MTV’s The Hills is one of the most unforgettable reality shows of the early aughts. A bunch of people in their mid-20s trying to figure it all out (and eventually having that mid-20s crash out), the cinematic soap opera-style editing; it’s peak millennial culture.
Initially centering around Laguna Beach standout Lauren Conrad and her Hollywood friends and frenemies, it followed the group around the city of angels. The Hills exploded in popularity, averaging over 2 million viewers per episode. During the height of Conrad’s ongoing feud with Heidi Montag, the show peaked at over 4 million viewers.
However, as the seasons went on, fans began to question what was real and what wasn’t. By the series finale, The Hills cast and crew decided to play into the long-standing rumors about the show. The rest wasn’t unwritten after all…
Reliving ‘The Hills’ Meta Ending 15 Years Later
Conrad departed The Hills in Season 5, making Kristin Cavallari the new standout. At the time, she was “dating” Brody Jenner, but the finale brought everything fans thought they knew into question. The group is ready to move on to their next stage of life. Lo and Scott move in together, Audrina has decided to buy a gorgeous beachfront property, Jenner is doing the usual nepo baby bachelor things.
As for Cavallari… she’s moving to Europe? As she heads to the airport after saying goodbye to her on-again-off-again fling, Jenner, the camera pans to show they’re on a studio set. The backdrop of the Hollywood sign is just a screen.
”The ending was genius,” Cavallari admitted in a recent episode of her podcast, Let’s Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari. “This ending to me is one of the cooler endings to any show.”
Cavallari acknowledges why it was very controversial at the time, particularly for fans who bought into the show.
“It was mixed feelings on that ending, and I get that. For those hard fans who really also thought everything was real, I can get why that kind of rocked your world,” she said. “I think for me, not only did I think it was so creative, but I also think it was nice for me as someone who really felt like I was acting in a lot of ways or doing improv. I think for me it was nice to be like, ‘thank you,’ because this sort of tips our hat at the fact that not everything was real.”
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