The Hills is a reality television show on MTV and a spin-off of the popular MTV show Laguna Beach. It documents the life of Lauren "LC" Conrad and several of her friends, after leaving her home in Laguna Beach, California.
Main Cast
Lauren Conrad
Lauren spends her days in Los Angeles as an intern at Teen Vogue while attending FIDM. She once lived with Heidi, but after butting heads with Heidi's boyfriend, Spencer, Lauren invited new friend, Audrina, to move in. Ex-boyfriend, Jason Wahler, comes back into her life, but the two later break it off.
Audrina Patridge
Audrina first appeared as good friend and neighbor to Lauren and Heidi with an aspiration to become an actress. She currently is a receptionist at Epic Records. She now lives with new friend, Lauren, and is in a steady relationship with Justin Brescia.
Whitney Port
Whitney began as Lauren's fellow intern at Teen Vogue, but was later promoted to a "Fashion Contributor" position. The two continue to share an office, and she often lends an ear to Lauren about growing up and dating, despite adjusting to life being newly single.
Heidi Montag
Heidi spends her days in Los Angeles working for the event-planning firm Bolthouse Productions after confessing that school just wasn't for her. She once shared an apartment with Lauren, but eventually moved out to live with her boyfriend, Spencer Pratt, who later proposed to her.
Supporting Cast
Lisa Love
Lauren's boss and Teen Vogue editor of the LA offices
Jason Wahler
Lauren's ex-boyfriend, current friend
Brent Bolthouse
Heidi's boss and owner of Bolthouse Productions
Elodie Otto
Heidi's former co-worker at Bolthouse
Spencer Pratt
Heidi's boyfriend turned fiancé
Brody Jenner
Spencer's former friend, Lauren's friend
Frankie Delgado
Brody's friend
Justin Brescia
Audrina's boyfriend
Lauren "Lo" Bosworth
Lauren's friend from Laguna Beach
Jennifer "Jen" Bunney
Lauren's friend from Laguna Beach and Heidi's friend
Chiara
Audrina's co-worker at Epic Records
Emily Weiss
Teen Vogue intern of the New York offices
Jade Port
Whitney's younger sister
Kristen Garcia
Heidi's co-worker at Bolthouse
Brian Drolet
Jordan's roommate
Jordan Eubanks
Heidi's ex-boyfriend
Synopsis
Season 1
Lauren's road to independence was documented shortly after leaving Laguna Beach and moving to Los Angeles where she met up with close friend, Heidi Montag. During her time in LA, Lauren spent her days balancing school at FIDM and working at Teen Vogue. After a hard day of work, Lauren received a shocking phone call from Jason Wahler. After much consideration, Lauren decided to give Jason a second chance. Meanwhile, Heidi confessed that school was not for her; she unofficially withdrew and began working for an event-planning firm, Bolthouse Productions.
Heidi was also seen dating Jordan Eubanks, a relationship that grew strong but eventually ended. In the season finale, Lauren was offered a summer internship in Paris that she ultimately turned down so that she could play house with Jason. Fellow intern, Whitney Port, was offered an internship in New York, but when the one in Paris opened up, Whitney immediately took the offer. Heidi confessed to new friend, Audrina Patridge, that she was completely over Jordan. She and Audrina then spent their summer nights as single socialites.
Season 2
Lauren realized that staying with Jason was a huge mistake, and the two had a tearful breakup. Lauren then focused all of her energy at work where she found herself "competing" with Whitney against the New York intern, Emily Weiss, who ocassionally visits the LA offices. In turn, Whitney visited with the New York executives to interview for a higher position within Teen Vogue, one that Emily was also interviewed for.
Meanwhile, Heidi was seen dating Spencer Pratt, to much concern from Lauren. Heidi soon learned that Spencer was being unfaithful and declared their relationship to be over. Despite this, the two evidently got back together, and Lauren subsequently turned to Audrina for friendship. In the season finale, Spencer and Heidi moved in together, citing a possible end to Lauren and Heidi's friendship. Lauren then decided to invite Audrina to move in with her, and she accepted.
Season 3
Lauren's feud versus the newly engaged Heidi and Spencer took a turn for the worse with the spreading of a vicious rumor that the duo blame Brody for starting. Lauren also had fears that her new living situation with Audrina was turning into that with Heidi with Audrina dating former flame, Justin Brescia. At Teen Vogue, Whitney was hired as a Fashion Contributor to the company, and she and Lauren were assigned to plan and execute the year's "Young Hollywood" party.
Meanwhile, Heidi was promoted at Bolthouse, which meant more responsibilities within the company and more time away from Spencer. Lauren briefly revived her friendship with Jason, who was later revealed to be engaged to his current live-in girlfriend, Katja. She also started spending much more time with Brody, which caused their friends to speculate about a possible reunion.
Season 4
Lauren is surprised to hear that Audrina is spending her free time with Justin, who convinces her to move out. Heidi struggles with her relationship with Spencer and makes life altering decisions. Whitney's new job gives her a bi-coastal lifestyle. In the season finale, Whitney officially moves to New York.
Season 5
On November 14, 2008, Patridge announced that the cast had just learned that the show would have a fifth season.
On the December 22nd, 2008 airing of The After Show, Lauren Conrad confirmed that there are more episodes of "The Hills" to come in Spring 2009.
Criticism
Although always the topic of questioning, the validity of The Hills' claim to being "reality" was widely questioned in Season 3. Some hints found by watchers regarding the show being staged include, but are not limited to:
Heidi and Lauren taking the same cab at different points in an episode.
Heidi and Spencer filmed a scene in the LAX airport in which Spencer bids a tearful goodbye to Heidi. Five minutes later, Heidi (in a different shirt) filmed her scene coming back from the airport.
Several witnesses, including Lauren's supposed "date," have claimed various things such as several takes being done, scenarios being forced, and non sequential scenes being taped back-to-back.
In episode #3.11 where Conrad goes on a date with male model Gavin Beasley, she is seen wearing red nail polish. When she goes home and calls Jenner directly afterward, she is seen with flesh-colored nails. Beasley is quoted by VH1's Best Week Ever as saying that producers set up the date.
In episode #3.15 when Port, Conrad and Patridge are at the gym, they ask their trainer who has a buzz cut to go along with them to a restaurant. Later at the restaurant the trainer is seen with a full head of hair. The trainer then asks Port on a private date, where he is seen again with a buzz cut. This is significant because the dates were all portrayed as being within just a few days of each other.
Often during season 3, Spencer's facial hair growth does not coincide with the time line of the story.
As posted by TMZ.com, Heidi and Spencer were seen filming a scene at Los Angeles International Airport where Heidi was departing to visit her family in Colorado. They were then photographed an hour later in different clothing, filming a reunion scene at the same airport on the same day. A representative for MTV later said, "This was a pickup shot for continuity that in no way affected the storyline."
There have also been reports that Spencer and Heidi wanted to be married in front of the cameras, but Lauren Conrad threatened to leave the show if that happens.
Some recent speculation and inside information states that Audrina Patridge does not actually work at Epic Records and Heidi does not actually work at Bolthouse productions. Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton reports that a source from The Hills states, "they don't really work there when the cameras are off."
When the show airs in the UK on Channel 4 a disclaimer states that some of scenes of the show are created for "entertainment purposes"
The show's creator Adam DeVillo has even said the show is "a little fake" and was quoted as saying "I hate to say we schedule their lives, but we definitely schedule out what we want to cover," and "We don’t have a set schedule. It depends on what’s going on." He also speaks of an episode in season 3 where Lauren and Jason went to dinner at "Ketchup," and Heidi and Spencer coincidently ended up there at the same time on the same night. DeVillo says, "Lauren and Jason [Wahler] were going there, and Heidi and Spencer [Pratt] wanted to celebrate their anniversary.
Ketchup was one of the spots Spencer wanted to go to, so it just sort of worked out. It wasn’t planned on our behalf, but it is a little fake." Conrad went a step further, stating in November 2007: "There have been some rumors in the press about The Hills being fake. Many of you have been asking me if the rumors are true. There are false rumors every week about me, and I can’t address every rumor out there, but I feel like this was important for me to respond to. The show is not fake and this is really my life."
Spoofs
MADtv filmed a parody of the show, featuring Nicole Parker as Lauren, Arden Myrin as Heidi, Crista Flanagan as Whitney, and Ike Barinholtz as Jason.
Current TV's SuperNews! created a cartoon version of the show, set after the Earth is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust.
Animator Scott Bateman created an animated video of a strange conversation of the show for Salon.com.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
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