'Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles' star Tracy Tutor opens up about navigating a tough split and an even tougher real estate market.
Six seasons into her Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles stint, Tracy Tutor says she's learned one big lesson: "Do you."
"I might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I'm sure as hell someone’s shot of tequila," she muses to ET. "I think the more authentic you are, you know, the people resonate with you more, and I think being six years on this show, I think you're gonna see a lot more authenticity and more vulnerability from me this season than perhaps ever in the show."
That's saying a lot for a woman who walked through a divorce in her first two years on the show. Season 15, airing Wednesdays on Bravo and streaming on Peacock, sees her navigate heartbreak once again, as her relationship with boyfriend Erik Anderson comes to an emotional end.
"This season, I let my guard down a little bit more, and show that not only am I a boss in what I do for a living, but also have some challenges -- and raising two teen girls, and going through a breakup this year was tough," she rattles off. "This wasn't something that happened, and then months later we came back to it. It was, I was living it very much in the moment, and that might be a little painful for me and both my ex-boyfriend to watch."
Tracy and Erik ultimately called it quits after three years of dating due to his desire to have kids of his own.
"I am not raising children again," Tracy declares. Her daughters, Juliet and Scarlet, whom she shares with ex-husband Jason Maltas, are 18 and 15, respectively.
It's been nearly a year since she and Erik broke up, but Tracy says she and the fitness trainer have maintained "a great friendship." However, there's no chance they get back together romantically.
"We've moved forward, and I think we're both stronger for it," she says. "I wouldn't take a moment of that relationship back, but I'm ready for bigger and better and longer-lasting things."
The 48-year-old's No. 1 ask for her next partner is someone that is "in the same place as me, both personally and professionally, and appreciates the fact that I work, and that I am not just going to be on someone's arm."
"I have my own things going on," she adds, confirming she's not interested in an age-gap like she had with Erik, who is 28.
"Nope!" she proclaims. "We are looking north of 40, perhaps north of 45 and, you know, for the right guy, maybe even up to 60? I mean, the door is open."
Tracy notes she's "been with a lot of good looking men," so she isn't necessarily prioritizing attractiveness this time around (though she's not not, either).
"I want someone that inspires me," she says. "Someone that I listen to, and is super smart, engaging, obviously fun and really confident, because I am a confident woman and I need to be with someone that is as confident -- if not more -- and someone that elevates me."
Viewers will see Tracy dip her toe back into the dating pool this season. Josh Altman apparently sets her up, while Josh Flagg suggests she become a gold-digger and go after nonagenarians, which pretty much sums up both men's personalities. Season 15 is the second MDLLA season with just the trio at its center, with Josh and Josh often at odds and Tracy in the middle of their spats.
"Watching them go through their ups-- I mean, it's like a breakup and a makeup!" she laments. "It's like the couple that never stops giving drama ... but I love them both for very different reasons. I mean, Josh Flagg is like a little brother to me and, you know, obviously he went through a divorce last year. I went through my breakup and was with him, actually, in Europe when that decision sort of came to fruition, and he was very much there for me during that process."
It's a nice change of pace for the pair, after season 14 found their friendship fractured when Flagg used a vulgar insult to describe Tracy's daughter.
"When you know Josh as deeply as I do and, obviously, what the fans see on camera is someone who can be a little bit flippant, perhaps a little bit ego driven and a little self serving -- you didn't hear it from me -- but really, truthfully he felt horrible," she explains. "[He] spent the next six months making it up to me, getting to know my daughters. It's still the ongoing joke of him remembering their names, but he has made a great effort to be a better friend, not just to me, but to my family, and I respect that and I always believe in second chances."
The agents need each other now more than ever in the show's history, given the state of the real estate market. New tax laws and unfavorable mortgage rates have made the already competitive industry even more cutthroat. Tracy is excited for viewers to see it all play out on screen, as she feels that MDLLA is maybe the only authentic real estate reality show.
"You know, the truth is, I don't think they're actually following the sale of an actual asset, and that's what we really try to stick to," she remarks, taking a shot at copycat competitors that have popped up in the past few years, including Netflix's universe of Selling shows. She says those series focus more on style than substance.
"Bravo has been really militant about making sure that we follow the truth behind what we're going through on some of these listings," she continues. "You're gonna see me pick up a listing at the beginning of this season ... and when you see how long it takes me to sell it, that's, like, a whole other story."
The more crowded the real estate reality space gets, so does the real estate space itself. More people than ever seem to be getting their licenses, seemingly inspired by the glamour of Selling Sunset and the like.
"I always say, 'Now? You want to get in now?'" she cracks. "Getting into the industry now, you have to be ready and, I mean, this is a commission-based job. You don't make a dollar unless you close, and when you are competing against people like Altman, myself or Flagg, or anyone else successful in our industry that is a veteran, you are going to lose 99 percent of the time."
Even through the low lows, Tracy feels she's "exactly where I am supposed to be," in terms of both real estate and reality TV -- but she's sticking where those two worlds collide. Despite fan speculation (or maybe, wishful thinking), she was never approached to join The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
"No, this all was born out of [Andy Cohen] asking me on Watch What Happens Live if I would ever do the Housewives, and I just said, '100 percent,' because I ... know the women on the show, obviously just being in the Bravo family, and I thought I would bring something a little bit different," she explains. "But the truth is ... I don't think it would serve me."
She's open to the idea of being "a little friend of a friend," just not a full-time 'Wife. However, if a diamond does land in her palm some day, she's got her tagline at the ready.
"In this silly game of Los Angeles, I'm playing Monopoly and buying Boardwalk," she quips.
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock, alongside every other season of the show.
RELATED CONTENT:
