Selling The OC: Why Sean Palmieri Is The Real Villain In Austin Victoria Feud

Summary Sean created drama by spreading lies and revealing private details, ruining his friendships for screen time.

Austin was hurt and may never forgive Sean for his hurtful allegations during season 3 of Selling The OC.

Sean's behavior was inappropriate and villainous in his feud with Austin, leading to the dissolution of their friendship.

Sean Palmieri is the real villain in his feud with Austin Victoria in Selling The OC season 3. The reality series is a spin-off of Selling Sunset, the beloved real estate show that spotlights the Oppenheim Group brokerage. CEOs Jason and Brett Oppenheim have built a successful business and in return, two thriving Netflix reality shows. In fact, Selling The OC was ranked as the network’s #1 unscripted series worldwide in the first week after its release in 2024. Selling The OC season 3 has been a good season, partly because of the drama between Sean and Austin.

Sean and Austin were good friends for quite some time. They were also buddies with Tyler Stanaland, a fellow O group agent. All three men have been featured on all seasons of Selling The OC, making them integral personalities on one of the best reality TV shows right now. However, their friendships have taken a turn for the worse in Selling The OC season 3. With the current state of their relationships up in the air, it’s unclear if Sean, Austin, and Tyler will all return for Selling The OC season 4.

Related Will There Be A Selling The OC Season 3 Reunion? With the massive success of Selling the OC season 3, fans have one very important question: Will there be a reunion for the reality series?

Sean Made A Private Matter Public

He Tried To Reveal Private Aspects Of Their Friendship

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Sean shared private details with the public for dramatic purposes in Selling The OC. Things between the trio became strained when Sean made a “joke” about Tyler’s success, resulting from him being a fifth-generation realtor with ties to his father. This didn’t go over well among the group, and he continued to spread gossip about Austin and his wife. When conversing with Kayla Cardona and Ali Harper about Austin, Sean said he felt “[Austin] and his wife are a bit too flirty for my taste sometimes.” This raised questions about Austin and his wife’s alleged flirtatious behavior.

He added more fuel to the fire when detailing a night he had at Austin’s home. Allegedly, Sean said that Austin’s wife, Lisa Victoria, gave him weed cookies and came onto him. He wasn’t interested, and Sean says from then on, there was tension between them. When Austin heard what Sean said about him and Lisa, Austin denied all the allegations. He confronted Sean at an O Group office, and things got physical. Austin pushed Sean and tried to return the blame to Austin.

He alleged Austin was spreading the rumor that they had come onto him. Austin called Sean “psychotic,” and tensions continued to rise between the former friends. At the finale of Selling The OC season 3, Sean arguably ruined their relationship when he said Tyler liked him and was upset he rejected his flirting. He went as far as to show personal, private messages between himself and the O Group agent that proved his claims. It wasn’t his place to reveal their conversations on the show.

“Like I ignore these people, and all they do is talk s*** about me, when all I did was cut them out of my life,” said Sean.

Sean Could Be Outing Austin

Why Would Sean Speculate About Austin’s Sexuality?

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Sean’s behavior was demeaning towards Austin. Even if Austin and Lisa were interested in something with Sean, he shouldn’t have exposed it on Selling the OC season 3. When the group was at the races, he got called out and caught in a lie. Sean originally said Lisa made him weed cookies, but at the races, he said this wasn’t true. He backtracked on his original claims and even alleged Tyler had also come onto him and was flirtatious with him. He showed Ali and Alexandra Jarvis texts between him and Tyler as proof.

Sean sharing his private messages between himself and his friend was wrong. It felt like Sean was trying to weaponize his sexuality as a reason their friendship had dissolved. The whole situation felt icky for that reason. He alleged that before their feud, Sean and Tyler would talk for hours, go tanning, to the beach, and even shop together. Overall, Sean claims Austin and Tyler had made advances toward him, which seemed like a lie.

Sean Seems Salty Since He & Austin Are No Longer Friends

He Ruined His Friendships For Screen Time

The drama between Austin, Tyler, and Sean was too hurtful for the friends to get past. Since season 3 wrapped, several Selling The OC cast members left the O Group; notably, Sean, Tyler, and Alexandra left. Sean left due to behavioral issues throughout the season, while Tyler left to work at his father's brokerage. Sean must be upset since he no longer had a friendship with Austin, but what did he expect? If Sean believed he and Austin could move past his allegations, he was wrong.

After all the episodes of Selling the OC season 3 were released, Austin released a statement on Instagram addressing Sean’s allegations. He believes Sean was seeking “screen time” to collect a check. “When you quit your job and haven’t sold a property in 2 years, you get desperate,” he wrote. Austin’s post made it clear he was upset with Sean’s claims throughout the season. According to Austin, it seems Sean was attempting to create drama to maintain his spot on Selling the OC.

Could Austin Ever Forgive Sean?

Will They Ever Be Friends Again?

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It’s unclear if Austin will ever forgive Sean. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Austin said that he and Sean were “friends who became family,” adding that his allegations about him and his wife were hurtful. He said he thinks Sean got wrapped in the drama and “just felt like he had to stick with it and take it to the grave” instead of telling the truth on Selling The OC. He also revealed that he may never hear the truth from Sean because they “no longer speak,” further validating claims they aren’t friends anymore.

"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 that opened up to me, and I opened up to him."

Austin and Sean had a real friendship aside from Selling The OC. His allegations ruined their friendship and betrayed Austin’s trust in a major way. Austin denies all claims Sean has put out there, and it’s sad they no longer have a friendship. However, because they were so close, maybe there is hope for them in the future. Sean was like family to Austin and his children, so maybe, in time, this wound will be healed.

Sean was the villain in his feud with Austin. He spread lies to create drama for Selling The OC season 3. Even Jason and Brett have seen this, and he’s since left the O Group because of his behavior. It was frustrating to watch Sean spread lies about his friends throughout the season, and now they have no relationship because of it.

Selling the OC seasons 1-3 are streaming on Netflix.

Sources: Austin Victoria/Instagram, Entertainment Tonight