Laguna's Kristin Is Now UPN's Party Girl

Remember fun li'l Kristin from MTV's Laguna Beach? Well, she has a party invite for you, and in this rare instance, there will be no velvet ropes to hold you back. Tonight at 8 pm/ET, UPN premieres Get This Party Started, a feel-good reality series in which Kristin Cavallari and Ethan Erickson help organize lavish surprise parties for extremely deserving people. (Case in point: The first episode's guest of honor lost nearly everything she had in Hurricane Katrina.) Here's what Cavallari had to tell TVGuide.com about her Partying ways, what she thinks of Tara Reid and the status of her Laguna Beach friendships.

TVGuide.com: I just watched the pilot, and this is a fun little show. I even got a bit farklempt when the girl walked into the surprise party at the end.
Kristin Cavallari: Oh, good! That's what we like!

TVGuide.com: So let me get this straight  each week is a surprise party?
Cavallari: Yes, it's always a surprise. Always a surprise.

TVGuide.com: That's a formidable task, because I am of the opinion that surprise parties are nearly impossible to pull off. Inevitably, some friend of a friend leaves a message on the guest of honor's answering machine saying, "Sorry I can't make it to your surprise party, but...."
Cavallari: Oh, I know. But luckily we made it happen every time  at least we think we did.

TVGuide.com: You don't suspect anyone lied about being genuinely surprised?
Cavallari: You know what, in the last episode that we did, we kinda think she had an idea, but she says she didn't. Who knows!

TVGuide.com: I take it there is always an elaborate cover story to explain why TV cameras are following around the guest of honor?
Cavallari: Yeah. As you saw in the first episode, we told Alexis that she was in some sort of talent competition, and in the second episode, we said we were doing a show about "spicing up relationships." It's always some crazy little story like that.

TVGuide.com: Would you say that a second season is out of the question, since people will smell a rat once they see Kristin and Ethan heading their way?
Cavallari: No, because we bring in a fake host for the fake show we're doing, and then Ethan and I don't see them until the very end. We're more involved in the party planning.

TVGuide.com: You know what would be fun and cruel? Let them see you coming and assume a party is being thrown, but then don't have a party. "Surprise!"
Cavallari: No! They'd be upset! [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: There are some heart-tugging moments in the premiere. Was it extra-rewarding for you to be a part of bringing joy to Alexis' life?
Cavallari: Oh, yes. That's why I did this show, because it really touches you and it's so emotional, but in a good way. It opened my eyes to a lot and made me realize how fortunate I am.

TVGuide.com: Is there always a reason the guest of honor is worthy of a superdeluxe party?
Cavallari: Oh, yeah. In the second episode, we throw a surprise 30th-birthday party for a woman who had just [recovered from] cancer. Another episode, we went to Fort Bragg in North Carolina and reunited a family with someone who had been in Iraq for a year. There's always a good reason for it.

TVGuide.com: Do you think it is now impossible for you to ever be surprised with a party?
Cavallari: No, I think it could easily happen! I can be easily fooled.

TVGuide.com: How is Ethan as a cohost?
Cavallari: He's great. We've had a lot of fun together.

TVGuide.com: Who spends more time in the makeup chair?
Cavallari: Me. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Good answer. Is this the sort of career stepping stone you had in mind after Laguna Beach?
Cavallari: Oh, yeah. I want to parlay this whole hosting thing into acting.

TVGuide.com: Were other opportunities presented to you?
Cavallari: Yeah, there were, but I thought this one would be the best. This appealed to me the most, and I wanted to be a part of it.

TVGuide.com: Per your Laguna Beach bio, the celebrity you most want to party with is Tara Reid. So, have you had the chance yet?
Cavallari: Ummmm....

TVGuide.com: Look at you trying to remember. "Let's see, there was that one night I blacked out...."
Cavallari: No, no, I've hung out with her. I wouldn't say we "partied."

TVGuide.com: Me, I'd worry that after a night with Tara, I'd wake up in Tijuana shackled to a Pontiac with a dead body in the trunk.
Cavallari: Yeah. I think my answer wouldn't be the same if you asked me that question today!

TVGuide.com: Do you keep in touch with any other Laguna Beachers, like Stephen or Talon?
Cavallari: I do, I do. Almost every single one of them, actually.

TVGuide.com: I, um, never saw the show, but Stephen is the one you were making out with all the time?
Cavallari: He was my boyfriend, yeah. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: You kids still dating?
Cavallari: No.

TVGuide.com: With Season 3 of Laguna nearing, there have been complaints from locals  even though enrollment at the high school has increased as people came to town seeking stardom. Do you recall any adverse reactions to your presence in town?
Cavallari: The only negative is sometimes we'd be filming and some people would drive by and be like, "F--- MTV!" But that only happened twice, maybe. There wasn't a lot of negative feedback.

TVGuide.com: Did you flip them off?
Cavallari: No, I just ignored it.

TVGuide.com: Yeah, right.
Cavallari: I'm serious!

TVGuide.com: If MTV pitched you "Laguna Beach: The College Years," would you go for it?
Cavallari: Nope!

TVGuide.com: Lastly, what is Kristin's recipe for a good party?
Cavallari: Having all of your good and really close friends and family, and good music.

TVGuide.com: Is having the cops show up a sign of success?
Cavallari: That's a sign of a good high-school party! [Laughs]