Mary Bonnet Says Season 9 of 'Selling Sunset' Was 'Dramatic' and 'Emotional' for Everyone: 'There's Been a Huge Shift'

Season 9 of Selling Sunset was a doozy for Mary Bonnet.

"There's been a huge shift," the reality star, 45, exclusively tells OK! after the Netflix show's latest season was released on October 29. "The reunion showed the aftermath of the whole season. I think this season was dramatic in many ways — with the shift in relationships and between everybody trying to get past previous things that have happened. And then with the fires, my break-in, there's so much that happened. It was a really emotional season for everybody."

After Nicole Young was told to leave the office following a feud with Chrishell Stause, Sandra Vergara (Sofía Vergara's adopted younger sister, though they are also biological cousins) was brought into the fold. "I am very happy with the new cast. I love Sandra. She's so funny. I think she brings a lot to this season; she has an interesting personality. I think she's very positive and funny and has good energy!" the book author gushes. "She brings a different dynamic, and I'm so happy to have her. She hangs out with a bunch of us: Bre Tiesi, Alanna Gold, Emma Hernan and Amanza Smith. We all hang together."

Since Bonnet has been the OG member of Selling Sunset, she tends to show newbies the ropes. "I got her used to the office and then this crazy time during the fires. It's not a normal real estate market. This is a really hard time. I got my license in 2008 during the housing crisis, but this is probably worse than that. It's going to take a lot of patience and effort on our part, and so I tried to take her under my wing and show her how to navigate things," she reveals.

Still, the drama ensued. "It affects all of us," she says of the heavy season. "And it affects productivity and our reputation. It's a TV show people are watching around the world, but these are our real clients. This behavior does not look good on me, even though I am not involved in [the drama]. I care about real estate, and I am like, 'Guys, this does not look professional,'" she states. "Unfortunately, I've lost a lot of deals because of the behavior, because they don't want to be around us. I am not the one bringing it! We have this platform that is so unique and positive, and if we all took advantage of that and focused on doing something good with it and inspiring people, it could be amazing."

During the latter episodes, Bonnet teased potentially leaving The Oppenheim Group behind for good. However, she admits she's "still" with them — for now.

"I am not going to go through this over and over again," she declares. "The dynamic has to change — all of this hitting below the belt and horrible accusations is not something I want in my life. I am all about positivity and doing things to make people better and our world better, and it gets to me. I've handled this season a lot better, but I made extra effort to do that."

This past season, Stause brought up previous allegations about Young's alleged drug use.

“Honey, you’re confusing me with your parents, OK?” Young told Stause, whose parents are not alive. “You seem to be obsessed with drugs. She’s talked about [her parents] being addicts. It is OK for me to continually be called a drug addict. You talked about your parents doing drugs.”

The pair's costars jumped to Stause's defense, and Young was later forced to leave the office to avoid further tension. On top of that, Bonnet's home was broken into, making her think about moving out of Los Angeles for good. This season also focused on her strained relationship with Chelsea Lazkani, who fell out with Bonnet over a joint listing on Season 8.

"When it all happened, I was an emotional wreck and thinking, 'Why are people saying and doing this?' I don't want to work this way. I stopped drinking because it was making me more emotional," she reveals. "Everything is already heightened, and so I was like, I am going to do everything I can to be my best self and that's all I can do."

Bonnet also "won't look" at social media as it's not good for her mental health. "I am who I am, and so I am like, I can leave those negative comments behind, which has helped a lot," she admits. "This season I was like, 'I am not letting that in.' I've worked too hard to be grounded and centered."

During the reunion, Bonnet admits production cut out some key parts that would have made more sense to the viewers. "It was why a lot of us were very, very frustrated," she explains. "When I got up and walked out, it wasn't because of one conversation. It was pure chaos. We filmed for 13 hours, so you can imagine how crazy things got!"

Additionally, the Netflix personality said she wasn't sleeping well due to the break-in. "There were robberies every single night, and so I was worried it was going to happen again," she shares. "I was afraid they were going to come back. So, I was a bit on edge and emotional than I normally would have been."

For now, Bonnet is staying put at her job, but she's unsure of her future on the show.

"It depends on the dynamic and the cast and the way people are going to behave," she declares. "Because I'm not interested in being part of something super, super negative. I am not going to be a part of that because it's gotten pretty rough."

Despite some ups and downs with Young and other cast members, Bonnet, who teases former cast member Heather Rae El Moussa might return in the future, says her friendships with "mostly everyone" are "great."

"I just don't want negativity around me, and that's where I stand, but I'm very good friends with almost everybody," she says. "I'm in a better place. I want to have good relationships with everyone. I want to make people happy. I'm a fixer, but at a certain point, I am not going to mess up my mindset because other people can't get along or want five extra minutes of screentime. I am not going to do that. I am going to focus on myself and try to do the best I can. If people want to act a certain way, that's not a reflection of me."