The Hills

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The Hills
The Hills intertitle
Genre	Reality
Created by	Adam DiVello
Starring	Lauren Conrad (2006-2009) Heidi Montag Audrina Patridge Whitney Port (2006-2008) Kristin Cavallari (2009-Present)
Opening theme	"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
Production
Running time	20-22 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	MTV
Original run	May 31, 2006 – present
Chronology
Preceded by	Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Related shows	The City
External links
Official website

The Hills is a reality television^[1] program that follows the personal lives of several young people living in Los Angeles, California. The program first premiered on May 31, 2006, and followed the personal life of former Laguna Beach star, Lauren Conrad, as she moved to Los Angeles. However, it has been confirmed that another former Laguna Beach star, Kristin Cavallari will replace Conrad starting in the later half of season 5.

Entertainment Weekly labeled the show a "New Classic" ranking it 82nd on a list of The 100 Best Shows of the Last 25 Years. Heidi Montag will be the series only original member to return as a series regular status in the sixth season.^[2]

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Background 1.2 Ratings 1.3 Spin offs 2 Main cast 2.1 Note 3 Seasons 4 Criticism 5 See also 6 Notes 7 External links

[edit] Overview

[edit] Background

After the MTV program Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County became one of the network's highest-rated programs, producers wanted to continue the story of one of its more popular characters, Lauren, as she moved to Los Angeles. After the cameras turned off for Kristin Cavallari, Stephen Colletti, 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 Angeles. Initially, she lives with her friend, Heidi, attends the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and lands an internship with Teen Vogue. 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.

[edit] 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.^[3] Additionally, the total season 4 average was down 25% from that of season 3.^[4] 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.^[5]

[edit] Spin offs

• Whitney Port received her own spin-off from The Hills entitled The City.^[6] The series centers around Port as she moves to New York City to work for fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg.^[6][7] 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 and will air on MTV also.^[8]

[edit] Main cast

This is the Main Cast for all seasons, For a full list of current and former cast members of The Hills, see the list of cast members.

NAME	INFORMATION
Lauren Conrad (seasons 1-5)	Lauren had her road to independence documented shortly after leaving home in Laguna Beach to her new home in Los Angeles. There, she spent her days attending FIDM while interning at Teen Vogue magazine. After Teen Vogue, she switched jobs to work for fashion PR firm People's Revolution. Lauren eventually ended her rocky relationship with Jason, and had a short-lived relationship with Brody after Heidi's boyfriend, Spencer, introduced her to him. Over time, Lauren slowly became distant from Heidi because of Spencer, and much later had a change of heart, attending Heidi and his wedding. Afterwards she leaves the ceremony alone, leaving the past, the drama, and The Hills behind her.
Heidi Pratt (née Montag) (seasons 1-)	Heidi and Lauren met while attending school in San Francisco, and the two left after one semester. As a result, Heidi spent the Spring semester at Lauren's beach side home, and the two later moved to Los Angeles with the intent to attend Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) together. After one day of classes, Heidi unofficially withdrew and interviewed for event planning firm Bolthouse Productions. After a brief relationship with Jordan, Heidi became romantically involved with Spencer Pratt which causes a rift between her and Lauren, but was surprised to see her just minutes before her wedding ceremony.
Audrina Patridge (seasons 1-5)	Audrina was first introduced sitting poolside next to the sunbathing Heidi. It is later found out that she aspires to become an actress, but settles for working as a receptionist for Quixote Studios in between auditions. Later, she switches jobs to work for Epic Records. Adding to her new friendship with Lauren, Audrina becomes Lauren's new roommate, but feared that Lo, Lauren's childhood friend, was making their friendship more distant. Additionally, Audrina rekindles her on-and-off relationship with former flame Justin, even though she questions his faithfulness.
Whitney Port (seasons 1-4)	Whitney was first introduced as fellow intern to Lauren at Teen Vogue. Much of her camera time is seen in the office or at Teen Vogue functions, including a trip to Paris where she realizes that working behind the scenes wasn't for her. She eventually leaves for fashion PR firm People's Revolution, thus beginning her bi-coastal lifestyle. After some time, Whitney's new boss offers her the opportunity to interview with Diane von Furstenberg and moves to New York shortly after being hired.
Kristin Cavallari (seasons 5 -)[9]	Kristin is a former classmate of Lauren's from Laguna Beach, where she met Heidi. After high school, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career and has since not been in close contact with Lauren. The pair reunite, but only make crude eye contact at Heidi's wedding. Kristin will make an on-going appearance on The Hills for the remainder of season 5 and possibly through season 6.

[edit] Note

• Lauren left the series in the mid-season finale of the 5th season and Kristin came in afterwards as a replacement.
• Audrina Patridge confirmed she would be leaving the show to star in her own show which would also be aired by MTV but produced by a different producer.

[edit] Seasons

Season 1
US Premiere Date Wednesday, May 31, 2006	Main article: The Hills (season 1) Lauren's road to independence was documented shortly after leaving Laguna Beach and moving to Los Angeles 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 Productions. Additionally, Lauren lands a job interning with Teen Vogue 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	Main article: The Hills (season 2) 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. Overtime, 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	Main article: The Hills (season 3) 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 Paris, Whitney feels her job isn't what she wants, quits, and interviews for fashion PR 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 [10]
28 Episodes

Season 4
US Premiere Date Monday, August 18, 2008	Main article: The Hills (season 4) Lauren is surprised to hear that Audrina is spending her free time with Justin, 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 Furstenberg. In the season finale, Whitney learns the outcome of her interview. (more)
DVD Release Date Tuesday, March 3, 2009
20 Episodes

Season 5
US Premiere Date Monday, April 6, 2009	Main article: The Hills (season 5) Lauren's celebrating her 23rd birthday, and the uninvited Heidi finds out that Spencer got into a fist-fight at a bar with Stephanie's ex, Cameron, claiming Spencer was flirting with a bartender. Unsure what to do about their relationship, Heidi gives him an ultimatum. Though Heidi's mother isn't a big fan of Spencer, Heidi's father comes for a visit and grants Spencer permission to marry Heidi. In the season finale, Lauren changes her mind about the wedding invitation, and surprisingly, someone else is invited as well. (more)
DVD Release Date TBA
20 Episodes[11]

[edit] Criticism

Criticism has been leveled that the show is not "reality," but may just be "unscripted," as it contains scenes that may be set up specifically for filming.

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.^[12]

On December 17, 2008 the Associated Press released an article titled "Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt nuptials questioned"^[13] 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.^[13]

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.^[14] During an appearance on Chelsea Lately, Chelsea Handler 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." ^[15]

On a June 18, 2009 episode of The View, 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."^[16]

[edit] See also

• Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
• The City

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• The Hills at MTV.com
• The Hills at the Internet Movie Database
• The Hills at TV.com
• The Hills Fashion Catalog

v • d • e The Hills Main Cast Lauren Conrad (2006 – 2009)  • Audrina Patridge (2006 - 2009) • Whitney Port (2006 – 2008) • Heidi Montag • Kristin Cavallari (2009 – present) Supporting Cast Spencer Pratt • Brody Jenner • Lo Bosworth • Stephanie Pratt • Justin Brescia • Holly Montag Seasons 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 Associated Programs Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County • The City • The Audrina Show