Fans were shocked to see Season 8 of Selling Sunset take a bit of a detour for a funeral in one of its most recent episodes.
The hit Netflix reality series is mostly known for following the buying and selling of property by the Oppenheim Real Estate Group in the prestigious West Hollywood market.
However, over time, it has expanded to include plenty more. Audiences have gotten glimpses behind the curtain at each of the series' charismatic cast members outside their real estate careers (read more about the Selling Sunset cast).
Who Died in Selling Sunset Season 8?
To the confusion of many, Selling Sunset Season 8 featured a funeral sequence, which made fans question who amongst the cast died.
Season 8, Episode 9 (titled "Two Listings and a Funeral") sees the Oppenheim Group employees dressed in their best funeral garb to honor a fallen member of the Selling Sunset family.
The funeral in question was held for Oppenheim Group owner Jason Oppenheim and his partner Mary Bonnet's dog Niko, who sadly passed away at the age of 18 during the events of this latest season.
Niko was a chihuahua mix that Bonnet adopted in 2006. The furry friend has been a mainstay of the series for years, popping up in the Oppenheim office or coming with Jason on various car rides across the Los Angeles area.
After dealing with some health issues as of late, Niko ultimately passed due to a kidney failure in late February (when Season 8 was filmed).
In the episode (as transcribed by Daily Mail), Oppenheim compared the death of Niko to "losing a child" and thanked his staff for taking the event "seriously:"
"I really appreciate seeing everyone take the funeral for Niko seriously and not joke around and laugh about how he’s just a dog during the ceremony like I’ve seen on other shows. If ur good as an animal owner then it’s like losing a child and deserves respect."
Oppenheim and Bonnet honored their late canine companion by getting matching tattoos that included traces of Niko's ashes in the ink.
Fellow Selling Sunset star Bre Tiesi has since called the event "very Los Angeles" in an interview with Digital Spy but admitted that she knows "how much they love[d] Niko:"
"I definitely feel like it’s very Los Angeles and I would expect nothing else to be entirely honest. I just know how much they love Niko and he was basically a child to them and a lot of us LA people take our dogs very seriously.
"They are definitely family members so I wasn’t surprised," she continued, adding that they did "a great job:
They are definitely family members so I wasn’t surprised. I loved it and I think they did a great job. I wish it had been a little bit more about Niko but there we go."
The upscale on-screen event, which was staged similarly to a full-blown human funeral, has drawn the ire of some fans. However, others have vehemently supported the former pet owners, mourning alongside them.
Selling Sunset Season 8 is streaming on Netflix.
