The Big Picture
- Hollywood nepo-babies like Dakota Johnson won't acknowledge privilege while denigrating the term.
- Alexia gets special listings and doesn't face scrutiny like other agents.
- Nepotism at The Agency makes the work environment awkward; other agents feel they can't be honest.
The nepo-baby conversation isn't going anywhere in Hollywood, no matter how much the privileged children of the wealthy and elite wish that it would. Recently, when asked in an interview about the nepo-baby discourse that surrounds her, actor Dakota Johnson, daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, said that when she first heard the conversation was happening she found it "incredibly annoying and boring." She continued to say that journalists should find "something else" to write about. Of course, she also admits that when her dad cut her off financially in a bid to force her to "make it on her own" in Hollywood, she would still turn to her mother for financial assistance, saying, "She was the nice one." And herein lies the incredibly frustrating conundrum with nepo-babies who refuse to acknowledge their privilege while denigrating the term. It takes a certain cognitive dissonance to at once say she had to "make it on her own" while also admitting that she had her famous mother to turn to when in financial strife. Those who do not have a prestigious last name in Hollywood circles, or wealthy parents to contribute to their financial stability, can only look on in irritation. And it's on full display in reality television.
The nepo-babies appearing on Netflix's Buying Beverly Hills receive similar benefits to actors such as Dakota Johnson and many others making the rounds in Hollywood today. Farrah Brittany and Alexia Umansky, daughters of real-estate mogul Mauricio Umansky, are both at different stages in their real-estate careers. But there is no denying that there is a benefit to being the boss's daughter, whether you are a new agent or a seasoned veteran. And when it comes to the nepotism going on at The Agency, Mauricio seems very content to turn a blind eye to any criticism this may evoke. For the affable father of four, nothing could be more natural than him helping his children and their friends to get a leg up in the world. The other agents at his brokerage, however, who have had to make their way in the cut-throat world of high end real-estate in Beverly Hills, seem to have a different opinion entirely. Either way, the nepo-baby problem that was heavily featured in season one of Buying Beverly Hills, will inevitably continue in the forthcoming second season.
Buying Beverly Hills
It follows the clients and agents within Mauricio Umansky's The Agency in Beverly Hills.
Alexia Gets The Most Out Of Being Mauricio's Daughter
Walking in to a broker's open for a $65 million luxury property, Alexia turns to check with her father: "Do you have my lip gloss?" He replies, "I do, honey." Her father's willingness to act as a purse for the day, holding on to her belongings when her outfit does not allow her to do so herself, is one small indication of the privilege that goes along with being the boss's daughter. It is hard to imagine that any other agent at the brokerage could make a similar request. Unless, maybe, it was her older sister Farrah who was asking. As Mauricio says of Alexia in an interview: "That kid has just, uh, has me wrapped around her little finger. She's my little baby." But being the bearer of his daughter's lip gloss is not the only perk she receives working with Mauricio. Alexia is also given a chance at multiple million-dollar listings, even as a junior agent with little expertise.
She is allowed to sell her father's home in Milldale, a $6,750,000 property with a $337,000 commission, because she is emotionally attached to the home, having grown up there. While she claims to know the property exceedingly well, when it comes to showing the property to potential viewers, Alexia stumbles over basic details. Alexia acknowledges that other people will have an opinion about this. In an interview, she says: "I know there's always going to be people that say there's nepotism. People are going to say this job was given to me on a silver platter. " However, she does not acknowledge the truth in these observations, but rather claims that such opinions are stifling to her career: "It hurts to feel like you're pinned as something your whole life and doesn't allow you to grow." After she does not perform well during her first showing of the property and another broker from The Agency gives her a low rating when talking to Farrah about how she did, Alexia breaks down in tears from "the pressure." This occurs frequently throughout the season, as Alexia feels that being the boss's daughter creates more pressure for her than for other agents. She tells the camera through welling tears, "I don't want to disappoint anyone, and I'm trying to do a good job for my family." However, what she doesn't seem to comprehend is that this pressure that she is feeling is just normal life pressure for the career she has chosen.
The Strange Tale of Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky
Once considered the ideal reality TV couple, their post-split scandals and behaviors have fans scratching their heads.The perks of being the boss's daughter are not related to listings alone. At 25 years old, Alexia still lives at home with her parents, on the former Smokey Robinson estate in Beverly Hills. Farrah teases Alexia at one point about how their parents get agitated if she even mentions Alexia moving out. Alexia admits she is in no rush to leave, saying, "I just have a very fun situation. I've got people who do my laundry and they help me. My mom helps me with my laundry. It's very sweet." Farrah asks if she has ever done her laundry, and she gets a comical silence in answer. One can only imagine what other agents who work under Mauricio might feel about this confession, when they drive home in their cars that they pay for, to the homes that they pay for, and inevitably have to do their laundry, in addition to generating their leads at work. At one point, Senior Agent Ben Belack jokes with Mauricio, asking, "Can you just adopt me so I can be on more listings with you?" Apparently, the perks look pretty good from the outside, despite the pressure that Alexia feels.
Alexia's Work Struggles Make For Great Reality TV
While Alexia may feel that being the boss's daughter casts a more intense spotlight on her than the other agents she works with, it is clear that the other agents do not share this opinion, nor do they receive the perks that come along with nepotism. The Milldale property is not the only opportunity that Alexia has been handed this season as a result of being Mauricio's daughter. Agent Allie Lutz gives Alexia a shot at a property she represents since she is about to go on maternity leave. The home's asking price is $2,900,000, with a commission of $145,000, if she had helped to sell it. However, after the first showing goes poorly, with Alexia forgetting essential details that Allie had provided for her, the homeowner then tells Allie that she is no longer comfortable allowing Alexia to represent the home. For her part, Allie is irritated, because she prepped all the information for Alexia, and admits that it's scary that Alexia could affect her business and reputation. However, Allie also acknowledges there isn't much she can do about it, saying "But at the same time, like, she's the boss' daughter, and... What am I gonna do, like, piss off the boss?" Alexia struggling to learn the ropes is relatable, however, the reluctance that Allie feels talking to Mauricio about her mistakes is another perk of the job. Alexia's mistakes get minimized or ignored, whereas the other agents at The Agency are under intense scrutiny and pressure to perform.
Alexia's vulnerability makes her a knock-out reality TV star. Her statements about being under pressure, however, make her seem to be out of touch with the privileges that she has. If she spent more time showing the hard work she was putting in to make sales, this would go a lot further to proving that she deserves the many opportunities she has been given. When the Milldale property eventually does sell, viewers see nothing of the buyers, nor of the work that Alexia puts into getting the deal signed. This doesn't do her any favors, as it begs the question: Did Mauricio find his offer, since the offers Alexia had brought to him on camera were all significantly below his bottom line? When Alexia does show her work, rather than talk about her anxiety, the other agents are impressed with her efforts.
What Kyle Richards Has to Say About Her Separation From Mauricio Umansky
The Season 13 trailer for 'RHOBH' digs deep into their separation, but will they actually divorce?At the Milldale open house, she puts together a dog and kitten adoption event. The staging is gorgeous, and Alexia does a significantly better job showing the home to potential buyers this time around. Ben observes that her tactics are even working on him, and that "selling things" definitely runs in the family. When she plans the open house for a property in the Venice neighborhood, another listing she was given by her father, she arranges a brunch with influencers that brings numerous people to the home. Ben gives her credit here as well: "I'm really impressed by the turn-out Alexia has been able to garner at this open house. We are in a battle for attention, and if she can get the people that have people's attention at scale in the house, bravo!"
The Nepotism at The Agency Causes Awkward Moments
While Farrah is also Mauricio's daughter and is more than likely to have received a fair amount of favoritism over the years, on Buying Beverly Hills it is clear that she, if anyone, has the right to complain about feeling pressure. Mauricio frequently tasks Farrah with guiding Alexia through the listings that he assigns to her, in addition to having her play "quarter-back" to the many deals that they work on together. Despite the obvious value that she brings to the table and their familial relationship, even Farrah has to tip-toe around Mauricio's clear bias when it comes to Alexia. After Farrah hears about Alexia's poor showings at Allie's property and the Milldale listing, Farrah pulls Mauricio for a conversation about whether her sister is truly ready to do the job at this level. Mauricio gets irritated at even having to hear the question and says that he doesn't see how it should be an issue for anyone. Farrah tells producers in an interview: "I can tell he's pissed. He went full Papa Bear mode, and I'm feeling a little weird about it. I don't know when to push certain things and when not to." This is a glaring example of the ways that nepotism significantly complicates a work environment. If Farrah is feeling this way, what can the other agents ever say to Mauricio about his daughter's performance, even if it affects their listings and their livelihood?
When Alexia complains to her friend Joey Ben-Zvi and fellow agent Brandon Graves about people "tip-toeing" around her because she is the boss's daughter, Joey waits until he is filming an interview, when Alexia is clearly not in attendance, to observe: "It's very hard not to tip-toe around the CEO's daughter." For his part, Brandon has been stalwart in his gentle efforts to get Alexia to understand the privileged position she occupies. He is the one who brought up the "tip-toeing" conversation at a birthday party and Halloween celebration that Mauricio and Kyle Richards throw for their eldest daughter, dubbed "Farroween."
Brandon tells Alexia directly that people seem to tip-toe around her, and he asks her if she thinks that is something she needs them to do. He conveys to her that the impression people have is that if something arises with her at work, they can't be honest without risking their careers, for fear that she will run to her family with the problem. Alexia gets offended at being portrayed as some kind of tattle-tale. However, when Melissa Platt gave her a low rating for her performance at the Milldale property, Alexia ran to her father about the problem, and Mauricio stepped in to ensure that Melissa apologized to Alexia. Which proves that Brandon has a valid point. In an interview, he says, "I would hope that I have the space to be authentic with her. I think I do." Brandon also tells the producers: " I have a ton of respect for Mauricio, for what he's built at The Agency. And he has welcomed me with open arms. But for me, it is a little intimidating, because...the nepotism. I cannot compete with Joey or Alexia. They've kind of been born into the industry. They have the connections that I don't have. It's a constant hustle. Nobody is putting anything on my plate. I gotta find it all."
Even though Brandon is the only one to tactfully challenge Alexia in this way, he is also kind enough to see things from her perspective. He admits, "I kind of feel for her, because it is a tough position to be in. But you gotta find a way to manage that. That's just kind of what it is when you're the boss's daughter, I think. You gotta find a way to prove yourself, and that's by working hard and carving your path. And I think she's doing that." The "tough" situation of being under scrutiny because she is the boss's daughter is never going away, as Brandon points out. If Alexia was better aware of her privileges and not so anxious about the actual work that needs to be put in for her to succeed in real estate, it might make a difference next season. But as Mauricio makes clear at the end of season one, the nepotism problem will continue to be featured in the second season, as he intends to bring another of his daughters into the fold. Even Farrah seems surprised when Mauricio introduces Sophia Umansky to the other agents as a potential recruit. Ben seems resigned, remarking, "Oh, here we go. Another daughter." Brandon cheekily observes, "Another one. How many more are there?" Hopefully, Sophia learns from Alexia's struggles in season one, and they both learn from their sister Farrah about ways to navigate nepotism through hard work.
Season Two of Buying Beverly Hills is available to stream on Netflix.
