The Hills is a
reality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors...
program that follows the personal lives of several young people living in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
. The program first premiered on May 31, 2006, and followed the personal life of former
Laguna BeachLaguna Beach: The Real Orange County was an MTV reality show documenting the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, a seaside community located in Orange County, California...
star,
Lauren Conradthumb|right|Lauren Conrad, 2008Lauren Katherine Conrad is an American television personality, actress, celebutante, author and fashion designer...
, as she moved to
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. However, it has been confirmed that another former
Laguna Beach star,
Kristin CavallariKristin Elizabeth Cavallari is an American reality television personality and actress best known for her appearances in the MTV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its spin-off, The Hills.-Early life:...
will replace Conrad starting in the later half of season 5. On July 16, 2009, Kristin announced that she signed a contract for 2 more seasons, meaning
The Hills will be continuing until Season 7.
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused publications US Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EWs primary concentration is on entertainment...
labeled the show a "New Classic" ranking it 82nd on a list of
The 100 Best Shows of the Last 25 Years.
After the MTV program
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange CountyLaguna Beach: The Real Orange County was an MTV reality show documenting the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, a seaside community located in Orange County, California...
became one of the network's highest-rated programs, producers wanted to continue the story of one of its more popular characters,
Laurenthumb|right|Lauren Conrad, 2008Lauren Katherine Conrad is an American television personality, actress, celebutante, author and fashion designer...
, as she moved to Los Angeles.
The Hills is a
reality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors...
program that follows the personal lives of several young people living in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
. The program first premiered on May 31, 2006, and followed the personal life of former
Laguna BeachLaguna Beach: The Real Orange County was an MTV reality show documenting the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, a seaside community located in Orange County, California...
star,
Lauren Conradthumb|right|Lauren Conrad, 2008Lauren Katherine Conrad is an American television personality, actress, celebutante, author and fashion designer...
, as she moved to
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. However, it has been confirmed that another former
Laguna Beach star,
Kristin CavallariKristin Elizabeth Cavallari is an American reality television personality and actress best known for her appearances in the MTV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its spin-off, The Hills.-Early life:...
will replace Conrad starting in the later half of season 5. On July 16, 2009, Kristin announced that she signed a contract for 2 more seasons, meaning
The Hills will be continuing until Season 7.
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused publications US Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EWs primary concentration is on entertainment...
labeled the show a "New Classic" ranking it 82nd on a list of
The 100 Best Shows of the Last 25 Years.
Background
After the MTV program
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange CountyLaguna Beach: The Real Orange County was an MTV reality show documenting the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, a seaside community located in Orange County, California...
became one of the network's highest-rated programs, producers wanted to continue the story of one of its more popular characters,
Laurenthumb|right|Lauren Conrad, 2008Lauren Katherine Conrad is an American television personality, actress, celebutante, author and fashion designer...
, as she moved to Los Angeles. After the cameras turned off for
Kristin CavallariKristin Elizabeth Cavallari is an American reality television personality and actress best known for her appearances in the MTV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its spin-off, The Hills.-Early life:...
,
Stephen CollettiStephen August Colletti is an American actor and television personality. He was featured on the MTV "reality" show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County...
, and the rest of the
Laguna Beach cast, those same cameras stayed on to follow Conrad as she pulled out of the driveway of her childhood home in Laguna to an apartment in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. Initially, she lives with her friend, Heidi, and they become close to new friend
AudrinaAudrina Cathleen Patridge is an American television personality and actress, best known as one of the original primary cast members on the MTV reality show The Hills. Patridge will be appearing as the lead in her own reality series The Audrina Show which premieres in 2010...
. Further into the seasons you will see that Lauren and Heidi end their friendship over rumors that her current husband Spencer Pratt spread about her. Spencer spread vicious rumors about Lauren having a sex tape on the market. When Lauren confronted Heidi she stood by Spencer and chose her then boyfriend over her best friend. As many of the seasons continue you will see the fights that go on between the two girls. Audrina coming into Lauren's life is what kept her stable during all of these fights. While Lauren constantly fought with Heidi she also made time to attend the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and lands an internship with
Teen VogueTeen Vogue magazine began as a version of Vogue magazine for a younger audience. The magazine focuses on fashion and celebrities and offers information about the latest entertainment and feature stories on current issues and events....
alongside new friend
WhitneyWhitney Eve Port is an American television personality and model. She is most famous for her former role on the MTV reality television series The Hills and later, as the star of her own show, The City...
.The cameras follow her daily and capture whatever unfolds. There is "structure" provided to the program, as real life develops day-by-day and most dramatic events generally occur while being filmed. Upon conclusion of season four, rumors were widely spread that
Lauren Conradthumb|right|Lauren Conrad, 2008Lauren Katherine Conrad is an American television personality, actress, celebutante, author and fashion designer...
had finally called it quits on the show and that she was finally ready to move on. Despite this, production got her to film 10 more episodes at the start of season five to settle on-screen drama before being replaced by former classmate,
Kristin CavallariKristin Elizabeth Cavallari is an American reality television personality and actress best known for her appearances in the MTV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its spin-off, The Hills.-Early life:...
. After Lauren's departure it was revealed that the series uses loose scripting for "production purposes".
Ratings
The day
The Hills first premiered, it followed the season 2 finale of
Laguna Beach, and viewership stayed relatively the same between the programs. Ratings were high for MTV and one of the highest for any cable network. There was a ratings dip after the season 2 finale as viewers reacted poorly to the developing story. From then on, viewership remained relatively steady. Ratings for the premiere of season four were down 9% among the 12-to-34 demographic (2.1 million) and down 5% among total viewers (3.5 million) in comparison to the show’s third season premiere. Additionally, the total season 4 average was down 25% from that of season 3. When season 5 premiered on April 6, 2009, both back-to-back episodes averaged 3 million viewers, which is lower than the season 4 premiere had last year. The season 5 finale brought in 2.7 million viewers. This was slightly less than the season premiere yet still higher than the season 4 finale, which garnered roughly 2.5 million viewers. The new season of the Hills premiered on Tuesday September 29 at 10pm and had a 30% decline in ratings. It premiered with 2.1 million viewers which is a lot less than last seasons premiere which brought in 3 million viewers
Spin offs
- Whitney Port received her own spin-off from The Hills entitled The City. The series centers around Port as she moves to New York City to work for fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg
Diane von Fürstenberg is a Belgian fashion designer best known for her hallmark wrap dress.-Birth and education:...
. The series debuted December 29, 2008 on MTV.
- Audrina Patridge confirmed on May 28, 2009 on "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" that she too will be departing from The Hills to star in her own reality-based program documenting her life outside of The Hills. Audrina will leave The Hills as soon as she's done filming the 10 bonus episodes of the fifth season. Tentatively titled The Audrina Show, it will be produced by Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett is a British television producer. He is known for introducing competition based reality television as a genre to the United States.-Career:...
and will air on MTV also.
Starring
- This is the Main Cast for all seasons according to MTV. For a full list of current and former cast members of The Hills, see the list of cast members.
| Cast Member |
Years Credited |
Season(s) |
Title(s) |
Notes |
Lauren Conradthumb|right|Lauren Conrad, 2008Lauren Katherine Conrad is an American television personality, actress, celebutante, author and fashion designer...
1 |
2006-2009 |
1-5 |
Former Lead Role |
Left series after 5th season (1st half) |
Kristin CavallariKristin Elizabeth Cavallari is an American reality television personality and actress best known for her appearances in the MTV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its spin-off, The Hills.-Early life:...
1 |
2009-Present |
5-Present |
Lead Role |
Joined series in 5th season (2nd half) |
Audrina PatridgeAudrina Cathleen Patridge is an American television personality and actress, best known as one of the original primary cast members on the MTV reality show The Hills. Patridge will be appearing as the lead in her own reality series The Audrina Show which premieres in 2010...
1 2 |
2006-2009 |
1-Present |
Lead Role |
|
| Whitney Port Whitney Eve Port is an American television personality and model. She is most famous for her former role on the MTV reality television series The Hills and later, as the star of her own show, The City...
1 |
2006-2008 |
1-4 |
Former Lead Role |
Left series after 4th season |
| Heidi Pratt Heidi Blair Pratt is an American singer and television personality. Montag is known for appearing on the MTV reality series The Hills.-Reality TV:...
1 |
2006-Present |
1-Present |
Lead Role |
|
Spencer PrattSpencer William Pratt is an American television personality known for his role as the antagonistic husband of Heidi Montag on MTV's The Hills. He is the older brother of Stephanie Pratt, who also appears on The Hills....
|
2007-Present |
2-Present |
Secondary Role |
Heidi's Husband |
| Lo Bosworth Lauren Ogilvie Bosworth , often referred to simply as Lo, is an American television personality best known for her appearances on MTV reality series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its spin-off ,The Hills, which follows best friend Lauren Conrad's personal and professional life as she...
2 |
2007-Present |
2-Present |
Secondary Role |
Lauren's Friend/Audrina's Friend |
Brody JennerSam Brody Jenner is an American television personality.-Television:In 2005, Jenner starred in The Princes of Malibu alongside his brother Brandon and Spencer Pratt. He was also featured on The Hills. In 2009, he had his own reality show, Bromance.-Modeling:Jenner has modeled for Guess?, OP , and...
|
2006-Present |
2-Present |
Secondary Role |
Lauren's Friend/Kristen's Ex boyfriend |
| Stephanie Pratt Stephanie Pratt is a American reality television personality known for her role as a cast member on MTV's The Hills. She is the younger sister of Spencer Pratt, and the sister-in-law of Heidi Pratt. She is friends with Lauren Conrad...
2 |
2007-Present |
3-Present |
Secondary Role |
Lauren's Friend/Spencer's Sister |
| Justin Bobby |
2007-Present |
3-Present |
Secondary Role |
Audrina's Ex boyfriend |
1 Only members to receive star billing in opening credits
2 Will leave show after second half of season 5
Seasons
| Season 1 |
US Premiere Date
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 |
Lauren's road to independence was documented shortly after leaving Laguna BeachLaguna Beach: The Real Orange County was an MTV reality show documenting the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, a seaside community located in Orange County, California...
and moving to Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
with her good friend, Heidi, where they met new friend, Audrina. There, Lauren and Heidi intended to attend FIDM together, but Heidi unofficially withdraws to go work for Bolthouse ProductionsSam Nazarian is an Iranian-American entrepreneur. Nazarian is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of SBE which includes hotel, restaurant, nightlife, and real estate divisions; as well as Bolthouse Productions and Element Films...
. Additionally, Lauren lands a job interning with Teen VogueTeen Vogue magazine began as a version of Vogue magazine for a younger audience. The magazine focuses on fashion and celebrities and offers information about the latest entertainment and feature stories on current issues and events....
magazine, where she meets new friend, Whitney. Heidi begins dating Jordan, and Lauren's ex-boyfriend, Jason, follows her to LA in an effort to woo her back, and the two evidently get back together. In the season finale, Lauren makes a difficult decision. (more) |
DVD Release Date
Tuesday, February 13, 2007 |
| 10 Episodes |
| Season 2 |
US Premiere Date
Monday, January 15, 2007 |
Lauren tearfully breaks up with Jason. Heidi's new boyfriend, Spencer, introduces Lauren to his friend, Brody, and the two have a short-lived relationship but remain close friends. Lauren still has feelings for Brody, but her friend, Jen, is introduced to him by Spencer and Heidi, causing tension between Lauren, Jen, and Heidi. Over time, Heidi becomes blind to Spencer's mischievous ways, and Lauren, who is concerned, subsequently turns to Audrina and childhood friend, Lo, for friendship. Meanwhile, Lauren and Whitney are challenged at work when New York intern, Emily, comes to help. In the season finale, Spencer surprises Heidi. (more) |
DVD Release Date
Tuesday, August 7, 2007 |
| 12 Episodes |
| Season 3 |
US Premiere Date
Monday, August 13, 2007 |
Lauren gets upset when a vicious rumor about her surfaces, and she blames Spencer for starting it. At school, Lauren inadvertently befriends Spencer's sister, Stephanie, after she apologizes for chewing Lauren out for feuding with Spencer and Heidi. After a work trip to ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Whitney feels her job isn't what she wants, quits, and interviews for fashion PR firm, People's RevolutionKelly Cutrone is a fashion icon and the founder of the public relations, branding and marketing firm People's Revolution....
. Meanwhile, Spencer wants take his relationship with Heidi to the next level, but has a hard time confirming his commitment. Audrina rekindles her rocky relationship with former flame, Justin. In the season finale, Lauren makes a big move. (more) |
DVD Release Date
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 |
| 28 Episodes |
| Season 4 |
US Premiere Date
Monday, August 18, 2008 |
Lauren is surprised to hear that Audrina is spending her free time with Justin Collins, who convinces her to move out. Meanwhile, Spencer continues to be a strain on Heidi, especially when Heidi's sister, Holly, chooses to move to LA. Spencer visits Heidi at a work event and gets her fired for drinking while on the job. In an effort to save their relationship, Spencer surprises her with a trip to Mexico, where the pair unofficially elope, forcing her mother to voice her disappointment. Additionally, Whitney's boss offers her the chance to interview with Diane von FurstenbergDiane von Fürstenberg is a Belgian fashion designer best known for her hallmark wrap dress.-Birth and education:...
. In the season finale, Whitney learns the outcome of her interview. (more) |
DVD Release Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2009 |
| 20 Episodes |
| Season 5 Parts 1 & 2 |
US Premiere Date
Monday, April 6, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 |
In the first half of Season 5, Lauren's celebrating her 23rd birthday, and the uninvited Heidi finds out that Spencer spent the evening flirting with a bartender. Delivered an ultimatum, Spencer attends couples' therapy, tries to makes amends with Lauren, and asks for Heidi's hand for a second time. Ultimately, Lauren changes her mind about Heidi's wedding invitation, and surprisingly, someone else is invited as well. (more) |
DVD Release Date
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 (Part 1) |
| 20 Episodes |
Criticism
On December 17, 2008 the
Associated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
released an article titled "Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt nuptials questioned" which noted that Pratt and Montag acknowledged that their wedding in Mexico was "entirely symbolic". The article also noted that a Los Angeles Superior Court official confirmed that MTV had obtained permission to shoot in the Beverly Hills courtroom, but it was after office hours and a county court judge would not be present. The civil ceremony was inaccurately portrayed, as well, because "if a judge does preside, it is typically in chambers during a break". The
Associated Press also checked for marriage records, but found none filed by Pratt or Montag in Los Angeles County.
Audrina Patridge's official website biography states that she was cast in her role as a new friend for Lauren and Heidi, as she was approached by a producer to join the cast. During an appearance on
Chelsea LatelyChelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show that airs on the E! television network, and is notable for host comedienne Chelsea Handler's sarcastic approach to the format. It premiered on Monday, July 16, 2007 at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time, as a successor to the mini-series The Chelsea...
,
Chelsea HandlerChelsea Jane Handler is an American stand-up comedienne, humorist, television host, actress, and best-selling author. She currently has her own late-night talk show, Chelsea Lately, on the E! Cable Television Network. In 2009, she won a Bravo A-List Award...
suggested that they improvise. Audrina stated, "If that's what you want to call it..." When pressed further, she replied, "We're put in situations where however we'd react and that's what comes up [on TV]." She did state that there were no scripts, and Handler joked that "if it is a reality show" that the cast has really good actors. Audrina laughed and said, "Thank you...It is a big compliment."
The apartment community that both Lauren and Heidi initially moved in together was labeled as Hillside Villas in West Hollywood, California in the show. In reality, the apartment complex they lived in was actually The Villas at The Palazzo East at Park La Brea in West Los Angeles.."
On a June 18, 2009 episode of
The ViewThe View is an American talk show broadcast on American Broadcasting Company as part of ABC Daytime. Created by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie, who both also serve as the show's executive producers, the program features a panel of women as co-hosts...
, Lauren Conrad was asked how she felt about the apology she had received from Spencer Pratt involving the sex tape rumours. She responded "To be perfectly honest, I wasn't on the other line of that call...That was filmed and I wasn't on the other end...so I didn't know about it until--So, no, I never did get an apology."
In the August 2009 issue of the Dutch
CosmopolitanCosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
extra light was shed on
Laurenthumb|right|Lauren Conrad, 2008Lauren Katherine Conrad is an American television personality, actress, celebutante, author and fashion designer...
's exit and her reunion with co-star
Heidi MontagHeidi Blair Pratt is an American singer and television personality. Montag is known for appearing on the MTV reality series The Hills.-Reality TV:...
on the fifth season of
The Hills. What wasn't published in the July issue of the American
Cosmopolitan, was that there were actually more reasons for her to end her run on the show than had previously been revealed. She claimed that, over the course of the filming of
The Hills, she felt like being on the show had become more of a job than a thing she loved doing, as she had in the past. She said that she felt like she was living in two separate worlds. Furthermore, Conrad's relationship with paparazzi was becoming increasingly difficult, an aspect of her life not seen on the show.
She also revealed that, during production on the fifth season, producers kept on coming up with ideas for her and Montag to reunite. Conrad revealed she no longer wished to fight on the show and was trying to leave her friendship with Montag behind her. Unfortunately producers weren't allowing that to happen, until the point where Conrad felt producers were pushing her into directions she did not see as her own. She also revealed that during her surprise birthday party in the fifth season, upon seeing Montag she actually left the room with producers having to calm her down before being able to continue filming. This was not aired.
Kristin Cavallari, when asked about joining the cast, stated "It’s work! And drama sells. I think that’s why they’re bringing me in, because I know what works." And later said: "Its a TV show, why not? You gotta make it fun!" Also in the interview, Kristin stated "I saw Lauren at the wedding, she was really sweet and gave me a big hug, and that's it", when on the show, it was portrayed differently.
See also
- Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County was an MTV reality show documenting the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, a seaside community located in Orange County, California...
- The City
The City is an MTV reality television series and a spin-off of the MTV show The Hills. It documents the changing life and surroundings of Whitney Port as she moves to New York City to work for fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg. The program premiered December 29, 2008. Instead of ordering a...
- The O.C. (TV series)
- Living on the Edge
Living On The Edge is a British reality television show that first aired on 14 October 2007 on MTV UK. It is noted for attempting, but often failing, to purvey 'drama all the time' and highlights the gulf between affluent American and affluent British youth...
- The Suburbs (web series)
The Suburbs is a popular YouTube based, web series created, produced, edited and directed by Charles Plummer II. An online reality docu-drama, it documents the lives of several teenagers living in southern Westchester, New York...
- Baldwin Hills (TV series)
Baldwin Hills was a reality television series featuring African-American teenagers from the Baldwin Hills district in Los Angeles, California. The series aired on BET, Tuesdays at 10 p.m.- Overview :...
- Harlem Heights (TV series)
Harlem Heights is a BET reality show. It documents the lives of eight trendy African-American 20-somethings as they navigate through relationships and their professional lives. The series airs Mondays only on BET. The future of the show is unknown...
External links