From TRD Los Angeles: There comes a time when every reality television star masters the game. The show becomes less about expressing one’s true colors — for better or worse — and more about actively cultivating an image.
“Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” isn’t immune to this inevitable shift, so it was refreshing to see our band of brokers revert to raw versions of themselves.
In order words, thank goodness for a little bit of drama!
This week, the stars of “MDLLA” converge on a rooftop party hosted by James Harris and David Parnes, whose sky-high soiree is designed to promote their $65,000 rental at Ten Thousand. A bounty of bubbly and 360-degree views of Downtown Los Angeles create the perfect setting for a standoff between two men who share the same name.
Here’s what happened…
Broker-brothers Josh and Matt Altman have been summoned back to Bradbury Estates, where an exorbitant manse awaits them. The pair takes to the air, as they’ve decided a helicopter is the most appropriate way to travel to this particular listing appointment. Bliss Canyon does not disappoint, with its 350,000-gallon infinity pool, indoor gun range and way too many rooms to count.
“This isn’t a mansion,” Josh says. “This isn’t even a megamansion. This is the White House!”
Trump not included.
The listing, once priced at $80 million, turns out to be an absolute steal, as the investment company that scooped up the property is looking to offload it for $30 million. While this is good news for potential buyers, it does create a headache for Josh, who needs to sell a home that’s been on the market for five years and is $50 million less than its original asking price. But it’s not as bad as renting a helicopter, only to find out the person you’re meeting doesn’t even have the power to award you the listing, though that’s beside the point.
Speaking of headaches, Josh discovers that Josh Flagg has been talking smack! Of course, Josh (not that Josh, but this Josh) thinks it’s because he is self-made and has swooped in on all of Flagg’s connections in Beverly Hills. This is shaping up to be a battle of bravado, and we are so here for it.
The Altman bros. ultimately win the listing at Bradbury, so it’s nice to see the helicopter wasn’t all for naught. To celebrate, Josh plans an exciting night out… at an open house! How else would his wife Heather like to spend her first big night out since giving birth to their adorable daughter Alexis?
The open house happens to be for the British brokers’ new rental listing at Ten Thousand. They’re hosting a 300-person party that for some reason has a “Mile High Club” theme. AKA, the waitresses will dress up like sexy flight attendants. How original.
Madison, who successfully offloads a moldy listing in this episode, is also in attendance, as well as Josh (Flagg) and his husband-to-be, Bobby. The two deal with some communication issues on the way to the party, so we’re sure this night is going to end up well.
The event seems to go smoothly enough — Madison and James even bury the hatchet — but soon arrives that point in the night where everyone’s had a little too much to drink. Josh (Altman) pulls Josh (Flagg) aside to confront him about the alleged shit-talking. The two exchange barbs and attempt to out-ego each other with a barrage of cliches, and before we know it, it’s game on!
“You want to play in the mud? Because I grew up in the mud,” Josh (Altman) says.
To make matters worse, Bobby tells his fiance to be the bigger man. How dare he!
The spat between the two brokers ends up creating more drama for Josh and Bobby, who are already dealing with the stress of their upcoming nuptials. The episode ends on a cliff-hanger, with Josh walking away from the situation, so we’ll have to wait until next week to see if they exchange “I dos” or “I don’ts.”