So, to catch you up, The Hills is an MTV reality series chronicling the live and times of one Lauren "LC" Conrad, who looks like a young Carmen Electra, as she experiences the ups and downs of being part of young Hollywood. She studies fashion and is an intern at Teen Vogue, along with friend Whitney, and she lives with Audrina. Throughout Season Three, she battles with Heidi, former best friend and roommate, but the two have parted ways since Heidi has become involved with Spencer, the series' villain. Apparently, last season, Spencer spread rumors that Lauren made a sex tape with then-boyfriend, Jason, rumors that made it back to Lauren's parents and caused much trouble for her. So now, Spencer and Heidi are Lauren's sworn enemies and this comes up a lot.
Throughout the season, Lauren sees the return of some old flames, namely the aforementioned Jason, who surprises her by getting engaged to someone else; plus her high-school sweetheart, Stephen, returns briefly as well. She has an on-again/off-again relationship with Brody Jenner (son of Bruce Jenner), who is also the childhood friend of Spencer, and this causes tension between Brody and Spencer, ending their friendship. Heidi and Spencer have their share of problems as Heidi gets promoted to a more powerful position at Bolthouse, screwing over co-worker Elodie in the process. As the job demands more of her time, her relationship with Spencer deteriorates, culminating in their split and her deciding to pursue a transfer to Las Vegas.
Whitney and Lauren are sent to Paris to cover the the Crillon Ball for Teen Vogue and Whitney decides she wants to be more involved with styling, rather than sitting at a desk working for a magazine. This causes her to pursue a position with Kelly Cutrone, fashion PR mogul in L.A., and consequently, Cutrone asks Lauren to work there as well. Lauren also has drama when she discovers that Spencer's sister, Stephanie, shares a computer class with her, but the two enemies eventually become close friends, causing tension between Heidi/ Stephanie/Spencer. It seems drama follows these people wherever they go.
Finally, Audrina has her ups and downs with a jerk named Justin who seems to simply use her and never really classifies her as his girlfriend. She finally gets some self-esteem and breaks it off with him, only to welcome him back into her life as a friend much later, but only with the changes he has made to better himself. Lauren and her childhood friend, Lo, decide they want to move in together and find a fabulous house with a guest house and ask Audrina to make the move with them. Audrina then feels like a third wheel living in the guest house and contemplates moving back on her own.
I am ashamed to admit it, but I really enjoyed watching The Hills: Season Three. These young people drive Mercedes and BMW's, live in absolutely fabulous places, go out nearly every night and rarely eat at home. They wear fantastic clothes and their only concerns seem to be how they look and who is talking behind their backs. While rather vapid, it is vicarious fun and since I didn't make my annual trip to Los Angeles for E3 this year, I've enjoyed getting a refresher on the happenings in L.A.
Aside from all 28 episodes, you'll also get commentary by Lauren, Whitney, Audrina and Heidi, plus extensive interviews with all four. There are a ton of deleted scenes and some are pretty damn funny. Take the one where Audrina discovers she is allergic to Lauren's cat and brings her to get shaved. She comes back looking like a little lion and Lauren freaks. It's hysterical. Additionally, there's a virtual version of The Hills, which would probably be something a rabid fan would enjoy, but I didn't get into it. Lastly, there are 8 mini-sodes of a series called Fashion: The Life (Presented by Pepsi Style) which tells the tale of a few young fashion designers and their quest to make a mark at Magic, the premier fashion convention in Las Vegas. This actually somewhat bored me because although I like fashion, I am not into it like the girls from The Hills. However, if fashion is your life, you may enjoy this special feature.
Overall, if you've been following LC and her crowd, you won't want to miss The Hills: The Complete Third Season.
