The Hills Is Coming Back: Here’s Everything We Know
First things first, a recap...
Developed as a spin-off of US reality show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County (essentially a ‘real life’ version of hit TV show The O.C., focusing on a group of high school friends), The Hills followed Laguna Beach star Lauren Conrad as she made the move from her small coastal city to glamorous Los Angeles to pursue a career in fashion.
As the show gained momentum – it aired for a total of six seasons from 2006 to 2010 – producers began to place emphasis on Lauren’s friends and co-workers too. Cue a whole load of drama. And we mean drama: not the relentless and debauched variety of its reality TV successors like Jersey Shore, but the kind that reflected what the show’s millennial female fans were experiencing: friendship blow-outs, career crises and turbulent romances.
Of course, a whole bunch of other stuff happened too, including Conrad’s Laguna Beach co-star Kristin Cavallari stepping in to take her place when she decided to leave the show for good after season five; Heidi Montag undergoing ten cosmetic surgery procedures in one day and absolutely horrifying her mum with the result; her husband, Spencer Pratt, getting “addicted” to crystals (yes, the stones, not the drug); cast member Whitney Port moving to New York to launch her own spin-off The City; and that sex tape rumour.
And it’s coming back?
Yep, just when we thought we were ready to forgive and forget The Hills, during Monday's MTV Video Music Awards, the network announced it will be hitting our screens again next year with a slightly new name: The Hills: New Beginnings.
An exact air date is yet to be released and details on the reality series are still firmly under wraps, but MTV did release a small titbit of info – apparently the show will “reunite original cast members, their children and friends, and follow their personal and professional lives while living in Los Angeles”.
Oh, and one more thing – a short trailer for the show, aired at the awards ceremony, revealed its iconic theme tune, ‘Unwritten’ by Natasha Bedingfield, is back too (albeit a slightly retooled version because, y’know, this is a new beginning). “It's like we're all growing up. It's weird," the voice of a reflective Stephanie Pratt teased over the tune.
Which original cast members are in it?
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt (aka Speidi), Audrina Patridge, Jason Wahler, Justin Bobby, Frankie Delgado and, obviously, Stephanie Pratt were the first to confirm they’d signed on for the series – attending the VMAs and posing on the red carpet together. But that’s not all…
Yesterday, Whitney Port announced she’d joined the revival and multiple publications reported Brody Jenner is also “in talks” to return. Other possible contenders for the cast are Montag's sister Holly, Port's BFF Roxy Olin and Patridge's ex Ryan Cabrera (who she's reportedly back together with).
As for who’s officially out, Lo Bosworth is the only star to give a public ‘no’; revealing it took “years of therapy” for her to recover from the sudden fame she experienced following the show. And sources have suggested The Hills’ biggest stars – Conrad and Cavallari – are planning on turning down the offer too.
Cavallari currently stars on her own E! reality series, Very Cavallari, meaning it’s unlikely she’d be able to appear on rival network MTV due to contractual reasons (although only time will tell), while Conrad – now a successful fashion designer, lifestyle blogger and author – is reportedly “in a different place in her life”, although she still “wishes everyone the best” on the reboot.
Anything else to know?
We can expect some new faces on the show – Wahler's wife, model Ashley Slack, and their daughter Delilah Ray will be making appearances, and we expect Port's son Sonny Sanford, Patridge's daughter Kirra Max, Speidi's son Gunner Stone and Delgado's wife Jennifer Acosta, along with their two children, will feature too. US Weekly also reported "a celebrity and two bloggers" have signed on alongside the original cast and their families.
And that's all we have so far folks. Aside from the gossip that Justin "homeboy" who "wore combat boots to the beach" Bobby (who is still offensively attractive, FYI) is thrilled Conrad and Cavallari might not be a part of the reboot. Speaking to reporters outside his hotel on Monday, he said they were “s****y people” and killed all the good vibes on set.
Let the drama begin.
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