Chelsea Lazkani Isn't Holding Back

Major spoilers for Selling Sunset Season 8 ahead. Chelsea Lazkani isn’t eager to watch Selling Sunset this season. When she joins our call, it’s just 10 days before new episodes drop on Netflix. “I don't feel like reliving a traumatic moment, as you can imagine,” she says. “My main focus is to blow out the noise.”

Season 8 shows the beginning of Lazkani’s divorce from her now-estranged husband, Jeff. In the season premiere, her onscreen rival, Bre Tiesi, learns Jeff was allegedly spotted making out with another woman, and tells Lazkani directly. While the moment provides a surprising bonding moment for the co-stars, it doesn’t take long for Lazkani to wonder about Tiesi’s motives for revealing the news on camera.

“Emma [Hernan] was like, ‘Hmm, are you sure this was genuine? You do remember your history with this girl, right?’” the Oppenheim Group agent tells Bustle. “I was going into this new season with fresh energy, hoping to build or rekindle relationships. I was in a good space, so I didn't really question anything [at first].”

Because she hasn’t watched the new season — at least, by the time of our conversation — she’s also in the dark about a separate jaw-dropping rumor. In Episode 5, Nicole Young insinuates to Mary Bonnet, Amanza Smith, and Alanna Gold that Lazkani’s BFF, Emma, has been having an ongoing affair with a married man.

While a Netflix representative barred me from bringing it up, Lazkani learned the news soon after our interview and lambasted the show’s producers online. “Where is your moral ground and integrity??” she wrote on Instagram on Aug. 31. “Spreading lies for views is so damaging.”

Longtime viewers shouldn’t be surprised by her callouts. Since Lazkani joined the show in Season 5, she quickly made her mark with an outlandish fashion sense, British wit, and strong opinions. “I’m either going to go out as my complete true self, highs and lows included, or I’m going to bow out,” she says. “I’m not going to be a coward like some of the other castmates.”

Below, she reveals where she stands with Bre today, the secret behind her extravagant outfits, and a time she wishes she was more “demure.”

How long does it take for you to get ready for filming?

I am completely crazy in the head and don’t know what I’m wearing until morning. It takes me about an hour and a half to do my makeup, an hour and a half to do my hair, but then maybe an additional hour and a half to try on about 20 outfits until I settle on something I will hate two days later.

Do you ever feel like you’ve gotten an unfair edit?

I will never live down some of the moments from my first season. I had this notion that the bigger, the better, because that’s what Selling Sunset is. At times, I felt like I could have been a little bit more demure, but I was aggressive and outspoken. But we’re human, so I don’t regret anything.

I love how you snuck “demure” into that.

What are you talking about? I use that every day. [Laughs.]

Where do you stand with Bre today?

Who is she?

Who is she? Oh my gosh. What do you remember about your audition process?

It all happened fast. I felt like I’d gotten the job the moment I walked into the door. The camaraderie was just spot-on. I could tell producers felt like they had found their match for the show, which was a nice feeling, to feel wanted and accepted in a room that you never really saw yourself in.

Other than yourself, who has the best confessional looks?

Now, I’m not a liar, so I’m going to say she who shall not be named [Tiesi]. That’s the only thing I’ll give her.

Who has the worst?

Nicole because she said something about my best friend, and now we don’t like anything about her.

Are there any former cast members you’d like to return to the show?

None of them. I could do fine not seeing them ever again.

Not even Christine Quinn, your former friend?

I don’t have a relationship with her, but I have no ill will toward her, and we didn’t end in a rift. We just drifted apart.

What would your tagline be if Selling Sunset were a Real Housewives show?

How much you f*ck around will depend on how much you find out.

What are you most proud of in your journey so far?

My ability to live, learn, and grow, and my resilience. A lot of the things I’ve been through would've broken most people, and I’m still here, I’m happy, and I haven't lost my smile. I’m proud of myself every single day, to be honest.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.