‘Selling the Hamptons’: Big Sales, Bigger Egos And More Drama In Season 2

Real estate meets high-class wealthy reality in the country’s most exclusive housing market when season 2 of “Selling the Hamptons” premieres on HBO Max on March 1.  

Buying, selling, socializing, and of course, hustling, is what it’s about for the realtors of the Nest Seekers Team. The Blast had the opportunity to talk to three cast members ahead of the premiere of the new season to get a glimpse of what fans can expect.

The houses are big, but so are the egos. And that’s clearly what helps these realtors close the multi-million-dollar homes and businesses in the luxurious and celebrity filled Hamptons. 

The cast for season 2 includes: Mia Calabrese, Bianca D'Alessio, Peggy Zabakolas, J.B. Andreassi, Michael Fulfree, Dylan Eckardt, and Ashley Allen. The Blast had the opportunity to chat with three of the agents to get some backstory and thoughts ahead of season 2's start.

Michael Fulfree, a “full service” agent since 2019, is busy “transacting left and right.” No sale is too big for the former high-fashion model and car salesman. He stumbled into real estate and hasn’t looked back since.

“I worked in Italy most of my early 20s. I retired from modeling in my mid 20s and I didn’t know what to do. I had some good money saved up, zero college education, so I went and I sold cars at this dealership in Patchogue, which is a little further out east on Long Island,” he told The Blast. “In six months, I became the top 100th car salesman in the company in the country which is crazy.”

When Fulfree realized he was really good at sales, he began servicing the big real estate agents in the Hamptons. That’s when someone suggested he sell houses instead. He was told that he’s doing great selling cars, so why not “leverage that into a larger business.” 

Fulfree worked at one brokerage for about two weeks, and in those two weeks, went after every builder and got noticed by Eddie Shapiro [President and CEO] at Nest Seekers. 

“That’s when Netflix was in the casting period of looking to cast young people starting off in the business and following them around the Hamptons,” he said. “Now, I’m killing it. I’m closing deals every week.” 

While sales are typically down this time of year in the Hamptons, realtors are gearing up for their busy season that starts around Memorial Day and continues through October. One challenge for realtors in the area is that many clients aren’t seeking a primary home in the Hamptons.

“A lot of people are not looking at these properties as their primary houses. There’s no urgency to buy homes in the Hamptons,” he said. “This business is not for everybody. You have to have a certain personality and certain amount of energy. I am made for this. I am a psychopath.” 

Fellow realtor and cast member Dylan Eckardt has been in real estate for about 11 years and said he never clocks out, which is “why I’m the best.” He got into the business because he grew up in the area and saw how it was transitioning.

“I grew up in the Hamptons and as a local growing up there, you see the money coming in and out. In the winter times, I saw my hometown in Montauk go from a small fishing town with a drinking problem to one of the most trendy party towns, beautiful towns in the world,” he told The Blast. “I ended up getting motivated to get my license. My first deal, I sold a $50 million hotel within the first week of having my license. I was bridging the gap between locals and the yuppies. Wealthy people were coming out and locals didn’t trust them, and I was like the middleman.” 

Eckardt grew his business and portfolio quickly. Instead of taking cash for the first five years in business, he was taking equity in everything he sold commercially, he explained. He claims to be “the realest real estate agent in the business.” 

“Everything I touch turns to sold, and everything I’ve ever done turned to gold,” he said. “Everything I’ve done, I’ve demanded excellence.”

When asked about what challenges he feels selling in the Hamptons brings, he said he doesn’t really have any.

“I’m just good at it. It’s all about getting in the door. I’m a seller,” he said. “You’re not gonna see a guy like me at an open house giving bottles of water out, giving a tour of a two-bedroom house.”

He said he’s the guy you call when you need to sell an estate and want $200 million. 

“It’s all about having a great rolodex,” he said. “It’s all about connections. It’s all about what you know and who you know.” 

Realtor Ashley Allen wears many hats. She works a full-time job outside of real estate and has her own business, Seedy Bean. She got into real estate because of her dad.

“I was living between LA and Brooklyn and I was doing music at the time. LA was just not for me. I’m definitely an east coaster. I had a song on the radio and felt like I needed to take a hiatus to figure out what I wanted to do,” she told The Blast.

“My dad had just gotten into flipping homes, he’s more of a developer than flipping them. I came back to New York and in 2016, I got my license because it was just something my family was doing and something I wanted to try to do while I figured out what I wanted to do.”

When the pandemic happened, her father sold his biggest house and it was featured on season one of the show. This was when she made her debut on the show.

“My dad was obviously like, because of Covid, I’m going to need some help with the real estate aspect. That’s how I got on the show,” she said. “The rest is history.”

Allen was then asked to be a part of season two. 

With real estate, a full-time job, and Seedy Bean, Allen wears many hats and juggles it all in stride. One thing she’s found to be challenging about selling in the Hamptons is the fact that everyone is competing for the same things.

“Being in real estate, you can think that you have a listing or a buyer for your property and the next thing you know, they buy something else or someone else gets the listing,” she explained. “Everyone’s competing for the same exact thing.” 

For people new to the show and just learning about Allen, she wants to clear a few things up right off the bat.

“The most important thing that I would like people to know about me is that I really, I just like to make people laugh. And if I make jokes about my dad or money or trust funds, that is not who I am. I’m not some spoiled little Hamptons girl with nothing going for her. I work hard for everything I do,” she said.

“I’m very grateful for my dad. He’s my best friend and taught me everything I know but nothing’s ever been given to me. I am more than just a spoiled little rich girl. I’m a Catskills girl, a plant girl and I live in Brooklyn. I just hustle really hard with what I want to do and no one gave that to me.”