Selling the O.C., Netflix's spinoff from the hit docu-soap Selling Sunset, returned this week with eight new episodes of drama and one new cast member joining the packed office. Alexandra "Ali" Harper—yes, they found another Alexandra—arrived in the Orange County real estate office by way of the South, and the charming former pageant queen is an anomaly among the O.C. realtors in more ways than one. Below, read on for what we know about the new reality star.
She grew up outside Nashville and won Miss Tennessee in 2017.
Harper was born and raised in Tennessee's Williamson County just outside of Nashville, and received a bachelor's degree in journalism and communications from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Per the Tennessean, she previously worked as a sales account executive after she left college, before leaving her corporate career to run a now-defunct fashion and beauty blog. She has worked in tech, web design, and public relations, per her LinkedIn.
As for her pageant career, Harper previously won the title of Miss Tennessee USA in 2017 and went on to place in the top 10 for the Miss USA competition. She's also a second-generation pageant queen, as her mother Sharon (who briefly appears in Selling the O.C.) won the Miss Tennessee USA crown in 1981.
She has previous experience on a reality show.
It turns out that Selling the O.C. isn't Harper's first time on an Adam DiVello-produced series. According to Bustle, she previously starred in CMT's short-lived reality show Music City, which followed a group of friends "entering the next chapter of their lives while chasing dreams of success, fame and romance in Nashville." The show very much channeled a The Hills vibe, based on the featurette below.
She's been dating her boyfriend, Lucas England, for two years.
Harper currently splits her time between Nashville and Orange County, partially because she often travels with England. The pair recently celebrated their second anniversary, and Harper previously revealed on Instagram that they had been neighbors for years before they started dating.
"The whole purpose of me exploring this new life and new career [in Orange County] was that my boyfriend always travels," she told Women's Health ahead of O.C. season 2. "We were looking [for] an outlet to split our time 50/50" between Nashville and Orange County.
She's a foodie and amateur chef.
A quick scroll through Harper's Instagram (@alexandra__harper) reveals two things: She's very close to her family, and she's an absolute foodie. The 30-year-old has posted tons of recipes for comfort, from one-pan chicken to homemade pizza to small-batch lasagna.
She's still "navigating" her real estate career.
In addition to being the newest member of the O.C. cast, Harper also stands out from the bunch as the only cast member who did not have a real estate license upon joining the show. By the end of season 2, her place in the Oppenheim Group is still a bit up in the air, as she has yet to receive her real estate license.
In a Women's Health interview ahead of the season 2 premiere, the new cast member stayed mum on whether she has gotten her license and become a full member of the O Group. "I'm still navigating," she told the outlet. "I'm exploring getting my real estate license and you'll kind of see that unfold in season 3."
