The Hills: a “reality” television show about beautiful people, living in beautiful homes, in beautiful southern California and their beautiful drama. Yes it is technically “reality” television, but let’s be honest, anyone who has seen the show would know that no one is lucky enough to live a life so… conveniently glamorous. So here I am, challenging the claim that The Hills is reality.
My biggest problem with the idea of The Hills as reality is, well … it’s scripted. From what I can pick up on, the show started out as genuine as such a show could be, but over the years, it has transformed into its own genre, let’s say… “scriptality.” It's a show that the audience is to believe is reality, but I’m confident that every viewer knows that this is not candid television. It is possible that there is no script, but I’m confident that the producers tell the characters where to go, when to be there, who to be with, and what to talk about. So there is a chance that the interactions from that point are improvised, but I have a feeling that little footage makes it onto the air that is 100% genuine.
So yes, it is a quasi-reality television show with no substantial plot line, and to be honest, probably more scenery shots of southern California than actual dialog. But I have to be honest, I love this show.
For me, The Hills is like a virtual reality. I have been living vicariously through these people for years now. I turned on MTV as a 14 year-old and saw a show: Laguna Beach; the pre-series to The Hills. I saw these beautiful people running around on the beach, tanning, partying, gossiping, shopping, dressing up, going out, and just having the most glamorous lives I could ever imagine. I was hooked. I wanted to know their drama; I wanted to be a part of their lives.
Now, 6 years later, I feel like these girls are my friends. I’ve grown up with them. When Brody rejects Kristin, it’s as if he’s rejecting my best friend. When Heidi and Spencer make up rumors about LC, it’s like the have stabbed my sister in the back. When LC left the show, a part of me died. Honestly, I know these people; I know their story; I know what they have been through, and I feel for them.
So here we go.. the 6th and final season is upon us. Let me summarize who your new BFF’s are so you can follow along and by the end of the season you’ll be asking for more. Or maybe not…
Lauren (LC) could be you, or your best friend. She’s super cute, with the perfect job and a great little circle of friends. She has drama with boys, friends, and work, but doesn’t everyone?? She’s out of the picture this season, but she was the reason that Laguna Beach spawned The Hills.
Kristin is the friend you love to hate. She can be a bitch, but she’s always down to party. Kristin was LC’s rival on Laguna Beach and has now taken over LC’s narrative position on The Hills. Kristin is single party-girl that is desperate to be “friends with benefits” with ex-boyfriend Brody.
Brody is the guy you’ll always want but never really have. He’s a rich playboy that is a little too cocky for his own good. He has tried to hook up (occasionally successful) with virtually every girl on the show. His current tag-along is a new girl, McKaela (picture LC with brown hair), that is having a hard time fitting in with the girls. Kristin… not impressed.
Audrina is the friend you invite out with you as a sidekick when you don’t want to be outshined. She’s cute and fun but there’s not a whole lot else going on. Audrina is dating the stocky, awkward Ryan Cabrara and Audrina doesn’t have much to say except “OH MY GOSH.”
Lo is in your core group: always has been and always will be; if you’re loyal to her, you can count on her to by loyal to you. Lo is LC’s long time BFF, but now tags along with Audrina and Stephanie.
Stephanie is the girl you never wanted to like but had to bite your tongue because all you’re friends get along with her. Stephanie, Audrina and Lo are all “friends” and try to play nice with Kristin, but mostly just talk shit about her behind her back. Stephanie is Spencer’s sister and got a DUI on the off-season, causing her to be sober this season.
Spencer and Heidi (Speidi) are … ridiculous. They are like none of your friends – they are one of a kind. Speidi are media whores. They act crazy and provide an element of comedic relieve in the show, only because there is no way to take them seriously. Spencer’s latest act of absurdity involves being incredibly controlling over wife Heidi, being extremely aggressive and rude to everyone, and having an obsession for crystal healing. Heidi has undergone massive amount of plastic surgery because she strives to look like Barbie (not kidding). The girls on the show have recently decided to cut the couple out of their lives because they suck, and they have not appeared in the past two episodes.
And yes, they all do look exactly alike. Confusion is normal. This might help.
I completely agree. What seemed to be reality television in Laguna Beach has turned into a very unrealistically scripted show. In fact, my friend from high school went on to college and lived with LC's first ex boyfriend from high school. He later won the title of runner up on the MTV series, Styled. He explained to us that the cast of Laguna Beach and The Hills meet with the writers and tell them of the actual drama that has been going on with the group. The writers then take what they want from it and overly glorify their current situations. This turns the final result (what we actually see on tv) totally scripted to make them say and do whatever they are called to for the shows ever popular ratings to continue flourishing.
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ReplyDeleteI liked your blog, although I felt that you could've expanded on one point...In the beginning you offered the questions of, "Why write about it, why analyze it and why watch it?" And you seemed to answer those questions for yourself very well, explaining that you have grown with these characters and they seem almost like they are your friends as you have 'known' them for so long. But what about the rest of their audience?
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could explore why other people watch this show (as you mentioned the 2.5 million viewers each week who watch). After all, this show gets a lot of grief, people say how terrible it is, how fake it is, etc...but at the end of the day, people are still talking about it. Why?