More than a decade after the world was #blessed with the reality show of our Hollywood dreams, The Hills returns with a reboot. And this go-around, the drama centers on cast members old and new including Brody Jenner, Audrina Patridge, Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, Justin Bobby, Whitney Port, Stephanie Pratt, and Mischa Barton — no LC, no problem! — and their, ahem, New Beginnings.
But before moving on and accepting that the crew is (relatively) adulting, or whatever, and not hanging at Les Deux every single night on The Hills: New Beginnings, we OBVIOUSLY have to take a look back at what very well could be the most *iconic* reality show of all time — in particular, the incredible 2000s moments it gifted us. (Looking at you, Natasha Bedingfield and over-plucked eyebrows!)
1. THE MUSIC
Does it get any more 2004 than The Hills’ theme song, Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten”? (Um, does Spencer love crystals??) Bedingfield’s bop was ubiquitous in the mid-2000s, and it was in good aughts company on the show with soundtrack songs like Augustana’s “Boston,” Lindsay Lohan’s “A Beautiful Life,” and Good Charlotte’s “I Just Wanna Live.” And let’s not forget the many artists and bands who graced our screens! Some personal faves, you ask? Epic Records’ Audrina worked with “Beautiful Girls” songman Sean Kingston on a project. Not to mention, she dated musician Ryan Cabrera, whose 2004 song “On the Way Down” is almost as legendary as its music video with Ashlee Simpson as the love interest!
2. THE CLOTHES
It may be hard to believe — or, hell, maybe you’ve tried to block it out — but there was, in fact, a time when low-rise jeans and leggings as pants (the horror!!!) were in vogue. Just look at Lauren Conrad herself in the pilot, and it’s as clear as a sunny Los Angeles day that our leading ladies were big fans, HUGE, of the trends of the time — and frankly (or should I say… FRANKIE?), their devotion to said trends and others only fuels our re-watch fire. The ladies also loved them some babydoll dresses, a style that definitely defined the ’00s, but still holds up. And honorable mentions go to skinny scarves, halter tops, and beanies for giving us so much life with their awkwardness and datedness.
3. THE ACCESSORIES
Can you say headbands, headbands, and oh yeah… headbands? The hair accessories were it, with a capital “I” and “T,” at the start of the new millennium and Lauren was the queen of ’em, apparently wearing 29 DIFFERENT headbands — solid colors, chain-link, polka dots, bows, etc. — over the course of her time on the series, according to MTV.com, with some appearing multiple times at that. Not to mention, oversized sunnies and purses that were often either teeny-tiny or the biggest handbags ever (Paris Hilton-style!) defined the girls’ lewks, particularly in the earlier seasons. Now THAT’S hot.
4. THE HAIR
You may know Lauren for her signature, Laguna Beach-y waves, but before she became the lifestyle guru with the good hair that she is now, she and her peers often sported stick-straight styles, or majorly hairsprayed waves, paired with straight bangs, OBVI. (Flashback to the ladies’ many visits to the salon before a big night out at whatever club was opening that episode!) A lower-key but equally important hairstyle of the era? Let’s please take a moment to appreciate the pinned-back bang, an essential hairdo for any cool girl living in an aughts world.
5. THE BEAUTY/MAKEUP
Two words: thin eyebrows. Today, it feels like everyone is just trying to get a piece of Lily Collins or Beyoncé or Keira Knightley’s im-freaking-peccable bold brows, because #goals. But back in the good ol’ days of iPods, Myspace, and trucker hats, everyone from Christina Aguilera to Angelina Jolie to Gwen Stefani might as well have had broken-heart friendship necklaces with their tweezers because thin brows were the name of the beauty game. Our Hills heroines (and villains) were no exceptions, notably LC and Audrina in the earlier days. When the girls weren’t over-plucking, they were often laying on the dark eyeliner — a true 2000s staple that would have any emo girl saying, “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”.
6. THE TECHNOLOGY
If you were on The Hills, and weren’t completely obsessed with your BlackBerry, were you even on The Hills? Lauren and company — even her replacement, Kristin Cavallari! — simply could not get enough of their signature cell phones, and BBM of course. So no surprise, much of the drama was carried out on the era-defining tech. Like, there were more than a few occasions when fellow Teen Vogue intern Whitney just wanted to get the dirt, but LC was completely distracted/entranced by the drama unfolding on her phone, and we’re crying mascara tears of joy over moments like those. And special shout out to TiVo — LOL at when Spencer showed up at Heidi’s work to complain about Holly erasing his precious shows — because talk about a blast from the past.
7. THE LOCATIONS
Don’t mind if we Les Deux (Sorry not sorry! Like Spencer, we’ll never apologize!) look back on the very ’00s hotspots of The Hills. Obviously, Les Deux was THE place to be, and some major drama went down there — this is where LC shouted the I-C-O-N-I-C line, “You know what you did!”, at Heidi — as well as at Area. And remember the scene-y restaurant Ketchup, where Heidi and Spencer ran into a post-breakup Lauren and Jason and sent them drinks, which they rejected? Or Pinkberry — the froyo hotspot in the 2000s — where Spencer and Audrina had a ~scandalous~ hang/date when he was seeing Heidi?? Honestly, who could forget. #NEVERFORGET
The Hills: New Beginnings premieres on June 24 at 10 p.m. ET on MTV, and if the theme song remix is any indication, we already can’t wait to look back at how dated everything in the reboot looks years from now.
Related content:
- The Hills: New Beginnings remixes Natasha Bedingfield’s classic opening song
- The Hills: New Beginnings debuts new trailer showcasing Spencer and Heidi
- The Hills: New Beginnings reveals first footage, premiere date in new teaser
