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MTV's The Hills: Burning Questions Answered!
On MTV's reality show The Hills (tonight at 10 pm/ET), Teen Vogue intern Lauren Conrad and her well-heeled friends bicker, wear fabulous clothes and hang out in L.A. hot spots, all with the cameras following them. The girls — and the show's executive producer — dish on how they afford those awesome digs, how often they get a break from the cameras and just how real the reality series is. Once and for all, is the show staged?Yes and no. "Who I am on the show is who I am in real life," Audrina Patridge says. "What you see is what you get." But it wasn't just a coincidence that friends-turned-enemies Lauren and Heidi Montag went to the trendy restaurant Ketc
On MTV's reality show The Hills (tonight at 10 pm/ET), Teen Vogue intern Lauren Conrad and her well-heeled friends bicker, wear fabulous clothes and hang out in L.A. hot spots, all with the cameras following them. The girls — and the show's executive producer — dish on how they afford those awesome digs, how often they get a break from the cameras and just how real the reality series is.
Once and for all, is the show staged?
Yes and no. "Who I am on the show is who I am in real life," Audrina Patridge says. "What you see is what you get." But it wasn't just a coincidence that friends-turned-enemies Lauren and Heidi Montag went to the trendy restaurant Ketchup on the same night. "Lauren and Jason [Wahler] were going there, and Heidi and Spencer [Pratt] wanted to celebrate their anniversary," says exec producer Adam DiVello. "Ketchup was one of the spots Spencer wanted to go to, so it just sort of worked out. It wasn't planned on our behalf, but it is a little fake."
How long do the girls have cameras with them each day?
Sometimes hours, sometimesnot at all. (Monday and Tuesdayare their days off.) "We don't have a setschedule," Audrina says. "It depends on what's going on." At the beginning ofeach week, the girls speak with producersabout their plans. "I hate tosay we schedule their lives,but we definitely scheduleout what we want tocover," DiVello says. Soif they are going on adate or to the Hollywoodhot spot LesDeux, then the MTVcrews tag along. But ifthey're bumming aroundthe house solo, the cameras willprobably skip it.
The girls are always dressed to the nines and look as though they just stepped out of the salon. Does the show provide wardrobe, hair and makeup?
Nope, thegirls are responsible for how they look."That's partly why it's reality," Audrinasays. But she does admit she alwayswears makeup and tries to dress "halfwaydecent" when the cameras are rolling.
Is Heidi and Spencer's relationship a sham?
Not according to DiVello."They're very much in love when I seethem," he says. "They're a real coupleand definitely engaged. It's not staged for the sake of our show. If they've got somethingelse going on, we've yet to see it."
How do Lauren and Audrina afford that apartment?
We have no idea.MTV won't name the complex(it's not really calledHillside Villas) becausewhen people find out,they camp in front waitingto see the stars. Buta swanky two-bedroomapartment in that areacosts about $3,000 amonth. Audrina workspart-time as a receptionistat Epic Records and Lauren is anintern at Teen Vogue. You do the math.
Do Lauren and Audrina have a standing reservation at Les Deux?
No, but they'refriends with the promoters and owners,so they know they'll always be whiskedpast the velvet rope. Plus, the other clubgoersseem to have gotten used to seeingthe cast there all the time, so the cameracrews can go about their business prettymuch unbothered. "It's like a home awayfrom home," Audrina says. If your homealways has a fully stocked bar, that is.
Find memorable moments from The Hills in our Online Video Guide.
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