After months of Netflix teasing the new season of Selling the OC, season three has *finally* dropped on the streaming platform. And while we were all preoccupied with the status of Alex Hall and Tyler Stanaland's relationship, the drama has actually come from Sean Palmieri, who claims colleague Austin Victoria and his wife Lisa propositioned him with a threesome.
Well, things have really kicked off, haven't they? As well as the usual office drama, including agents accusing each other of stealing their listings, episode three also saw a situation unfold between Sean and Austin. So what actually happened, and what have they said about the rumours since?
Sean and Austin's threesome drama explained
Sean and Austin lay out the allegations
It all started when Sean was having a drink with two of his fellow agents, and revealed Austin and his wife Lisa had propositioned him during a quiet night at their house. "I do think that him and his wife are a bit too flirty for my taste sometimes," he shared. "They're a little bit flirty. First off, this guy's married. My headspace would never think to go there."
Sean later adds in the confessional, "I'm not here to judge underlying parts of someone's relationship. You can be open, you can do whatever you want. I'm not here to judge. But he has been very interesting towards me in the past. He has made moves on me. If your wife is touching me, saying, 'You're my favourite in the office.' That could lead to hints. I choose to stay away from these situations."
The camera then cuts to Lisa and Austin on a date celebrating their 11 year relationship, with Austin explaining, "I don't really talk to [Sean] anymore. I don't know if it's true... but remember that night when we invited Sean over? You made cookies that night. So he came over, we cooked him dinner, we played Oculus... and then he went home. Apparently his story is much different.
"His story is he came over, we 'drugged him' with marijuana cookies and tried to have a three-way with him. That pisses me off. My daughters are upstairs. That guy has some sick s*** going on in his head to even come up with that scenario."
Lisa replies, "We've never had a three-way, and it's not going to be with you, Sean."
Sean and Austin come face to face in the office
Sean and Austin then are in the office in the same time, when Austin confronts him and says, "We need to have a chat." While Sean initially walks away from the situation, the pair take things outside.
They then have a massive back and forth, where neither of them are willing to share what they're addressing, accusing the other of trying to 'turn things around' and asking, 'do you really want to go there?'
Sean then says, "You told me when we were friends, you gave me all this stuff you and your wife were into. I don't care if you're doing foursomes, flipping... You made a move, and you're made that I'm not into it."
Austin replies, "I've never had a threesome! You're disgusting. You think everyone hits on you. I would never want to hit on you. You're the last person I would ever hit on. My f***ing kids were upstairs."
Sean then says, "You hit on me. You said, 'If I wasn't married, the things I would do... I said, 'Austin, I'm not here for this.' You told me you and your wife were experimenting, and you were open to certain things."
The pair were then separated by the other agents in the office.
How does Sean and Austin's confrontation end?
*Spoilers* At the end of the season, Sean has a confrontation with both Austin and Tyler, with the latter pair accusing Sean of changing parts of his story, and manipulating details to suit his own narrative. Sean then tells Tyler, "I didn’t want it to end like this, man" before walking out.
What have Sean and Austin said about the situation since?
Speaking about where their friendship stands now, Austin spoke to Netflix, "Sean and I no longer speak, and I think that’s pretty clear why. He made up some really personal lies about myself and then involved my wife, so I had my Will Smith moment and I’ve moved on. Now I’m really focused on just family, work, and giving my children the lives that they deserve. I don’t really have time for that stuff.”
In another interview with ET online, Austin also added that he hopes it was a lie that got out of hand for Sean, rather than proper ill-intention. He said, "I want to believe — and I choose to believe — that Sean wasn’t– he wouldn’t have done that, you know? The Sean I knew, the friend that I invited into my home, the person that I would allow to babysit my children, was a friend and someone who opened up to me, and I opened up to him.
"We were friends that became family. So, I like to believe that the lie just kind of grew legs and turned into something that it wasn’t, and then Sean just felt like he had to stick with it and take it to the grave. But, you know, I don’t know if I’ll ever know the truth because we no longer speak."
Sean shared a statement with ET online announcing his departure from The O Group, revealing he had joined another agency instead. "After much consideration, I’ve decided to part ways with the Oppenheim Group. I am very excited about this new chapter in my career and eager to embark on a journey that closely aligns with my professional aspirations and personal growth.
"Returning to the serene atmosphere of San Diego County, where I first ventured from Florida to California, brings me great joy. I’m eager to explore the opportunities that lie ahead for my business and success in this vibrant community."
We have reached out to Sean and Austin for comment. Selling The OC is now streaming on Netflix.
Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
