Summary
The Hillsis one of the most iconic reality TV shows of the 2000s, but after rewatching the series nearly twenty years after the beginning of its original run,there are some harsh realities about the series that hit hard. A spin-off of one of the first major players in reality TV docu-series,The Hillsfollowed cast membersfromLaguna Beach: The Real Orange County.Lauren Conrad, who had been the central figure ofLaguna Beachin its first season, had been part of the show during her senior year of high school.
Lauren graduated and moved to San Francisco for her first semester of college, buteventually returned to the series duringLaguna Beachseason 2. The show was narrated by Kristin Cavallari during the second season, who was going through her own senior year at Laguna Beach High School, after she’d become one of the viewer favorites throughout the first. Lauren, who’d spent the majority of the second season of the series working toward getting into fashion school, was ready for something different in the wake of theLaguna Beach.
Although Lauren was a major part ofLaguna Beach,The Hillswas her own show entirely. Following Lauren as she made the move from Orange County to Los Angeles, Lauren moved to the city to pursue her dreams. Living with her new roommate and college friend Heidi Montag,Lauren took on the drama of living in L.A.and navigating her way through an internship withTeen Vogue.Through seasons of the series, Lauren’s friendship deteriorated and reconstructed, and the drama that came along with that was riveting reality TV.
Despitethe drama ofThe Hillsbeing questionedconsistently throughout the show’s time on the air, viewers were captivated by what was happening to Lauren and her friend each season. With Heidi’s relationship with Spencer Pratt becoming a fixture on the series,The Hillsquickly became a must-watch reality TV show, with the stars consistently finding themselves in the tabloids. While the show was a major player in the reality TV landscape during its time on the air,The Hillsonly lasted for four years.
After its end, many who had been interested in the show branched out to other reality TV shows as the genre diversified, but viewershave returned toThe Hillsfor years. While some are watching as a source of comfort, others are interested in re-watching the series to see how their perception has changed since its debut. Rewatching the show years later, it’s clear there are some incredibly harsh truths aboutThe Hillsthat few noticedduring its original run.
20 Best Reality TV Shows Right Now
Reality TV is more popular than ever. With so many to choose from, here are some of the best reality TV shows to stream or watch right now.
She Wasn’t The Hero Of The Story
Although Lauren was the star of the show, rewatching it now consistently proves that she was the worst friend on the series.The Hillsfollowed Lauren’s journey from high school student to LA stylistworking with the intimidating Kelly Cutrone, but her personal relationships didn’t always work out for her. While Lauren was incredibly social, the pressures surrounding her made her emotional vulnerability on the series seem like less than what viewers would expect.
From Lauren’s feud with Heidi, which left the two unable to maintain a friendship, to hercrocodile tears over Audrina Patridgeand Jen Bunney, it was clear throughout her seasons leading the show that some friends came before others. Lauren was meant to be the everyman on the series, with the masses able to relate to her storylines. Instead, viewers watched Lauren put herself first and step over her friends in a variety of scenarios, ignoring that she could’ve lifted others up with her.
9The Show Wouldn’t Have Lasted Without Heidi And Spencer
Their Drama Kept The Series Going
While Heidi andSpencer’srelationship wasn’t easy to watch upon its first appearance duringThe Hillsseason 2,it became the moral center of the series after the pair spent years together.Heidi, whose storyline originally revolved around coming to LA with Lauren and her difficult relationship with her boyfriend Jordan Eubanks, quickly shifted gears when she got to LA. Rather than going to fashion school, she chose to work for publicist Brent Bolthouse, picking parties over papers and exams.
Heidi’s party-hopping lifestyle wasn’t something Lauren approved of, but she quickly found herself in a relationship with Spencer after ending things with Jordan. The couple appeared dramatic and chaotic on screen, and Spencer’s consistent drama with Lauren brought a new edge to the series, butHeidi and Spencer’s relationship brought continuous drama to the series. WithSpencer starting out as the villainThe Hillsviewers loved to hate, his arc quickly turned around and before long, the series wouldn’t have continued without the pair at the center.
8Audrina Patridge Was Cast To Be Part Of The Series
She Wasn’t An Organic Part Of The Story
Although she became part of the group within the first episodes of the series, Audrina was cast to be part ofThe Hillsseason 1, and it shows. WhileAudrina was an interesting source of drama later in the series, her initial appearances on the show were somewhat boring. She didn’t have the same sense of connection that the rest of the cast did, and it came to pass that it was because she was cast for the series, rather than organically part of it.
WithAudrina being cast for the showrather than joining because of an organic connection, her relationships on the series were stilted. Though she became friends with Lauren and Heidi over the course of the first several episodes, she didn’t bring anything personality-wise to the series in the first few seasons. As Lauren’s relationships changed, she leaned on Audrina more, buther presence in the beginning felt strange and uncomfortable in moments.
7Lauren’s Relationship With Brody Jenner Was Completely Fake
Their Flirty Romance Was Never Real
Throughout the first few seasons of the series,Lauren’s relationship with Brody Jennerwas teased out as a will they won’t they that viewers were hoping would come to fruition. Introduced as Spencer’s friend onThe Hillsseason 2,Brody’s charming attitude and winning smile were just what Lauren neededafter her tumultuous relationship with Jason Whaler came to an end. Lauren and Brody were flirty throughoutThe Hillsseason 2, but things came to an unexpected halt.
While Lauren and Brody were friends throughout her time on the show, their romantic connection never really came to pass after years of near misses. After Lauren left the show,Kristin joined the seriesand having dated Brody in the past, brought more romantic questions to the series. Eventually, it was revealed that while Lauren and Brody were friends, their romance was never an actual possibility.
6Jason Wahler Was Dealing With Major Addiction Issues
He’s Shared The Show Kept Him Addicted
After making a splash onLaguna Beachseason 2, Jason’s relationship with Lauren came to a screeching halt during its early days when he kissed his ex-girlfriend in front of her.Jason’s behavior on the series was always difficult to watch, as it was clear he was drinking and potentially doing harder drugs during the show’s run. Even so, seeing him come to L.A. and contact Lauren after their messy breakup was interesting forThe Hills.
WhileLauren and Jason gave their relationshipa second shot on the series, it was clear that something deeper was happening with Jason throughout the season. His behavior was erratic and unstable, and it was clear to viewers that he was dealing with substance abuse issues. It later came to pass thatJason was dealing with some incredibly difficult addiction issuesthat he struggled to deal with, though he’s now managed to get sober and speak on his struggles.
5Lauren’s Drama With Jen Bunney Isn’t As Black & White As It Seemed
Their Friendship Was Destroyed
After years of friendship, Lauren’s friendJenwas featured more heavily onThe Hillsthan she was onLaguna Beach.With Lauren at the center of the show, Jen became more of a fixture on the new series as she was a big part of Lauren’s life throughout her early 20s. Jen had been a friend from Laguna Beach High School, buther time onThe Hillswas far more chaotic than it was on the previous show, especially as she got closer to Heidi.
Jen’s time onThe Hillswas marked by drama,especially after she came between Lauren and Brody’s quasi-relationship. When Heidi pushed Jen to get closer to Brody, Lauren was hurt by both Heidi and Jen, but especially Jen. Unfortunately,The Hillsmade it so strongly pro-Lauren that it was difficult to see beyond the argument in the moment. In actuality, Jen was more of a victim than an instigator.
4Spencer Pratt Understood What It Took To Make Great Reality TV (& Did It)
He Knew Where The Story Needed To Go
Although he was positioned as the villain from the earliest moments ofThe Hillsseason 2,Spencer wound up becoming the most interesting part of the showbecause he knew what it took to make incredible reality TV. From understanding that Lauren was being positioned as the hero of the series and calling it out consistently to creating drama that was campy and fun, Spencer worked hard to be the most entertaining member of the cast. His relationship with Heidi may have been edited to look messy, but the pair were locked in on each other from early on.
Spencer’s time onThe Hillsmade the show successful,giving Lauren a rival in a lot of moments and creating a character for viewers to actively root against early on. When he eventually began to redeem himself, Spencer knew what it would take to create an incredible redemption arc. Now, years later,Spencer has shared that he fully understoodwhat he was doing, and was excited to create great TV forThe Hillsviewers.
3Super Intern Emily Weiss Really Was The Villain
Her Future Looked Bright, But Fell Flat
Only featured in a few episodes of the series, Emily Weiss was known as the New York “super intern” onThe Hillswho gave Whitney Port a run for her money. Though Whitney, Lauren, and Emily were all featured on the series,Emily was seen as a foil for the L.A. interns. Straight-laced and overly organized, Emily’s work gave Lauren and Whitney a hard time during her few appearances on the series, and some have even joked that she was the true villain ofThe Hills.
Emily leftThe Hillsafter her brief stint on the series and went on to become the founder and CEO of minimalist makeup brand Glossier, but her time onThe Hillsand her experience at Teen Vogue couldn’t have prepared her for what came next. Emily’s time with Glossier saw massive success, but after accusations of hostile work environments for workers of color were proven to be true, the one-time super intern stepped away from the company to work on herself. Emily may have truly been the real villain ofThe Hillsafter all.
2Audrina & Justin Bobby’s Relationship Is Still Toxic
Their Relationship Didn’t Change From Show To Show
Audrina’s relationship with Justin Bobby Brescia was a difficult storylinefor viewers to wrap their heads around onThe Hills,but it was a major moment for the series that viewers still remember. While Audrina’s old flame Justin Bobby came into play and stirred things up for her relationships with her friends, the pair never really fully committed to one another. Justin Bobby was flaky and didn’t seem to want to label their relationship, andAudrina didn’t speak up for what she wanted.
WhenMTVThe Hillsreboot,The Hills: New Beginnings,premiered in 2019, it was a shock to see that Audrina and Justin Bobby were still interested in interacting at all. Audrina, who had been through a marriage, divorce, and had a daughter, was in a very different place in her life than she’d been when she first got together with Justin Bobby.Sadly, their relationship was still incredibly troubling for viewers, as nothing had changed. While Justin Bobby led Audrina along, she allowed it to happen every time.
1Kristin Cavallari Revamped The Show, But It Couldn’t Last
She Revitalized The Series Until Its End
During the original run ofThe Hills,Kristin came in to take over the leading role for Lauren after she wanted to leave the series. Passing the baton to Kristin during Heidi’s wedding to Spencer,Kristin was a fiery lead who made it clear she wasn’t interested in living passivelyon the show. Though Kristin has shared that the majority of her time onThe Hillswas far more scripted than her time onLaguna Beach,her time on the series revitalized it for its final seasons.
Kristin’s time on the show wasn’t long, spanning just two seasons beforeThe Hillscame to a dramatic end. Even though she wasn’t on the series for years and years, Kristin was able to bring the series back from a difficult place. Making it an interesting series again, Kristin’s time onThe Hillsrevamped the show before sending it off on a high note.
The Hills
Cast
The Hills is an American reality TV show that began in 2006 with MTV’s The Hills. The original series ran for six seasons until 2010. The series focused on various women living in Los Angeles, California, and is a spinoff of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. The Hills led to three spinoffs series: The City, The Hills: New Beginnings, and Kell on Earth.
