Selling The OC star SLAMS claims the Oppenheim Group fosters a 'toxic' work environment and says employees who can't cope should 'remove' themselves - after former agent Alexandra Jarvis bashed the office following her exit

Selling The OC's Vanessa Hopp has rubbished claims that the Oppenheim Group fosters a 'toxic' work environment, claiming people should simply 'remove' themselves if they can't cope with the pressure.

The luxury realtor, who works at the company's San Diego branch, hit back at former colleague Alexandra Jarvis, who recently blasted the workplace atmosphere following her exit from the Netflix show.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Vanessa said, like other sectors, the real estate industry can be 'cutthroat' and 'demanding' as she claimed agents need to have a strong 'Type A' personality in order to thrive – otherwise they run the risk of being walked over.

'I feel like "toxic" is such an overused word now,' she said. 'If it feels toxic to you, you should 100 per cent remove yourself, but real estate is like any other corporate industry, it's cutthroat.

Luxury realtor Vanessa Hopp, who is an employee at the company's San Diego branch, insisted the Oppenheim Group is not 'toxic'

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, she said that while the industry is 'cutthroat', it is no different to other careers

'It's also very competitive, but it's not toxic. Only the strong survive.'

DailyMail.com revealed last month that Alexandra, who is often referred to by her nickname Jarvis, had become the third cast member to quit the Oppenheim Group's Orange County office in the space of one year, following fellow agents Sean Palmieri and Tyler Stanaland.

In a recent interview with People, Alexandra revealed multiple factors played into her decision to exit, with the publication stating that 'toxic culture' was one of them.

Addressing her comments, Vanessa continued: 'I understand that this energy is not what Alexandra wants to be exposed to anymore.

'But that doesn't mean that the Oppenheim Group is toxic. That just means that this industry is very, very demanding.

'At the Oppenheim Group, I've only felt extremely supported. It's like a family. Families fight and sometimes they make up.

'There's so much that can go wrong and can be misinterpreted and then people are butthurt about nothing.

'The thing about this industry is it is like a pressure cooker and the tempers are always rising.

Following her exit from the Oppenheim Group's OC office, Alexandra Jarvis (pictured) described the company as 'toxic'

Fellow luxury real estate agent Sean Palmieri announced his departure from the business in November 2023 

Tyler Stanaland left the Oppenheim Group in October 2023 - after his public divorce from actress Brittany Snow

'Everyone has very strong personalities. You have to be Type A in this business otherwise you are gonna be chewed up and spat out.

'If you don't stand up for yourself in a very emphatic manner, people will walk all over you.'

Type A refers to a pattern of behavior and personality associated with high achievement, competitiveness, and impatience, among other characteristics, according to WebMD. 

Turning her attention to her boss Jason Oppenheim, who founded the brokerage and features on both Selling The OC and Selling Sunset, Vanessa claimed he fosters a go-getter environment.

She said: 'Jason isn't toxic. He is very professional and he's extremely good at his job. And it also without saying that he demands that the people around him rise to his level. He doesn't have to say it, he just hires like that.

'He is also very embracing and if he sees you're doing good work, then he is very good at assembling a crowd around him that is successful and going for it.

'That's not for everyone or it's not for every phase in life.'

Vanessa stressed that while she is sad that Alexandra, Sean and Tyler are no longer agents at the Oppenheim Group, she does not believe there is any bad blood.

'Jason is for example, always stays in touch with everyone,' she said.

Elsewhere in her interview, Vanessa insisted Selling The OC storylines are authentic and in no way manufactured by producers.

'As you can imagine, people always ask if the drama in Orange County is real. It's all real. This is real life,' she said. 'It's true. It's all happening.

'The castmates are all working agents by the way. I know people say "oh, but they're not working". Not true. Everyone's working their butts off. They're all rockstar agents.'

Vanessa has been an agent for the Oppenheim Group at the San Diego office since it opened in April 2023.

While Selling The OC fans have only seen a little slice of life in the workplace so far, she is passionate about the idea of a new spinoff based on her office.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Vanessa said: 'You have to be Type A in this business otherwise you are gonna be chewed up and spit out'

Vanessa is vying for a Selling San Diego spinoff on Netflix after the office's grand opening last year 

'They introduced the San Diego office this season, and if you remember way back in the original Selling Sunset, they did the same thing when they introduced the OC office,' she said.

'I haven't heard anything more, but I think they absolutely should have a spinoff of our office.

'There's so much going on. It's a very competitive business and we have the deals, and we have the mansions.

'San Diego was the most expensive city in the world a couple months ago. You can imagine who lives here...  and most people here are changing the world. It's a very inspiring place to be.'

As her for her San Diego colleagues, Vanessa also described them as 'rockstar agents.'

She continued: 'I have so many deals right now going I'm an escrow on two huge deals, one of which I'm double ending which means I'm representing the buyer and the seller.

'I feel really supported and I have nothing but amazing things to say about my colleagues.'