For more than a decade, Bravo's Million Dollar Listing has demonstrated that Los Angeles
real estate can bring in the big bucks for the city's top realtors - along with a hefty
dose of drama. But even longtime fans probably don't know the whole story. This is the untold
truth of Million Dollar Listing.
"I like money. I hope you use that"
Bravo took a gamble on viewers wanting to watch the exploits of upper-echelon L.A. realtors
selling extravagant homes to the rich and famous - and that risk paid off, massively.
Fourteen years after the first season aired, Bravo announced a 2020 premiere for Million
Dollar Listing L.A., Season 12.
"This is bananas"
Throughout the years, spinoffs of the popular series also caught fire. The first of these
came in 2012, with Bravo figuring that the same format that worked so well in Los Angeles
would be equally effective in New York City. The result was Million Dollar Listing New
York, focusing on a new group of realtors selling high-end real estate in the Big Apple.
"Oh is that a pool? 8 feet deep. Oh my God."
Additional spinoffs included Million Dollar Listing San Francisco and Million Dollar Listing
Miami, proving that viewers couldn't get enough. But with all the various iterations of the
show out there, it became necessary to change the name of the original to Million Dollar
Listing Los Angeles.
L.A. real estate agent Tracy Tutor has listed many stunning homes on the show, but in 2019
she repped a very special property: her own. People magazine reported that Tutor was parting
with her seven-bedroom, ten-bathroom home in L.A.'s posh Brentwood neighborhood and
was asking an eye-popping $23.9 million.
"Why don't you guys come on in and check it out and let me know what you think"
Boasting almost 11,000 square feet, Tutor's home wasn't exactly the kind of place that
would be called "modest." The home's unique features included a dining room with vintage
Italian chandeliers from the '70s and a bar which Tutor declared to be her absolute favorite
space in the home. She told the outlet,
"[It's] so rad and disco. I think we all need to have a little fun with our interiors and
at least pick one room that expresses the wild side of your personality."
She also revealed that she spends the most time with her kids in the kitchen and family
living space. And fans discovered she's clearly got her pantry game on point.
"My favorite room in the kitchen is my pantry. Which I am obsessed with"
As for her hopes on who would be purchasing her home, Tutor admitted she wasn't that picky.
In fact, she only had one stipulation in mind, telling People magazine,
"Whoever can write the check!"
According to Bravo, it appears Tutor has since moved on from the green bar, and switched
up her living situation. In 2019, she found herself a brand new pad that is - of course
- just as glamorous.
There has been a lot of speculation over just how real so-called reality shows actually
are. And when it comes to Million Dollar Listing L.A., the term "reality" is apparently a flexible
one. At least, that's the assumption that can be drawn from a 2015 casting notice on
Backstage, which revealed that the show was seeking "background models" for filming.
"Is that the bartender? Oh yeah, hi, excuse me sir? Hi, How are you, I'm Tracy. Isn't
she beautiful?"
Among the "types" the show was looking for were quote "yoga participants and instructors,"
in addition to "bikini models" who would be seated poolside. While all ethnicities would
be considered for the roles, the show was also looking for a model-looking housewife
and only those of quote "white/European descent" would be considered.
Meanwhile, background performers who landed the gig certainly didn't get rich by appearing
on the show. As far as compensation went, the site noted the production was offering
quote "no pay."
If Tracy Tutor's original plans had gone according to design, it's unlikely she would have ever
found her way to the show. In fact, Tutor initially envisioned a future as an actress,
which she initially pursued by attending USC. In an interview with the university, Tutor
revealed how training in theater and performance became an asset in the real estate business
- and even more so once her home-selling exploits were captured on camera.
“Don't be fooled by her charisma--she's a boss"
Tracy explained,
"It's funny how things come full circle. Being a real estate agent or in retail, or in sales,
or in so many industries, you need the ability to sell yourself to clients. [It's] a huge
part of why I am successful in real estate."
"This is probably the best we've seen. Yeah, we've been looking. Well that's why I invited
you, it's not amateur hour, thanks for coming. Thanks Tracy, good to see you"
Josh Flagg and husband Bobby Boyd are both realtors, with Boyd making frequent appearances
on the show over the years. In an interview with Los Angeles Magazine, Flagg revealed
he and his husband first got together when Boyd walked up to him at a nightclub and said
something unexpected. Flagg recalled,
"He said to me, 'Hi, handsome.' No one ever said that to me but maybe my mother or grandmother."
"You are my dream I never dreamed would come true"
The couple had their first date at famed Hollywood eatery Dan Tana's. Boyd remembered,
"We had chicken parmesan and Jack and Diet Cokes."
In a video that the outlet shared on Instagram, Flagg revealed that he was so serious about
the relationship that he said,
"[I] wrote my vows before I even asked him to marry me."
"I have an obsessive nature. When I want something, I go full force at it. It's something I'm
working on with a lot of therapy"
Boyd opened up about what it's like to be married to Flagg in a blog post on his website,
admitting it can sometimes be "exhausting" - but not in a bad way. He explained,
"Josh challenges me in so many ways that no one else ever has before, which is one of
the many reasons why I married him."
"Anyone who has the love that we have for one another is the luckiest person on earth"
The realtors of the show have worked with numerous celebrities, including Kim Kardashian
and Kanye West. As Josh Altman told The Hollywood Reporter, he's insistent on treating a "mega-celebrity"
the same way he would treat anyone else, but admitted that he's definitely always on his
A-game when dealing with his famous clients. Sharing what it was like working with West
and Kardashian, Altman told the outlet,
"I've met them both numerous times, and [Kim is] incredible. Talk about a hard-working
individual and being on your game, she is nonstop."
“How would you describe this home. I would say like a minimal monastery"
In a video interview for OK! Magazine, Altman declared West and Kardashian to even be his
favorite stars. He said,
"They have great taste in real estate and design - I mean the best of the best."
Madison Hildebrand was one of the only members of the cast who'd been with the show since
its first season when he announced he was formally stepping away from the series, for
good.
"My philosophy is work hard, play hard."
Madison said in a statement,
"After a decade of adventure and one of the most unique experiences of my life, I have
decided not to continue Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. I am so grateful to have had
this opportunity but the time has come for me to re-energize, rejuvenate, and refocus
my attention and light onto new endeavours."
Speaking with Page Six about exiting the show, Hildebrand explained that he had actually
wanted to leave even earlier. He admitted,
"I tried to quit [in] Season 6. [I] tried to get away from it and it just didn't happen."
"I was having a lot of emotions"
After 12 years and 10 seasons, Madison claimed the experience had been, quote, "exhausting"
for the "mind, body and soul."
While fans of the series may have been sad to see Hildebrand leave, at least one of his
co-stars was not. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Josh Altman declared he
was thrilled that Hildebrand was walking away. Wishing Hildebrand luck with whatever he did
next, Altman shared,
"I'm glad he's off the show because he was extremely boring. And I'm excited to watch
the entire show all the way through now with the new cast because I always fast-forwarded
through his parts anyway."
"That's not even the best part"
It sounds like that antipathy apparently went both ways. After announcing his departure,
Hildebrand told Page Six that none of his co-stars had bothered to reach out to him
and that he'd gone ahead and blocked James Harris, Josh Flagg, Josh Altman, Tracy Tutor,
and David Parnes from his social media.
According to Josh Flagg's website, he has sold in excess of $2 billion in residential
real estate and can boast his status as:
"[The] number one volume agent in Los Angeles and the number two agent in sales in California."
Given those impressive stats, it's a no-brainer that an aspiring realtor would be wise to
listen to any advice he offered - which he happened to dole out during a January 2020
interview with Larry King Now.
"I'm somewhat of a risk-taker which gets me in trouble. Not like legally, but in trouble."
"Also it's been the reason I've been so successful"
The first thing Flagg told rookie realtors was, in effect, to avoid quitting their day
jobs. As far as a source of income, he recommends not putting all your eggs in one basket.
"Don't rely only on real estate because you don't know when it's going to come. It's feast
or famine."
For those who can afford to dive right in without worrying about making a living, Flagg
recommended finding someone you admire and shadowing or interning for them. Wannabe realtors
may not get paid, he pointed out, but the skills and know-how they'll pick up can prove
invaluable. He says,
"You learn from your teacher."
Josh Altman is not only one of the stars of the Million Dollar Listing L.A., but he's
also quote "one of the most successful real estate agents on the planet," according to
his website. He's learned a thing or two along the way and he shared some of that knowledge
in two different books. In 2016, he wrote It's Your Move: My Million Dollar Method for
Taking Risks with Confidence and Succeeding at Work and Life, in which he divulged the
secret to his success.
In an interview with Deepest Dream about the book, he outlined his so-called "ready, fire,
aim mentality." Explaining the strategy at its essence, he said,
"[It's] having an opportunity in front of you, recognizing it, jumping all over it,
and, if you fail, bouncing back and redirecting and finishing it."
"It's everything from selling phone service on the streets of New York"
"To running on a treadmill at Equinox and meeting Tyler Perry and selling him a house
later that afternoon"
He followed that up with 2019's The Altman Close: Million-Dollar Negotiating Tactics
from America's Top-Selling Real Estate Agent. According to a press release, Altman said
of the book,
"Over the past 24 months I closed 285 deals. I've written down every negotiation tactic,
closing technique and ninja secret so you can now close more deals too."
"Altman and I have such different styles. But both of us would do anything for a buck.
Absolutely. OK"
For Million Dollar Listing fans, one of the most entertaining aspects of the show is the
ongoing feud between competing realtors Josh Flagg and Josh Altman. During a 2015 appearance
on Watch What Happens Live, Altman theorized that the reason Flagg doesn't like him is
because:
"I wasn't born and raised in Beverly Hills, and because I became successful when I came
out there with nothing."
"You talk ____ about me, and you wanna go there, then game ____ on"
When Cohen asked Flagg if that was true, Flagg insisted that wasn't the case, and offered
a different reason for his dislike of Altman, claiming,
"I just think you're a scumbag."
According to Flagg, fans of the show shouldn't expect the bad blood between these rivals
to die down - ever. In a 2019 interview with the Daily Mail, Flagg was asked if he thought
their long-running feud would finally come to an end at some point, but he declared,
"No. [The show] would become boring."
Josh Altman started his real estate career as a mortgage broker but shifted gears after
the recession of the late 2000s. In an interview with Larry King Now, Altman recalled being
forced to shut down what had been a successful business and then start all over again. He
said of his rebrand,
"It definitely did not happen overnight."
He also addressed the role that Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles may or may not have played
in his success. In response to those that think he's only a name because he's a reality
TV star, he explained that he and his brother Matt had already been selling roughly $100
million per year in real estate when he received a call from Bravo about joining the show.
But even so, Altman admitted that appearing on the series has certainly not been bad for
business. He said,
"Building the brand in real estate is the most important thing, and so we use that stage
very wisely. Everything that we do, we like to think that we're a walking billboard for
our business."
All the Million Dollar Listing L.A. realtors have worked with their fair share of celebrity
clients. And as Tracy Tutor explained in an interview with Page Six, there are certain
aspects of a home that are must-have's, for stars. Fluorescent bulbs or other overly harsh
lighting is a big no-no for famous folks. She joked,
"If they could just wake up and have an Instagram filter on the mirror, it would be genius."
"I mean none of us really want to wake up and look at ourselves in the mirror in the
morning under fluorescent light"
Without naming names, Tutor pointed to one celebrity client who had an unusual but very
specific way of determining whether or not the home was well constructed. This person,
she revealed,
"Looks at the thickness of doors as an example of whether or not a house is built well."
When Tutor took the celeb on a tour of a home, she noted,
"One of the doors was not to her liking, so we didn't even go through the rest of the
house."
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more List videos about your favorite
reality shows are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you
don't miss a single one.