I Got Had by The Hills

Since its inception, I was a loyal follower of The Hills. Even worse, I'd been a Laguna Beach watcher. Why? I never had any good reason. It was sad really - I was a full-blown, working, insurance-paying adult, but in my spare time, I followed the saga of uppity Orange County teenagers through high school graduation and beyond.

One reason (beyond the undeniable fact that I clearly must have liked the show) may have simply been because I liked television, and despite the fact that Laguna Beach and The Hills were somewhat vapid and inane, they were still doing something different than I'd seen before, and it intrigued me. Not exactly fiction but not quite reality TV, these shows were "semi-scripted." The names and faces were real, but the storyline was contrived. Sort of. But none of the viewers were ever really told how and when.

So I watched, knowing full well that a lot of the "scenes" that took place were the product of writers, not reality. Still, I always believed that a solid element of truth was woven through the story - not because I was idealistic, but because I was convinced that the cast members simply were not good enough actors to carry off tears.

But the final scene of the series threw me for a completely unexpected loop. In it, the main character, Kristin Cavallari, is saying an emotional good-bye to long-time love Brody Jenner just before she takes of for Europe. (Just "Europe." They never specified where.) The two embrace, Kristin tears up, (tears! No way she's faking those.) and she's off. Brody, in front of a sunset sky and the Hollywood sign, gazes after her longingly. Then moments later, the background moves, and Brody is revealed to be on a soundstage. The show wraps, and Kristin comes running back and gives Brody a hug. In a wink to its audience, the show revealed the ending was staged, and in doing so, implied much of the series most likely was.

I was shocked when I saw this ending (and continued to be as I rewinded the DVR and rewatched) mostly because I realized the cast had really fooled me. Despite the forced interactions of the cast members and the crafty editing, and even knowing some of the story was preconceived, I'd still always believed the tears.

In the end, these kids were better actors than I thought.