round asking folks to again him up … on this feud, or no matter you wanna name it. I did not inform anyone that. I do know my reality.”
Austin says he hasn’t had a dialog with Sean since their near-physical altercation on the workplace, however not by his selecting.
“I need to imagine — and I select to imagine — that Sean wasn’t– he would not have executed that, you recognize?” he gives. “The Sean I knew, the pal that I invited into my residence, the person who I might enable to babysit my kids, was a pal and somebody that opened as much as me, and I opened as much as him.”
“We have been pals that turn out to be household,” he continues. “So, I wish to imagine that the lie simply form of grew legs and become one thing that it wasn’t, after which Sean simply felt like he needed to keep it up and take it to the grave. However, you recognize, I do not know if I will ever know the reality as a result of we now not communicate.”
Austin’s not alone in, one, believing Sean invented the ordeal for display time and, two, getting reduce off by Sean. Kayla admits it “in all probability” was all made up, together with Sean’s declare that Tyler Stanaland made strikes on him, as effectively. Sean offered screenshots of textual content messages and DMs as a method to again up his claims about Tyler, however within the finale, Kayla and Ali commented on how he would solely allow them to see choose excerpts. They weren’t allowed to scroll up or down within the conversations to see the complete context.
“He confirmed me some stuff, however there was simply loads of moments the place I used to be simply not sure,” Kayla reveals. “When all the things hit the fan, and … issues did not align, and when you’re accusing somebody of one thing that massive, particulars like that basically matter and there have been some issues that simply… modified and I used to be very upset, and I did not know find out how to navigate our friendship and I wanted time.”
“I did textual content him [after filming wrapped],” she continues. “I used to be like, ‘Hey, forgive me. I would like a while. I am having to navigate all of this. I simply must course of what simply occurred…’ We did not discuss for fairly a while, after which he simply unfollowed me and I am like, oh. OK… so we simply have not actually spoken since then.”
Sean sat out the press day for season 3; he additionally left the Oppenheim Group after filming. Whereas the vast majority of the solid appears to align with Austin and Kayla’s line of pondering, Sean’s bestie, Alexandra Jarvis (who largely goes by her final title on the present), sticks up for him in a separate interview with the remainder of the ensemble.
“I fully disagree with that,” she says. “I am in all probability the closest one to Sean and have been for some time. He and I turned nearer pals throughout season 2, and I really feel like he has been fully trustworthy and easy. Clearly, all people has totally different opinions. There’s loads of cooks within the kitchen and I do not know… I believe that there is positively gonna be some confusion, I believe for the viewers, as to what is going on down. And no, Sean didn’t do any of this for display time.”
Jarvis steered the bigger net was too difficult to elucidate, however chalked up any misunderstandings to a “recreation of phone.”
“Sean had by no means informed me those self same particulars [Kayla mentioned], and he and I and Kayla had met a number of instances and talked about this,” she explains. “So I believe there’s simply confusion.”
“Or, it is exhausting to maintain all of your lies straight,” Alex Corridor interjects.
“Most individuals are inebriated in our workplace half the time,” Jarvis claps again. “So you are taking what you’ll from that; it is form of troublesome for the reality to come back out.”
Jarvis joined Sean in exiting the brokerage; Tyler additionally parted methods with the O Group. As for whether or not they’ll be welcomed again, boss Jason says it is one thing he would let the brokers “opine on.”
“Oh, extra drama!” Brandi quips, setting the stage for a possible season 4.
All episodes of Promoting the OC at the moment are streaming on Netflix.
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