Who is Carol Helou from Selling the OC? All about Gio's dad

gio helou at the oppenheim group office in season 2

published 12 September 2023

Carol Helou is yet more proof that a love of real estate can be genetic.

In Selling the OC season 2, we reunite with the Oppenheim Group staffers, many of whom are second-generation agents. Tyler Stanaland got a start in the business thanks to his father, John Stanaland, and Gio Helou works alongside his mother Lisa, whose career has also led her to the O Group.

We've gotten acquainted with Gio's mom, who appears briefly in both seasons of Selling the OC, but considering Gio's father is also prominent in the real estate world, what do we know about him? Is he going to end up on the Netflix series any time soon? Here's the scoop.

Who is Carol Helou from 'Selling the OC'?

Carol Helou is a residential builder, and though Lisa Helou has been a guiding figure for her son, Gio revealed to Real Tea that his dad was the one to originally take him under his wing.

"My dad is a builder," he told the outlet. "I actually started working with him. And it was really great learning the building side of things and understanding how much things cost for clients if they want to remodel or build their dream home from scratch. So it was great to be able to bring that to the sales side when I joined my mom about four years ago."

Little information is available about Carol, but during season 2 of the Netflix reality show, Gio opens up a little bit more about his family. He and his wife, Tiffany, are expecting their first child, a baby boy in September 2023, after months of trying to conceive. However, the timing is bittersweet, as Carol and Lisa, both of whom resided in Balboa Peninsula Point, were going their separate ways, something that was a bit difficult for Gio to digest.

Regardless, he put his personal feelings aside and listed his family home with the Oppenheim Group. We get to see the gorgeous beachfront property and, in fact, Carol was the one who worked on the construction of the 3,800-square-foot residence, completely scrapping the original layout back in 2013. Gio managed to sell it for close to $16 million.

"I’ve sold a lot of remarkable waterfront properties in my career. This particular listing is not only the best of Newport Beach real estate, but is also uniquely meaningful to me," he told The New York Post. "The home was built by my father and holds some of my favorite family memories, so it’s a privilege to oversee its transition to a lucky new owner."

Though we don't get a glimpse of Carol at any point in season 2, we do learn more about Gio's family. Perhaps we'll go a step further with the Helou clan when Selling the OC season 3 hits the streamer!

Selling the OC season 2 is now available to stream on Netflix.

Need a TV show recommendation? Maybe a few decor tips? Danielle, a digital news writer at Future, has you covered. Her work appears throughout the company’s lifestyle brands, including My Imperfect Life, Real Homes, and woman&home. Mainly, her time is spent at My Imperfect Life, where she’s attuned to the latest entertainment trends and dating advice for Gen Z.

Before her time at Future, Danielle was the editor of Time Out New York Kids, where she got to experience the best of the city from the point of view of its littlest residents. Before that, she was a news editor at Elite Daily. Her work has also appeared in Domino, Chowhound, and amNewYork, to name a few.

When Danielle’s not writing, you can find her testing out a new recipe, reading a book (suggestions always welcome), or rearranging the furniture in her apartment…again.