There are few reality TV feuds as fiery as the one between Million Dollar Listing New York's top agents Fredrik Eklund and Ryan Serhant.
The dueling real estate brokers seem to have a lot in common: both MDLNY O.G.s dominate the Big Apple market, and are married fathers of toddlers. Yet for some reason, Fredrik and Ryan just can't see eye to eye.
"God, I feel like we take one step forward and two steps backwards—three steps in this case," Fredrik exclusively told E! News ahead of the season nine premiere on May 6. "Ryan and I get into it, again, big time." So what sparked their latest disagreement?
It seems to have to do with Fredrik balancing his bicoastal status amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. "I have a lot of frustration about not being able to come to New York for a while. My clients asked me and try to convince me to come because they wanted to sell and unload their real estate," Fredrik explained. "And then by that same token, some of my competitors were trying to—as least that's how I perceived it—take over my business because I wasn't there....I am very protective of my business that I worked a lifetime to secure. So I'm not going to let anybody come in and step on my turf. It doesn't matter if I'm in L.A. or not: it's my business."
The trailer also shows Ryan being miffed that Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star Fredrik didn't congratulate him on starting his own agency. Still, Ryan confessed that there really were no lingering hard feelings—mainly because he only crossed paths with Fredrik once on-camera. "I didn't see him that often because he moved and he's really just focused on the West Coast now," Ryan stated. "He came to a showing that I ended up being at and he cornered me, which was great. But that was about it."
Ryan was more focused on expanding his new company since its founding in Sept. 2020, and moving into his newly-renovated Brooklyn brownstone. "My whole life gets flipped upside down this entire season," Ryan continued.
But according to Fredrik, their dispute still has not been fully resolved as of Apr. 2021. "We're supposed to be friends and yet here we are again, fighting," Fredrik said. We just are who we are, and we are very competitive."
Yet it's that competition that forges a shared deep love and respect for one another—despite any momentary feud. "I told him that as much as he annoys me sometimes, I thank him," Fredrik admitted. "As much as we go head to head, we are making one another more successful because we are competing. We are almost like two planets circulating, orbiting one another. Look at us 10 years later: we've become these two mega-teams, mega-brokers, selling iconic real estate at some of the biggest price points. We did it completely separate but kind of together."
Fredrik called their friendship "very complex and multilayered" before thanking MDLNY for being a form of "elevated therapy" for the two of them.
Separately, Ryan shared the same sentiment: "Listen, Fredrik and I have been on the show the longest. We both started at the exact same time in 2010," Ryan reminisced. "I remember having dinner with him to say, 'Hey, what is this thing we're about to sign up to? Will this ruin our lives and careers? Will anyone in New York take a reality TV broker seriously?' Through thick and through thin, we've stuck together. I would say we have a good working relationship, but we don't text all day long."
So are Ryan and Fredrik still as competitive with each other as ever? Depends on who you ask.
"I just started my own firm so my competition is so different now," Ryan coyly teased. "Warren Buffett owns Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, so I wake up every day like, 'God damnit, Warren Buffett, got to beat you!'"
Just don't tell Fredrik!
Million Dollar Listing New York premieres Thursday, May 6 at 9 p.m. on Bravo. Binge past seasons of MDLNY any time on Peacock.
(E!, Bravo and Peacock are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)