The Simple Life was a popular
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...
series broadcast from December 2, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first three seasons aired on
FoxThe Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...
, and the final two on
E!E!: Entertainment Television is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite network. From November 2006 onwards, it became wholly owned by Comcast.- History :...
. The comedic show depicts two wealthy young socialites (
Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American socialite, heiress, media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress....
and
Nicole RichieNicole Camille Richie is an American actress, author, socialite, celebutante, singer, and television personality. The adopted daughter of soul singer Lionel Richie, she is perhaps best known for her role in the Fox reality television series The Simple Life, alongside fellow socialite and former...
) as they struggle to do manual, low-paying jobs such as cleaning rooms, doing farm work, serving meals in fast-food restaurants & working as camp counselors.
Beginnings
The idea for
The Simple Life was generated in
FoxThe Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...
's comedy department.Senior Vice President of comedy development, said
The Simple Life was born out of a challenge from Fox Television Entertainment Group Chairman Sandy Grushow and News Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer
Peter CherninPeter Chernin was until June 30, 2009 President and Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation, and Chairman and CEO of Fox Entertainment Group. He is also a Corporate Director for American Express.-Life and career:Chernin was born in Harrison, New York, of Jewish roots. He earned a B.A...
to find another way to do comedies outside of the traditional sitcom format.
"The areas that seemed simplest and cleanest was to go back to those high-concept '60s sitcoms and say let's do them for real," Mr. Johnson said.
The Simple Life was inspired by
Green AcresGreen Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a farm in the country...
, a sitcom about a New York society couple who moved to a farm. Mr. Johnson said they originally thought of moving an entire family to the South. Cameras would observe as the former socialites, deprived of access to their bank accounts and
Beemers, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
, attempt to get a job, buy groceries and fit in with average Americans.
At the same time the comedy department was developing the idea,
Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American socialite, heiress, media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress....
was meeting with the studio's casting department. Sharon Klein, senior VP of casting at the studio, said she was immediately fascinated by Ms. Hilton and wanted to do a show with her. "I'm used to meeting with actors who are putting on a facade," Ms. Klein said. "She was so real. She was funny. At that first meeting she did not come off stupid. She was in her own reality and not embarrassed to talk about it. There was a sweetness to her."
The two departments talked and realized they had their show: Send
Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American socialite, heiress, media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress....
and her sister
NickyNicholai "Nicky" Olivia Hilton is an American fashion model, socialite, celebutante, entrepreneur, heiress, and fashion designer. She shares her nickname with her grandfather's brother, Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, who died fourteen years before she was born...
, who had never worked a day in their lives, to live and work on a farm. At the time, the studio was working closely with
Mike DarnellMichael H. Darnell is an American television executive.Darnell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is currently president of Alternative Entertainment for the Fox Broadcasting Company. He is credited for launching When Animals Attack!, Temptation Island, Joe Millionaire, American Idol, and...
, head of reality programming at Fox, who liked the idea. "They wanted to see stilettos in cow shit," Ms. Klein said. Paris was convinced to come on board, however Nicky, being somewhat shy to the limelight at the time, opted out. Paris told some media that she was in talks to do the show by herself, but ultimately, Fox decided the city-living cast had to be a duo.
Paris allegedly asked several close friends on board, including
Bijou PhillipsBijou Lilly Phillips is an American actress, fashion model, and singer. Some of her larger film roles include Bully, Havoc, Hostel: Part II, and Tart.-Early life:...
and
Kimberly StewartKimberly Alana Stewart , is an American socialite, fashion model and fashion designer. She is the daughter of Rod Stewart and Alana Stewart.-Biography:She is the daughter of rock star Rod Stewart and his first wife Alana Stewart...
, and ended up making the agreement with
Nicole RichieNicole Camille Richie is an American actress, author, socialite, celebutante, singer, and television personality. The adopted daughter of soul singer Lionel Richie, she is perhaps best known for her role in the Fox reality television series The Simple Life, alongside fellow socialite and former...
. Fox hired established reality producer
Bunim/MurrayBunim/Murray Productions is an entertainment production company based out of Van Nuys, California, and is considered a pioneer in the reality television genre. It is best known for the The Real World, The Bad Girls Club, and Road Rules...
to produce. Bunim/Murray found the Leding family in
Altus, ArkansasAltus is a city in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 817 at the 2000 census...
, for Paris and Nicole to move in with. A band known as The Penfifteen Club recorded one of the show's themes, a tribute song called "Hey, Miss Hilton". Production began May 2, 2003.
Fox cancellation
Bunim/Murray originally had plans to send the cast on a trip to
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in its fourth season, but plans were quickly put on hold, and rearranged. In an interview with
USA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth...
, Paris confirmed the longstanding rumor that Nicole and herself were no longer friends by that time, and that Nicole would not be part of the fourth season. Plans at this point were now to shoot on the
HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August...
an island of
MauiThe island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727.2 square miles and is the United States' 17th largest island. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai...
.
Instead, said Paris, the new co-star would be Paris's friend
Kimberly StewartKimberly Alana Stewart , is an American socialite, fashion model and fashion designer. She is the daughter of Rod Stewart and Alana Stewart.-Biography:She is the daughter of rock star Rod Stewart and his first wife Alana Stewart...
, the daughter of rocker
Rod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer and songwriter born and raised in London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English lineage....
, and someone Paris had wanted on the show to begin with. Kimberly said that producers would attempt to mollify Nicole by giving her a new reality show of her own, a
NewlywedsNewlyweds could refer to:* Newlyweds , an Australian sitcom from 1993-1994.* Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, an American reality television series about Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson* The Newlywed Game, an American game show...
-styled effort focused on her then-upcoming wedding to Adam Goldstein, known professionally as DJ AM.
Fox was quick to debunk what Paris and Kimberly had said. Fox Network head Peter Ligouri told the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles that Paris and Nicole were actually both contracted for another two seasons. Kimberly was not going to be involved at all, and Paris and Nicole are, in his words "TV professionals, who will be ready to work together when the time comes."
Fox then unexpectedly canceled its plans for any further seasons of the
The Simple Life in October 2005, both because it had filled its mid season show quota, and because Paris and Nicole had the falling out as friends.
Picked up by E!
After it was dropped by Fox, other networks, such as
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
, The WB,
VH1VH1 is an American cable television network based in New York City...
and
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
were all reported to be interested in obtaining the rights to air new seasons of the show. On November 28, 2005,
E!E!: Entertainment Television is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite network. From November 2006 onwards, it became wholly owned by Comcast.- History :...
announced that they had picked up
The Simple Life and had ordered production go ahead on the fourth season, along with the rights to re-air the first three seasons. Shooting for the new season finally began February 27, 2006.
The fifth season complications
Despite the fact that the stars of the show had sorted out their differences and agreed to shoot the season together, the fifth season had many complications during production. It was originally set to begin production in November 2006 and air in March 2007 but was put on temporary hold, as Nicole had to enter a health care facility for her ongoing weight issues."
Production resumed as of March 2, 2007, however more complications arose. Both Paris and Nicole faced major charges for
DUIDriving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, is the act of operating a vehicle after consuming alcohol or other drugs...
, and were at risk of serving jail time. Paris was sentenced to 23 days in jail, though this was after production of the season had finished. Nicole accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to 4 days in jail, again after production had wrapped.
During some early shooting days, Nicole complained of illness. After she was examined by the on-set doctor she was taken to a nearby hospital where she received intravenous fluids for 15 minutes before being released. This incident set production behind schedule.
Courtney LoveCourtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician and actress. Love is known as lead singer and lyricist for the alternative rock band Hole and for her marriage to the late Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain...
described Paris's birthday party on her website as having a "big pile of white powder" in the bathroom. It was thought the description of the incident, which took place on the eve of the Oscars, might have cost Paris and Nicole the new season. Despite all the problems, the shooting of the season finished in time and the season actually premiered earlier than otherwise expected.
Final cancellation by E! & attempted continuation
Nicole confirmed on
KIIS-FMKIIS-FM is a Los Angeles, California, USA-based radio station with a rhythmic-leaning Top 40 musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. KIIS is also simulcasted on KVVS in Rosamond, at 105.5 MHz. Known as "102.7 KIIS-FM" and as one of the United States' highest-rated top 40...
in Los Angeles that she and Paris signed a contract for a sixth and seventh season of the show.
In an interview on
Larry King LiveLarry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN. The show debuted in 1985, and is CNN's most watched program, with over one million viewers nightly.The show broadcasts from CNN's Los Angeles studios...
, Paris confirmed that she and Nicole would start shooting Season 6 by the end of 2007. "In a couple of months" in her own words.
Despite the initial hopes for continuation, E! announced they had canceled the show on July 30, 2007, mainly due to personal problems overshadowing the show.
E! networks final statement: "
The Simple Life has been a wonderful addition to the E! Schedule for two years and we will always be grateful to Paris and Nicole for their hard work and graciousness."
Paris herself made a statement at the premiere of
Rush Hour 3Rush Hour 3 is a 2007 martial arts/action-comedy film, and the third installment in the Rush Hour film series, starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, that began with the 1998 film Rush Hour and continued with the first sequel Rush Hour 2 in 2001. The film was officially announced on May 7, 2006,...
saying "It's been a great five years and we had so much fun, but I'm happy to end it at that." suggesting she has opted out of any continuation of the series.
It appears Nicole will also be unavailable to shoot any further episodes of the show, having just had a baby and wanting to focus on her family in future.
While E! canceled
The Simple Life, and the stars seemed less than enthusiastic to continue, series producer Twentieth Century Fox held out hope another network would pick it up for another go-round. However, it was reported a new incarnation may not feature Paris and Nicole. Other networks were said to be interested, including MTV as a strong possibility.
A new incarnation nearly occurred, in a newly-developed spin-off that, following negotiations, was set to air on E!, featuring
Kelly OsbourneKelly Michelle Lee Osbourne is an English media personality, fashion designer, singer, actress, and model, best known for being the daughter of Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne. She was thrust into the limelight after appearing on reality series The Osbournes with her famous family...
and
Kimberly StewartKimberly Alana Stewart , is an American socialite, fashion model and fashion designer. She is the daughter of Rod Stewart and Alana Stewart.-Biography:She is the daughter of rock star Rod Stewart and his first wife Alana Stewart...
in Paris and Nicole's shoes. The show was not picked up, however, after Kelly opted out of the project after a few days shooting, branding it "demeaning and juvenile".
Instead, E! picked up
Keeping Up With The KardashiansKeeping Up with the Kardashians is an American reality television series airing on E!. Debuted on October 14, 2007, the series documents the lives of the Kardashian/Jenner family, the former of which consists of the ex-wife and children of late attorney Robert Kardashian. Ryan Seacrest is the...
, and no other network came forward to announce plans to pick up
The Simple Life in any form. The series has finally come to a close.
Distribution rights to
The Simple Life are still held by
20th Century FoxTwentieth Century Fox Television, Inc. is the television production division of the Fox movie studio, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
, who may submit the series for syndication in the USA in future. In
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, it is already syndicated; with various seasons now airing on Arena TV (on Foxtel & Austar).
The First Season
In the first season, Paris and Nicole agreed to leave behind their cellphones, credit cards and celebrity status to move in with the Leding family in
AltusAltus is a city in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 817 at the 2000 census...
,
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
for a month.
What was supposed to be an experiment in learning how to adapt to doing chores and getting their hands dirty turned out to be a failure. In the process they would ruin a dairy farmer's milk supply, wreak havoc at a local
Sonic Drive-InSonic Corporation is an American fast-food restaurant chain based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that recreates the drive-in diner feel of the 1950s, complete with carhops who sometimes wear roller skates. There were 3,500 restaurants in 41 U.S. states, as of September 9, 2009.-1950s:Troy N...
and take advantage of an employer's credit card, ultimately getting fired from every job they took up. This was greatly upsetting to the Leding family. Despite all of this, the two would often get a reality check from the family themselves. Whether Paris and Nicole took it to heart remains to be seen.
The show started airing on Fox December 2, 2003, to surprisingly well received ratings. The premiere episode drew 13 million viewers, increasing Fox's Adults 18-49 rating a phenomenal 79%. The second episode drew 13.3 million viewers, an increase of 300,000 viewers over its premiere. During the airing of the series, Fox added two extra episodes and a reunion special, which continued to draw ratings. With results like this, it was only natural that Fox would order a second season. The DVD of this season was released in
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on January 20, 2004. Some international releases included the bonus episode and the reunion episode.
Road Trip
A second season, subtitled
Road Trip, began broadcasting in the summer of 2004. In this season, Paris and Nicole traveled across the United States in a pink
pickup truckA pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area which is almost always separated from the cab to allow for chassis flex when carrying or pulling heavy loads....
(driven by Paris), pulling an
AirstreamAirstream is a brand of luxury recreational vehicle manufactured in Jackson Center, Ohio, USA. It is currently a division of Thor Industries. The company, which now employs fewer than 400, is the oldest in the industry. Airstream trailers are easily recognized for their distinctive rounded...
trailerMobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied. They are usually transported by tractor-trailers over public roads to sites which are often in rural areas or high-density developments. In some...
. They participated in such activities as catching
crayfishCrayfish, crawfish, or crawdads — members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea — are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
, working as
maidA maidservant or in current usage maid is a female employed in domestic service. Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was always the case for many households...
s in a nudist resort, and
sausageA sausage is a prepared food, usually made from ground meat , ground pork fat such as fatback, salt, and spices . Typically the sausage is formed in a casing. Traditionally, sausage casings are made of animal intestines, though now some casings are synthetic...
-making.
The premiere episode (drawing 9.8 million overall viewers) showcased Hilton's
horseThe horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
back-riding accident, which made headlines when they were still filming.
The ratings continued to climb during the season, and Fox was quick to announce heading into production on Season 3, not before airing a special episode titled
The Simple Life - The Stuff We Weren't Allowed To Show You on November 17, 2004. The special showcased several cut scenes from the season (some of which appear on the Season 2 DVD) as well as preview clips for the third season. The DVD of this season was released in
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 2, 2004. A CD-soundtrack for this season was also released.
Interns
The third season began shooting October 27, 2004. The first episode premiered January 26, 2005.
The third season, subtitled
Interns, would see Paris and Nicole take various
internAn intern is one who works in a temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training rather than merely employment, making it similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for...
ships with companies along the
East Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard", refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada...
. Paris and Nicole traveled around the northeast United States via the Greyhound Bus company's publicly available bus routes. But unlike season 2, this time around Paris and Nicole did not have a swanky home on wheels and instead were travelling around the northeast in a regular Greyhound bus that was also ferrying normal members of the public that are travelling to the same destination.
The season featured one memorable encounter with twin baby orangutans from Parrot Jungle Island in Miami,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
. Nicole Richie's fiance DJ
Adam GoldsteinAdam Michael Goldstein was an American club DJ and musician better known as DJ AM. Goldstein was a member of the rock band Crazy Town, and worked on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna, and Will Smith, among others...
also appeared in this season when he surprised Nicole and took her on a date. In this season, there were episodes where they were given little or no money while interning, or their internships were shortened because instead of being professional, they would goof off or fail to do the work properly.
The episode
Mortuary was set in a
funeral homeA funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and funeral services for the deceased and their families. These services may include a prepared wake and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for the funeral....
. It drew minor controversy among viewers because Paris and Nicole struggled with unloading a
casketA coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of deceased remains – either for burial or cremation.-Practices:Any box used to bury the dead in is a coffin...
from a
hearseA hearse is a funeral vehicle, a conveyance for the casket from e.g. a church to a cemetery, a similar burial site, or a crematorium. In the funeral trade, they are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
, then spilling cremated ashes on the floor and using a
vacuumA vacuum cleaner is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors...
to clean it up. The show's producers claimed the casket was empty and the "human ashes" was just a stage prop made of cement and cat litter. In the last episode of the season, there was no party shown with friends or family. Instead, they were hounded by
paparazziPaparazzi is a plural term for photographers who take unstaged and/or candid photographs of celebrities caught unaware. Paparazzi take photos of celebrities at moments when the subjects do not expect to be photographed, such as when they shop, walk through a city, eat at a restaurant, or swim or...
, one of the final times the two were seen together on good terms for quite some time. The DVD of this season was released in
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on March 19, 2006.
'Til Death Do Us Part
The fourth season premiered on June 4, 2006, drawing 1.3 million viewers. While those ratings would have been dismal for Fox, it was actually more than four times E!’s prime-time average. And in key adult demographic groups, ratings more than tripled from the network’s average. The season features Paris and Nicole playing "Wife" to a different family every episode, in a similar manner to
Wife SwapWife Swap is a reality television programme, produced by UK independent television production company RDF Media and created by Stephen Lambert...
. Paris and Nicole alternate between the family each episode, with the family then deciding which of them was better in the role.
This season was also unique, as Paris and Nicole did not leave
L.A.Los 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 families they stayed with were L.A. area residents, and the episodes often focused on Paris and Nicole's personal lives and careers as well as the challenge of being a wife and mother. This season also featured guest appearances from Paris and Nicole's well-known friends, family and associates. Since the season was set in their hometowns, Paris and Nicole had cell phone and credit card usage, previously denied to them in earlier seasons.
The season finale ended with Paris confronting Nicole, stating "We have to talk", and Nicole answering "Then talk...", followed by a screen that read "To be continued... next season!" Many viewers were shocked and angry over this cliffhanger ending.
On Thursday, July 28, 2006, several E! series were added to the iTunes Music Store. Among these series was
The Simple Life Seasons 1 and 4. The DVD of this season was released on December 26, 2006.
Goes to Camp
It was announced on October 9, 2006 that Paris and Nicole had rekindled their friendship and had agreed to shoot the fifth season of
The Simple Life together. In an interview with Australian
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...
magazine in January 2007, Paris confirmed
The Simple Life will resume shooting in March 2007, in
MalibuMalibu is an incorporated city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population is 12,575....
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
. The tentative title for the season was
Malibu: Camp Simple Life, but later adjusted to
The Simple Life Goes to Camp.
Paris explained how she and Nicole will be counselors for multiple camps, including, but not restricted to, a beauty pageant camp, a
fat campA fat camp is a slang term for a type of program where overweight and obese children and teenagers are sent during the summer to lose weight. They are more gently referred to as a fitness and weight-loss camp. What sets apart a fat camp from any other ordinary camp is that it typically provides...
and a couples camp.
It was subsequently confirmed that
The Simple Life Goes to Camp has Paris and Nicole working as counselors at Camp Shawnee, a fictional camp on the site of an actual camp,
Camp JCA ShalomCamp JCA Shalom is a Jewish summer camp located in Malibu, California. The camp opened in 1951 in Barton Flats before moving to its current location in the Malibu mountains....
. The camp was host to five different specialty groups: Wellness Camp, Pageant Camp, Couples Camp, Survival Camp and Drama Camp.
The season began picking up where the last left off, with Paris and Nicole recreating their true-to-life
reconciliationConflict resolution is a range of methods for alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict. The term "conflict resolution" is sometimes used interchangeably with the term dispute resolution or alternative dispute resolution. Processes of conflict resolution generally include negotiation,...
onscreen for viewers, and then being driven by
limoLimo may refer to:*Limousine, a longer than normal luxury car*Limousine service in the US a service offering cars with drivers, often for shared rides*LiMo Platform, a mobile phone and device operating system...
to the campsite.
At least one of the counselors, Hunter Cross, admits he is an actor who auditioned for the role. Also, the camp nurse is an actress according to IMDB. Although most of the campers were in fact non-actors, one of them (the high maintenance girl who quit the camp early) from the survival camp was also seen on an Oust air freshener commercial. The only "real" people from Camp JCA Shalom to appear on the show are Jorge, the camp chef, and Julia, the camp dog.
The season premiere was on
Memorial DayMemorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May . Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service...
, Monday, May 28, 2007, and the show began its normal Sunday night time slot the following week on E!.
The complete fifth season was released to DVD on January 22, 2008. It contained no special features and not even the extended version of the first episode that was only shown on the premiere. This season is also available for download on iTunes. Also released exclusively to iTunes on August 13, 2007 was a compilation of camp songs dubbed
The Simple Life: Camp Songs. The album received no promotion and none of the songs on the album were heard on the show.
Awards & recognition
-
- 2004, won ASCAP Award for Top TV Series.
- 2004, won BMI TV Music Award
- 2004, nominated in the Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards is an awards show presented annually by FOX. The program honors the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, as voted on by teens aged 13–19. The program usually features a high number of celebrities and musical performers...
for Choice Reality/Variety TV Star - Female Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American socialite, heiress, media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress....
and Choice TV Show - Reality/Variety.
- 2005, nominated in the Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards is an awards show presented annually by FOX. The program honors the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, as voted on by teens aged 13–19. The program usually features a high number of celebrities and musical performers...
, Choice TV Show: Reality and for 'The Simple Life: Interns'.
- 2006, nominated in the Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards is an awards show presented annually by FOX. The program honors the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, as voted on by teens aged 13–19. The program usually features a high number of celebrities and musical performers...
for TV - Choice Reality Star (Female) - Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American socialite, heiress, media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress....
.
- 2007, nominated in the Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards is an awards show presented annually by FOX. The program honors the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, as voted on by teens aged 13–19. The program usually features a high number of celebrities and musical performers...
for Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star - Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American socialite, heiress, media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress....
.
- 2009, won Fox Reality Awards
The Fox Reality Awards is an awards show that has been broadcast by the Fox Reality Channel since 2006. As the name implies, the awards honor achievements in reality television.-Favorite Fight:...
for 'Innovator of Reality TV' - Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American socialite, heiress, media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress....
.
International Remakes
Paris and Nicole's rural misadventures on
The Simple Life have proved so popular with viewers that Fox World has produced international versions for overseas television. While Paris's international counterparts aren't hotel heiresses, they are relatively rich and well-known in their home countries, and the plots of the remakes tend to be the same. So far, at least eleven official remakes have been produced:
- Simple Life: Mudando de Vida for the Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
ian market
- La Vie Rurale for the Quebec
Quebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
market with Anne-Marie LosiqueAnne-Marie Losique is a television producer, television host and singer in Quebec, Canada. Along with Marc Trudeau, she is co-founder of production company Image Diffusion International. She is the daughter of Serge Losique, president and founder of the Montreal World Film Festival.- Profile...
as producer and star; A subtitled French version of the US edition also aired on Musiqueplus and MusimaxMusiMax is a Canadian French language cable television specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating out of Montreal, Quebec.MusiMax is devoted to music and music related programming focusing more on adult contemporary, soft-rock, classic rock and lighter music than its sister station,...
.
- Lihtne Elu for the Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russian Federation...
n market
- Ciao Bella! for the Belgian
The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
market
- La Ferme Célébrités for the French
France , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
market
- Cambio de Vida for the Uruguay
Uruguay , is a country located in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.46 million people, of whom 1.1 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. An estimated 88–94% of the population are of mostly European and/or mixed descent.Uruguay's only land border is...
an market
- Jednostavan život for the Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
n market, featuring Ana MihajlovskiAna Mihajlovski is a Serbian television presenter mostly hosting locally licensed reality programmes through Emotion Production. She also occasionally works as an actress....
and Marijana Mićić
- Her Şey Yolunda for the Turkish
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
market, featuring Tuğba ÖzayTuğba Özay is a high-profile Turkish model and a famous star in Turkey. She was elected the first runner-up in the contest in 1995. She is the highest paid model in Turkey and particularly famous for her long legs.-Early biography:...
and Yeliz Yeşilmen
- On the Road for the Italian
Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
market
- Chayim Al-Pi Y, Ha- for the Israel
Israel officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
i market
- Gülcan und Collien ziehen aufs Land for the German
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
market with Gülcan Kamps and Collien FernandesCollien Fernandes was born on September 26th, 1981 in Hamburg, Germany to a Portuguese father of Goan Indian origin and a Hungarian mother. She has one sister, Elaine, who is younger. Collien was a member of bands Yam Yam and Suco e Sol...
Channel 4Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began working on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station owned now and operated by the Channel Four Television...
were planning a British remake that would star young, rich
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
socialites, who are not currently famous or well known. Casting began August 2006, however the status of the project is currently unknown.
Some other international markets, such as Japan chose to
subtitleSubtitles are textual versions of the dialog in films and television programs, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. They can either be a form of written translation of a dialog in a foreign language, or a written rendering of the dialog in the same language, with or without added...
or
dubDubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting schedule. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who...
the original.
Spin-Offs
Paris has released her own reality show. Titled
This Is Paris, it focused more around her personal life, and the recording of her debut album, very much in the vein of
Madonna: Truth or Dare. It aired on
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
on August 8, 2006 and on
VH1VH1 is an American cable television network based in New York City...
on August 9, 2006. Paris has since gone on to produce and star in a new reality series centering around her search for a new best friend. The series, picked up by MTV and titled
Paris Hilton's My New BFFParis Hilton's My New BFF, also known simply as My New BFF and other alternate titles, is a reality television show in which Paris Hilton searches for her new BFF...
, began airing in September 2008. So far, it has featured 2 seasons set in the U.S.A, 1 set in the U.K., 1 set in U.A.E., with another U.S. season currently in pre-production.
The rumours of Nicole set to have her own show about her romance and wedding planning with late boyfriend DJ AM were put to rest by Nicole herself, when she said she would never do a reality show about her personal life. Nicole seems less interested in reality tv now, finding her niche in fashion,
writing books-Storyline:The novel tells the story of Chloe Parker, a woman in her early 20s who had been adopted at the age of seven by a music superstar and his wife, and who now associates with Hollywood celebrities...
and raising a family with current boyfriend
Joel MaddenJoel Ryan Reuben Madden is the lead vocalist for the band Good Charlotte, a record producer, actor, and a DJ.-Early life:...
.
Ever since plans to appear in
The Simple Life fell through, Kimberly Stewart has been working hard to develop her own reality series. A series pilot, titled
Win Your Life Back featured Kimberly taking favourite personal belongings off two teams of young female contestants, and putting them through challenges to win their belongings back. Whichever team wins back the most belongings would win a $100,000 shopping spree. The pilot was presented to MTV, but was not picked up.
Kimberly then began shooting a direct spin-off to
The Simple Life with Kelly Osbourne for E!, but after it was also not picked up, she finally secured an active reality show, shot in London, titled
Living With Kimberly Stewart, in which she put contestants through challenges involving living arrangements. The winner got to live in a luxury London pent-house, rent-free with Kimberly for a year. The show premiered on Living TV in the U.K. in 2007.
In 2005,
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
produced a reality series titled
I Want To Be a HiltonI Want To Be a Hilton was a 2005 weekly NBC reality TV series that was hosted by Kathy Hilton.The show featured people who "Wanted to be like a Hilton." The finalist of the competition receives a prize package that includes a $200,000 trust fund, a new apartment, wardrobe and the opportunity to...
.
I Want To Be a Hilton took the idea of
The Simple Life, and reversed it. Hosted by
Kathy HiltonKathy Hilton is an American socialite, television host and actress. She is the mother of socialites Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton.-Childhood:...
, Paris' mom, the show saw several contestants from rural country and suburban areas having to perform certain tasks ranging from dog grooming to a fashion show and organizing a charity event, while learning
etiquetteEtiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
and
mannersIn sociology, manners are the unenforced standards of conduct which show the actor that you are proper, polite, and refined. They are like laws in that they codify or set a standard for human behavior, but they are unlike laws in that there is no formal system for punishing transgressions, other...
. The finalist of the competition received a prize package that included a $200,000 trust fund, a new apartment, wardrobe and the opportunity to live the life of high society for one year. Paris and
NickyNicholai "Nicky" Olivia Hilton is an American fashion model, socialite, celebutante, entrepreneur, heiress, and fashion designer. She shares her nickname with her grandfather's brother, Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, who died fourteen years before she was born...
guest starred in an episode, and Paris's dog Tinkerbell (who appeared in
The Simple Life) also took part.
Unofficial remakes
The Simple Life has also been emulated by other less-official remakes. A good example of another reality series is E!'s
Filthy Rich: Cattle DriveFilthy Rich: Cattle Drive is a reality television program on that aired on the E! network in 2005. In Australia it aired on Foxtel's E! network as Rich Kids: Cattle Drive.-Synopsis:...
, which shared various unquestionable similarities with
The Simple Life. It centered around sending several well known young socialites (including
Kourtney KardashianKourtney Mary Kardashian is an Armenian-American celebutante, socialite, model, businesswoman and television personality...
&
Brittny GastineauBrittny Gastineau is an American model, socialite, and reality television personality.-Early life and family:Gastineau is the daughter of former New York Jets player Mark Gastineau, and Lisa Gastineau. During the bitter divorce between her parents, she lived with her grandmother and attended...
, among others) to live on a rural
ranchA ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
, minus cellphones and other luxuries they have come to swear by.
In 2006, E4 ran a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
show featuring
Big Brother evictee
Nikki GrahameNicola Rachele-Beth Grahame is an English model, columnist and television personality, who rose to fame in the UK when she was chosen to be a housemate on Big Brother 7 in 2006...
called
Princess NikkiPrincess Nikki is a reality television show that stars former Big Brother 7 UK house mate, Nikki Grahame. It ran on Wednesday nights between 10:00 - 10:30pm on the digital and satellite television channel E4 from 6 September 2006, for a total runtime of 30 minutes. The show was devised by Endemol,...
. In a very similar fashion to
The Simple Life she is 'employed' in different jobs (including fish gutter and farmer) to see whether she can last one day without being fired for her now-infamous tantrums. The many similarities between the shows were noted by viewers and critics.
In 2008, MTV produced
Exiled!, a spin-off to its' hit reality series
My Super Sweet 16My Super Sweet 16 is an MTV reality series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States and UK, who usually have wealthy parents that throw huge coming of age celebrations. Parties include the quinceañera , the sweet 16, and other birthdays including a My Super Sweet 21 and My...
.
Exiled! took eight former stars of
My Super Sweet 16, who have grown up spoiled, self-involved & without any idea about real work, and sent them to live in third world countries to teach them a lesson in how hard life can be for people other than themselves. The promo clips for the show were quickly compared to
The Simple Life. The series aired on MTV in Spring 2008.
It has also been said that
The Simple Life has inspired other works such as
Cow BellesCow Belles is a Disney Channel Original Movie starring Alyson Michalka and Amanda Michalka, better known as sister duo Aly & AJ. It debuted on March 24,2006 on Disney Channel in the U.S...
and
Material GirlsMaterial Girls is a satirical teen comedy film starring Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff. It is based on a script written by John Quaintance and is directed by Martha Coolidge, and it also stars Anjelica Huston, Lukas Haas, and Brent Spiner...
; movies with very similar premises to
The Simple Life.
External links