MDLLA came back for a new season on and already jam packed Thursday night, so once again the recaps will have to come when they come. On the season premiere, Tracy Maltas is introduced to us right away as one of the top realtors at Douglas Elliman. She’s coming on the show to give the boys a run for their money. It looks like this season, there will be more emphasis on the personal relationships of the realtors rather than focusing solely on the property. Just two minutes in, we find out that Josh Flagg’s groom nearly didn’t go through with the ceremony. Of course Sonja Morgan’s outrageous behavior at the wedding didn’t help either. Things are getting a bit more housewives up in here.
Josh Flagg
Have we met Josh Flagg’s parents before? I don’t recall. But it seems they will be on the show a lot this season for the wedding and all the drama leading up to it. Josh’s dad is funny. He has a referral for Josh but there seems to an unspoken problem with the place. The problem is the location. The area is crammed with gorgeous homes but the traffic getting in and out of the area is horrific and loud. The house itself is gorgeous though. The gardens are beautiful. The house has been stuck on the market for almost a year at $8,345,000. Josh doesn’t want to change the price.
Josh markets the property to people outside of Beverly Hills who are less likely to know just how bad the traffic is and focusing on outside investors. The plan works and Josh gets a Chinese investor who is interested in the property. The problem is that China has cracked down on major investments outside of China. I’m not sure how they can enforce that, but apparently they can. It looks like there is a bit of time before this new rule will be enforced so the buyer is in a hurry to get his money out of China while he still can. He gets the sale at full ask.
Madison Hildebrand
After a calamity filled season last year, where Madison actually broke his jaw and had his mouth wired shut, he’s hoping for a better season this time around. He has a new boyfriend that he presents to us in nothing but a bath towel, and he is restoring his Malibu pad to make it his sanctuary. Madison has relisted the Malibu house that he co-listed with the Brits last season. It’s on the market for $8 million.
David Parnes and James Harris
James is in a very good place this season both personally and professionally. He is pissed that Madison has the exclusive on the Malibu property. Madison was trying to poach clients at the open house for his other properties. James is not interested in reaching out to his potential buyers to help Madison sell the property. When he ends the phone call, he hysterically calls Madison a muppet. Twice.
Josh Altman
Josh and Heather are married, living in their new dream home, and the baby is coming at any minute. But will Josh be able to slow down the real estate dealings long enough to be there for the birth and help Heather prepare for the new baby? We shall see.
Josh has a meeting with the head of Douglas Elliman on the west coast. He’s nervous. When he gets there, Tracy Maltas is in the meeting. He want them to co-list a very important property. Neither wants to co-list. Tracy is the number one agent in Beverly Hills. Josh’s office is the number one office. They agree to the listing in Manhattan Beach. I’ve never seen Manhattan Beach before. It looks incredible. The property is fantastic. It has a five car lift garage! It’s three stories high right on the beach. This is why people end up living on a dangerous fault line that is eventually going to cause half of California to fall into the ocean. This house may be worth it. Right away Josh and Tracy fight over the listing price. They call the boss and he goes with the higher price that Tracy wanted, just a hair under $20 million.
Next on the sales plan is a rosé tasting for the open house and hiring a $4,000 DJ. Oh, and a sushi chef. I don’t get why they are all acting like spending $20k on a $20,000,000 listing. I’ve seen them spend a lot more on a less expensive listing.
Just like the housewives end with a raucous dinner, the realtors end with a rowdy open house. Everyone is coming to the Manhattan Beach open house. The Joshes can’t stand each other. David and James can’t stand Madison. A perfect storm is brewing, and I’m not talking about the one going on outside.
James is pissed because he found out that Madison got the Malibu listing by lying to the seller and saying that he had a buyer. James thinks that Madison uses unethical tactics in his office. When Madison sees Heather pregnant, all of his grudges against her seem to fall away. These two seem to be finally making up with each other. It’s cute. James is not feeling any forgiveness toward Madison though. He calls him unethical right to his face. Madison refuses to engage with him. James continues to call Madison a liar. Madison keeps denying it. Did we even see David on this episode? I get James and David confused when I see them separately. I don’t think he was on at all.
Next week, apparently Josh confuses David and James as well as he calls James David during an argument. This is not helping me keep things straight, Madison.
Are you watching MDLLA? What do you think of the new agent, Tracy Maltas? I like her!
I’ve been wanting a female on this franchise for the longest and she didn’t disappoint, hopefully we get a female on the NYC one also. Great premiere ?
I love this show, but I do wish Madison and his BF would keep their clothes on unless they are swimming. I’m in favor of everybody keeping their clothes on on the real estate shows.
David wasn’t on…didn’t he get engaged last season?
I want to look back but can’t make myself, Madison (who I really have been fond of since first shows) it looked like his hand was “fixing himself” frequently during the am, boyfriend just came out of the shower scene…?
Love a woman in the mix, Josh seemed to “protest too much ” though…per the script…make fun of strong women.
Why can’t we all just get along w/o being paid to not?
i am watching this season. i use to love the series but kind of stopped watching the last 2 seasons. For some reason, i think there has been a scene where they showed his parents. i icould swear they were having a meal. But i could be totally wrong. Thanks for taking the time to cover this, Tamara. I just started on here a couple days ago. Cool site!!
Welcome to our little old rachet website, colleen!! Stick around, you’re going to love it!
(See TT! I’m on my best behavior ?)
You are awesome at this!
I feel like this will probably be the keg party no one came to in college. Except for that one guy whose awesome pea jacket I still have.
At the time, my overly critical brother and his bitch of an ex wife were snooping around everywhere and I had the nerve to chart my period on the calendar on my own refrigerator.
and my FORMER sister in law was shading me the whole time.
So you keep doing you…
But those that came to the keg party had a blast. By the way, great snag on the pea jacket!
But those that came to the keg party had a blast. By the way, great snag on the pea jacket!
Geezus, double posted again. Please forgive and delete. (You can’t take me any where.)
Welcome Colleen. Stick around, wait till TT gets out her purple pen! You’ll never leave.
Actually both parents have been on many times. Josh has had dinner with his parents and his last partner Colten did a redecorate on their house. Josh’s mother has been on more having lunches with him. Miss Edith Flagg she was an amazing character and you really got to see the warm side of Josh when he was with her. She gave great advice to him.
I’m already over the petty fighting especially at open houses, it just makes all involved look petty and childish. I like the new woman, she seems smart and savay.
Glad Madison has a new boyfriend but I agree keep your clothes on, and quit pointing out how young he is.
Heather looks fabulous. I was enjoying seeing her and Madison talking till James showed his ass. Madison did ask to let him finish his conversation and he did say this is not the time or place. Yes he did wrong last season at the open house but he was right tonite not wanting to engage in a “fight” at the house with all your colleagues around.
The lovely Lady C pulled photos for me for this season and the photos of Madison are frightening. I didn’t use the photos yet, but in upcoming episodes he looks really, really bad. Like either deathly ill or having a drug problem.
I’ve noticed Madison looking rather sickly over the last few years and have chalked it up to weight loss. However, I recall Madison having said on Season 1 he had a terrible bout with drug addiction but was in recovery which gave rise to his success in real estate.
Of course, I cannot say he is using again because I have no idea. But as a fellow addict in recovery, I can say without equivocation that sobriety is a day by day fight. It’s a lifelong struggle. I dearly hope he has not slipped up. I worry because of his rough time last year, the jaw fracture and a bad car accident, that he may have been exposed to narcotics for pain relief and that it could have awakened that sleeping beast that is drug cravings.
Madison seems like a swell guy and I hope only the best for him.
I noticed when he came on last year or the year before that he had lost a lot of weight and didn’t look healthy. I’ve wondered if he might be using too but I’m in AA too and I try to not to second guess people’s sobriety but sometimes you just get a feeling.. He ‘s definitely more sinewy which can come with age.
I don’t like him very much anymore. I feel his personality has changed ever since he had the problems with Heather. They both have such completely stories about what occurred, it’s interesting. He’s hardened and I haven’t cared for some of his choices. I thought he was a real jerk last season with the shared open house with the Brits and it was obnoxious to go back to the client and then phone the Brits and expect (ballsy!) them to help him sell it.
Here is my take on that, I thought about it a little. I don’t have a problem with him trying to regain the listing. Josh Altman or Josh Flagg would have done the same thing.
Had any of the people on the brits list bought the property, they would have split the commission. I remember that client, he was a bit unreasonable (wanting nothing but full ask even though the comps. at the time did not support it), he may have lied to David about the reason he let Madison re-list the property, because he didn’t like them, etc. we just don’t know. We will see this further play out.
wow I have no recollection of this at all! now i need to go back and watch!
I’ve been watching this show from the beginning. Love it, but I think Madison is a total jerk right out of the gate this year …. shady and untrustworthy. Not cute.
Yeah what’s up with Madison looking worse and worse each year? Does he have manarexia or something? His personality is very annoying too. He just seems super shallow or something? I can’t put my finger on it…
Madison first tried to portray himself as something he wasn’t. We all know he was gay (who cares) except for his ex-girlfriend. He treated heather like dirt when she has a legitimate complaint about being a licensed agent, and he treated her like a leper. She proved the bigger person. Why is he even back on this show? He said in the past, he was done and it basically sucked, but here we are putting up with his issues. And he is not even in the top 200 as far as sales.
Was hoping that James and the other Brit were gone but alas, they are still here and as annoying as ever. Always feel that they are interlopers who got on the show due to their families knowing Josh Flagg’s family. As to the woman, she is totally obnoxious, IMO, and has no charm or warmth. She takes away from the time we see Altman on the show and that bothers me. Would much rather see Altman relating to Heather who has tons of charisma. Still love this show because of Flagg and Altman and used to like Madison but afraid he is on a dark path right now.
I will agree. I’d much rather see Altman than any of the rest of them.
BTW, I love Josh Flagg’s father! He has great charisma, just like his son and a nice wit about him. Totally interesting addition to the show. I know he’s been on for a while, but I like him having more of a role and interacting with Josh one-on-one just like Josh used to interact with Edith, may her soul rest in peace, this great woman!
I’ve always liked his parents and his grandmother. I also respect the way he treats them and the supportive way his parents are. However, I don’t like Flagg himself. He had his good moments but mostly I find him to be annoying and smug.
I thought Madison looked thinner, esp compared to the flashbacks. I loved his reaction to Heather, it was so sweet and genuine. I am so glad this show is back.
Madison used to be the only one I could stand on this show, but I agree that the spat with Heather changed my perception of him, he acted like a really petty brat during that whole thing and it’s only gone downhill from there. There was one shot of him this week where I thought it looked like he’d had way too much work done to his face, but his attitude is just awful. He seems to be headed for a major fall which is very sad.
Flagg has definitely become my favorite over the last few seasons. He’s done a lot of well-needed growing up. Altman has also mellowed a bit in the last couple of seasons but the assholery is still lurking there. The Brits don’t really bother me to be honest.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of Tracy.
I couldn’t agree with you more!
Madison is so fake. As soon as those camera’s go on..he is posing and preening. He has become a real jerk too. On top of that!…he is the worst salesman! He’s just lucky he works in Malibu where the properties sell themselves. Even I could sell Malibu!
Altman is pretty fake for the camera’s too. He feels the need to brag & put on a show for the camera’s. I don’t like his sales style either. He is more like a used car salesman. He likes to slash prices on property’s which is why he sells a lot.
I have always loved Flagg. He is, hands-down, the best salesman on the show. He really knows his stuff. I really liked what he said on the episode about ‘glass houses on the hill’ and how they will look really out dated soon. He is so right. Whereas the house he was selling is timeless. 🙂
I actually think Heather is the fake one. I agree that she, knowing the terrible relationship between Altman and Madison, should absolutely not have co-listed that property with Altman behind Madison’s back. It was disloyal.I would have fired her as well. She saw that Altman liked her and used him as a come up for her personal life.
Thank goodness for reruns as I missed this episode. I have always loved Josh Flagg. I have never liked the Brit’s at all. I find myself fast-forwarding everyone but the two Josh’s. I see Altman really moved up in the real estate game. I recall his fairly tiny house a couple of seasons ago.Josh F has had a few scenes with his parents , I really miss Edith and his scenes with her. What does Flaggs husband do for a living and why did he almost back out of the wedding?
We think the same – fast forward the Brits and watch with pleasure the two Josh’s. The new person – the woman, is not cool as far as I’m concerned. No charisma; no warmth. Just a machine that sells realestate.
He use to be a model. Now he’s a real estate agent working for Josh.
testing comments.
I thought the fact that Josh Flagg’s mother was missing from this episode was a little odd. If I remember correctly, on at least 2 different occasions Josh asked his father where his mother was and his father shrugged his shoulders and said he didn’t know. Maybe she doesn’t want to be on camera but it seems like he could have come up with a better story than “I don’t know”.
She never minded in the past being on camera. Maybe she was out doing stuff. His dad is always flippant like that though.
I’m currently watching this and reading here at the same time.
Yes JF’s parents have been on a lot previously. In fact the ring he proposed to Bobby with was in mom’s purse last year.
I liked the new chic on the show for half a second. Weird to say but she makes me like Altman and I can’t stand Altman.
It’s going to be strange seeing JF in an office other than the one he’s always been on.
Glad Madison has found someone. Now I hope he solves whatever it is that’s making him look so ill/thin.
Oh and the editing for the open house sucks. It’s day time, it’s evening, it’s dark, oh wait, it’s early evening again. Nope, it’s dark. I guess the camera people need to pay more attention to what’s going on outside the windows when they film.
ALTMAN is the man! I know a lot of people don’t like Josh Altman but to me, he’s actually the reason I like to watch MLLA. While he can appear the “jerk” I just like his hustle, his drive and his sense of humor. He isn’t seriously smug, like Josh Flagg whom I’m sorry…the best thing he’s had going for him was his grandmother and his parents and while I can respect those relationships, he’s just always come off like a real knob. As for Madison, for me he just doesn’t cut the mustard. He’s a whiner, plain and simple. The Brit boys…I’m on the fence about. But I like the new realtor woman.
Fast forward to Pandemic, 2020 when I am bingeing on all episodes of Million Dollar Listing LA and enjoying it immensely, except for the Brits. James Harris is the most obnoxious man, so petulant and what a whiner! I am currently on Season 10 and was so hoping the Brits would be gone. Josh Flagg is still my favorite – call him smug or a brat, I adore him. Madison is still a good guy – Heather should not have co-listed with Altman without discussing it with Madison and the Brits were incredibly rude and condescending to Madison during their co-list so they deserve what they get but that ass James feels he has to voice his displeasure no matter where he is ..,what a selfish egotist. Back to my new guilty pleasure!