When Selling The OC premiered in 2022, I looked on in horror as one of The Oppeneheim Group’s Orange County realtors, Alex Hall, seductively placed her mouth over her married co-worker Tyler Stanaland’s nose to give him a “nosey” and jokingly screamed “HOMEWRECKER!” mere moments after their friendship was criticized for being overly flirtatious.

So imagine my surprise when a year later, I’m hooting, hollering, sweating, squealing, cheering, and stanning these two reality stars so hard that I’m all but begging Netflix to drop Season 3.

Now, I believe cheating — be it emotional or physical — on any partner is wrong. But it’s crucial to note that Stanaland wasn’t just any married man when Season 1 of Selling The OC was filmed and released. The relator was husband to actor Brittany Snow of John Tucker Must Die, Prom Night, Hairspray, and Pitch Perfect fame — “was” being the operative word. After rumors tied to Hall and Stanaland’s flirty friendship started flying, Snow and Stanaland announced they were separating less than a month after Season 1 dropped, with Snow filing for divorce four months later.

Though the Selling The OC stars never physically crossed the line, their behavior was undoubtedly disrespectful to Ms. Snow. (I mean, would you want your spouse’s smoking hot co-worker making out with their nose? I didn’t think so!) So when the divorce news dropped I joined Team Brittany without a second thought. Yet here I am, end credits rolling on Selling The OC Season 2, Episode 8, rooting for Stanaland and Hall to have it all.

You’re probably wondering how I got here.

In addition to the typical drama one expects in the reality TV bubble, Selling The OC‘s ties to an off-screen high-profile celebrity like Snow instantly dial the intrigue up to 11. (Much like Selling Sunset did during Chrishell Stause’s divorce from This Is Us star Justin Hartley.) Season 2 of the real estate spin-off could have easily ignored Stanaland’s divorce, but the 34-year-old was incredibly open about his failed marriage, his hopes for finding love in the future, and his feelings about colleagues Polly Brindle (who he shared one meaningless “drunken snog” with) and Hall.

When the season opened with Hall and Stanaland touring a house, flirting, and addressing his recent personal struggles, I knew we were in for a wild ride. But much to my surprise, what we got — as cheesy as it feels to type — was a love story.

Whether you were rooting for them or not, the chemistry between these two longtime friends is undeniable, and their on-screen buildup in Season 2 feels straight out of a movie. Though Hall is loud, opinionated, and occasionally a fucking nightmare (more on this in a bit), Stanaland’s respect for her — as a woman, as a single mom, and as a realtor — is clear and unwavering from the start. At several points in Season 2, the surfer commends Hall, who is “kind of like superwoman,” for being a phenomenal friend and helping him through the difficult time in his life.

In intimate moments, the longtime pals — who essentially grew up on the same beach and share stories dating back to high school — laugh over accidentally showing up to events with matching wardrobes, share deep life chats, and comfort each other amidst overwhelming office politics. In Cabo, Hall reminds everyone at the office that she and Stanaland have yet to even kiss. But at times, their sexual tension is so palpable it’s clear they’re holding back admissions that could permanently alter their dynamic.

Outside of the office, Stanaland takes Hall to his childhood home. He drops by for dinner. He has beach days with her and her kids. He lends her son his watch. And he crashes brunch with the Hall squad to willingly get grilled by Alex’s mom, sister, and grandmother about his love life. Whether Hall is questioning Brindle about her kiss with Stanaland or telling her family she’d “be open” to exploring a relationship if he ever “took the bull by the horns,” she makes her romantic feelings clear, while never coming across as jealous or overeager. In fact, Hall plays it cooler than an ICEE all the way to the Season 2 finale hot tub scene that will go down in reality TV history.

In the final five minutes of the season, Stanaland and Hall turn up the heat and let their slow-burn, will-they-won’t-they relationship burst into full flame in a five-minute hot tub heart-to-heart. Stanaland delivers a rom-com-worthy speech about friendship, feelings, and possibility, admitting, “We’ve always had a very flirty relationship, and maybe there’s always been something there that I didn’t know and maybe you didn’t know, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t think about us being more than friends.”

Hall reminds him that dating a woman with kids is a bigger commitment, but he quickly shuts down her concerns, delivering an epic declaration of love. “Things with you are very easy. And no matter what, if I’m in a crowded room and I look across and I see you, everything feels normal,” he says. “You are different than anybody I’ve ever dated. You’re loud. You’re opinionated. You are a fucking nightmare. And I genuinely love everything about you. God damn it.” Sir? You nailed it. It’s almost like you had a close personal relationship with the star of famous rom-coms or something!

As Stanaland moves in for the kiss, Hall warns, “We’re opening Pandora’s Box.” After she calls him out for inching towards her, he blurts the most relatable first kiss admission (“I’m very introverted and anxious”) and the two share a steamy, long-overdue lip lock. In the words of Hall herself, “It was very cute.”

Did their love story have the best origin? Hell no. Were the flirting rumors rooted in truth? Hell yes. There’s no denying that Hall and Stanaland’s relationship is complicated, layered, and — yes! — a bit problematic, but you have to admit, it’s reality TV romance at its finest. There’s drama. There’s controversy. But there’s also genuine love. Their faces light up whenever they lay eyes on each other, their personalities strike a perfect balance, and hot damn, they’ve got passion.

Will the love story continue in Season 3? Will the OC office survive the news? And are Hall and Stanaland still together? Only time will tell, but never forget that Hall can still sell real estate “even if I’m getting laid.”

Selling The OC Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.