The Hills hit the screens 17 years ago and spawned a whole new genre of TV, in the form of structured reality shows with manipulated storylines and staged scenes.
And after gaining viewers all over the world, the show has returned to fans’ hearts thanks to its addition to UK Netflix earlier this year.
The first series originally aired on MTV in 2006 and focused on the lives of Lauren Conrad, Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port and Heidi Montag, as best friends Lauren and Heidi attend the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.
The show fell into a pit of drama, dating and desperation… but over the years it has come to light that many of the show’s storylines and scenes were in fact fake and heavily manipulated by producers.
We take a look at the most shocking secrets and falsehoods on the MTV show…
Inside Out: The Hills hit the screens 17 years ago and spawned a whole new TV genre, in the form of structured reality – shows with manipulated storylines and staged scenes
Cheers! In the tenth episode of the show’s fifth season, which originally aired on May 31, 2009, Heidi and Spencer Pratt tied the knot.
Who is that girl? Lady Gaga made a now-iconic spin on the show in 2008 when she showed up backstage at a show and needed help from Whitney and Lauren with a broken zipper.
LAUREN LOCKED UP
In the tenth episode of the show’s fifth season, which originally aired on May 31, 2009, Heidi and Spencer Pratt tied the knot.
Due to the end of her friendship with Lauren, who disliked Heidi’s husband, Lauren’s presence at the wedding was greatly questioned.
While Lauren attended the wedding, there were secrets behind the scenes – including a hefty paycheck and a locked-up Lauren.
Former friends: Due to the end of her friendship with Lauren, who detested Heidi’s husband, Lauren’s presence at the wedding was highly questioned
She told Us Weekly, “The power went out, the generator went out, and I said, ‘I’ve got to go!’ And [producers] wouldn’t let me go! ..
“They literally locked me in the basement with two guards and wouldn’t let me go! And I thought, “You can’t keep me here!” I had an attack.”
Prior to the wedding, Lauren was late for another event and revealed she was annoyed that she was being held at the wedding later than expected.
She continued, “I think it was two hours later when the wedding actually took place. When Kristin showed up, I was like, Oh, this makes sense…
“This is a kind of passing of the baton. I sat out of the wedding and then walked out the side doors. That’s why I don’t leave with everyone else in the final scene.’
Spencer, meanwhile, told Cosmopolitan that he thinks she was paid a lot to be a wedding guest: “I bet our wedding to this day is her biggest appearance fee she has ever received or will receive in her entire life.” ..
‘I’d like to know. I bet they gave her a million dollars to go to our wedding.”
The Girl Who Never Went To Paris: One of the most iconic scenes on the show came when Vogue and Teen Vogue’s West Coast director Lisa Love sat down with Lauren to discuss her decision to forgo Paris and spend the summer with her then-boyfriend Jason Wahler
Eek: During the discussion, where they were joined by fellow Teen Vogue intern Whitney Port, Lisa said, “Lauren will always be known as the girl who didn’t go to Paris”
Lost love: Lauren is pictured with Jason in 2006
THE GIRL WHO NEVER WENT TO PARIS… IN THE WORDS OF ANNA WINTOUR
One of the most iconic scenes on the show came when Vogue and Teen Vogue’s West Coast director Lisa Love sat down with Lauren to discuss her decision to forgo Paris and spend the summer with her then-boyfriend Jason Wahler.
During the discussion, where they were joined by fellow Teen Vogue intern Whitney Port, Lisa said, “Lauren will always be known as the girl who didn’t go to Paris.”
Lauren later said of the moment, “The whole crew was shocked that I didn’t go. But I was so burned out then; I needed a moment to breathe. But finally I went!…
“Lisa later told me that the reason she said I ‘will always be known as the girl who didn’t go to Paris’ is because Anna Wintour called me that…
“Apparently I came up in conversation and she said, ‘Oh, you mean that girl who didn’t go to Paris?’ I was like ‘Great!’
Fury: Lauren and Heidi’s beef was a focal point in the show’s storyline
GOING LADY GAGA
Lady Gaga made a now-iconic spin on the show in 2008 when she showed up backstage at a show and needed help from Whitney and Lauren with a broken zipper.
Showrunner Adam DiVello spoke at a later date about the megastar’s appearance in the early days of her celebrity — revealing that she was unknown.
He said, ‘We didn’t even know who she was. We were like, ‘What are we filming? What is this?'” We were just there, we didn’t really know what we were doing. Kelly Cutrone introduced us to her… and at that point we thought, ‘Who is this girl?'”
Kelly described her as, “A girl named Lady Gaga, who apparently is [Interscope Records’] new big signing.’
Also clueless to Gaga were Lauren and Whitney, who were tasked with helping her wardrobe malfunction when they were working at People’s Revolution, the public relations firm that hosted the event where she was performing.
Adam said, “Even the girls said, ‘Do we film with her all night?’ Because she sang a few songs on that thing. The fact that the dress broke was amazing and they fixed her dress was actually perfect.”
Open and honest: According to The Daily Beast, Lauren earned a whopping $125,000 per episode — about $2.5 million a year in total
EYE-POPPING CASH
According to The Daily Beast, Lauren earned a whopping $125,000 per episode — a total of about $2.5 million a year.
Her deal also included a clause preventing any of her fellow castmates from earning as much as she did on the show. Since leaving the show and undertaking other ventures, the star is now reportedly worth $40 million.
Audrina, Heidi and Lo Bosworth took in $100,000, while Spencer made $65,000 per episode and Brody took in $45,000.
When Kristin Cavallari, who starred with Lauren on Laguna Beach, made her debut in 2009, she was said to have made $90,000, later revealing, “The money was the reason I did it. Producers gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse…
“I’m glad I went back to [reality TV] because this time I saw it strictly as a job and I knew the character they wanted me to play.”
Charged: Heidi and Spencer were often seen at odds
LAUREN AND BRODY… NOT THAT MUCH!
One of the central relationships on The Hills was Spencer’s best friend Brody Jenner and Lauren’s casual chatter.
While fans were heavily invested in the union, Lauren broke hearts when she admitted their relationship was strictly platonic.
In 2014, during an appearance on MTV’s reunion special The Hills: That Was Then, This Is Now two years later, she admitted that she was “in love” with Brody, even though they had “zero chemistry.”
She said, “I enjoyed spending time with him, but it just always felt forced…
“We knew the cameras were making it look more than it was and there was so much pressure on me at the time to get a boyfriend or date someone willing to film that I just let them do whatever they wanted.” ‘
Up Close: One of the central relationships on The Hills, was Spencer’s best friend Brody Jenner and Lauren’s casual chatter