The Hills - The Complete Third Season DVD Review

Posted by Tony Farinella on 07.30.2008

411's Tony Farinella reviews The Complete Third Season of The Hills on DVD!


The Hills is, without a doubt, one of the most polarizing shows on television today. If you sat down and talked with twenty-five different people about The Hills, you'd probably get twenty-five different opinions. A lot of people think the show is fake and a waste of time and space. A lot of people think the show is harmless fun and they enjoy the drama between all of the different characters. A lot of people think the show is a guilty pleasure and enjoy it for what it is.

For me, personally, this was my first time watching The Hills, so I tried to watch it with an open mind. Obviously, you have to know what you're getting yourself into when you watch a show like The Hills and adjust your expectations accordingly. It's not going to change your life in any way or make you a better person. And that's OK. Not every show needs to be life-alerting or educational. There's always room for a trashy drama here and there.

The Hills is a reality television series that follows the life of Lauren Conrad and her friends after leaving Laguna Beach, which was also a reality show. Lauren is trying to pursue a career in fashion and figure out her complicated love life at the same time. She also looks a lot like Carmen Electra. It's almost like Carmen Electra gave birth to Lauren Conrad. I mean, the resemblance is uncanny.

As mentioned above, this was my first time watching The Hills, so it took me a couple of episodes to understand what was going on and why different characters were feuding with each other. The main storyline in Three Season of The Hills is the feud between Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag. They used to be best friends and roommates until Heidi started dating Spencer Pratt, one of the most annoying characters in the history of reality television. Things turned from bad to worse when Spencer and Heidi started a rumor that Lauren and her ex-boyfriend Jason Wahler released a sex tape. Heidi claims that she had nothing to do with it, but if you believe that, I'll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.

Lauren's new roommate is Audrina Patridge, who works at Epic Records. Audrina is a nice girl, but she's a little naive and a little clueless. She's involved with a guy named Justin-Bobby, and he's not exactly the nicest guy in the world. He burps her face and flirts with other girls. Doesn't he sound like a real catch, ladies? That being said, Lauren doesn't want to get involved in Audrina's love life, because she usually ends up alienating her friends when she tries to help them out with her advice. Lauren means well, but sometimes she can be a little preachy and condescending. Plus, Audrina is an adult, and if she wants to fool around with a buffoon like Justin-Bobby, that's her prerogative as Bobby Brown once said.

When Lauren is not worrying about her friends, she's out looking for love in all the wrong places. She has a complicated relationship with Brody Jenner, the son of Bruce Jenner. Brody and Lauren have a lot of chemistry, but Brody has a hard time committing to one girl, because he wants to be a player and explore the field. During one episode of The Hills, Lauren goes through Brody's phone and discovers a long list of ladies. Needless to say, he's not ready to settle down with Lauren or anyone for that matter. Lauren also runs into Stephen Colletti, a childhood friend and former Laguna Beach co-star. Poor Lauren. She just can't seem to find the right guy.

We also get to follow the love life of Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag. To be honest with you, I'm not exactly sure what Spencer does for a living. Whenever we see him on the show, he's either playing video games or playing with his phone. How does this guy make a living? Spencer is also extremely needy and extremely selfish. When he doesn't get his way, he pouts like a two-year-old. He just doesn't know when to chill out and when to relax, and he's always surprising Heidi with random presents and random hangouts. Heidi basically has no room to breathe when Spencer is around, and she's not allowed to have any friends.

We are also introduced to Stephanie Pratt, one of the most indecisive characters on The Hills. She tries to please everyone on the show, and she ends up pleasing no one. She wants to be a good sister to Spencer, but she also wants to be friends with Heidi. The problem with that is the fact that she plays both sides. She wants to be friends with Lauren, but then Heidi and Spencer are mad at her. Basically, I think she just wants to have friends.

Whitney Port is probably the most grounded character on The Hills. She doesn't really involve herself in any drama or nonsense. In fact, out of all the girls on The Hills, she is probably the most likable. She's sweet, funny, and go-getter. We also get random appearances from Lo, Lauren's best friend, and Frankie Delgado, Brody's friend. Needless to say, it's a full house on The Hills! Even though each episode is only about 20 minutes without commercials, all of the main characters get plenty of time to shine.

Alright, so let's focus on some of the positive aspects of the show. Every girl on the show, for the most part, is hard-working, dedicated, and passionate. These girls are not like Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie. Even though you hear about them in the tabloids and on TMZ, they don't look for trouble. If anything, the guys on the show are unlikable, rude, and obnoxious. In fact, I'd say it's almost impossible to find one likable male character on the show.

A lot of people have been talking about whether the show is scripted or not. To be honest with you, I don't really care. What difference does it make? Reality television is a lot like pro wrestling: If you start asking too many questions, you're going to take the fun out of it. You just have to sit back, relax, and have some fun. I don't understand why people get so worked up over these shows. It's just not worth it. It's sort of like the guy who watches wrestling on TV and says, "Oh, that's fake. They know how to fall." As long as you're having fun and enjoying yourself, does it matter if it's real or not?

That being said, after I was done watching The Hills, I said to myself, "So, self, what did you think of the show? Did you like it?" While I didn't hate myself for watching the show, I wasn't as entertained as I thought I would be. I think the problem with the show is the fact there's no real drama or tension. Everything just seems so petty and silly. Most of their problems could be solved with a two-minute conversation for the most part. Instead, they just seem to make a mountain out of a mole hole and fight over nonsense. I just wanted something to sink my teeth into, and the show didn't give me anything worth eating. That sounded really bad.

Overall, the girls are pretty lucky. They are good-looking, smart, talented, and wealthy. Basically, they're boring, and it seems like they create problems for no reason. If you're in a bad relationship, just dump the idiot and find a nice guy. If you're mad at your best friend, call them up and have a conversation. If you're feeling lonely, go out and have some fun. I just didn't feel like these girls had any real problems. I just wish one of them would say, "Hey, we're doing pretty good. We're on TV, we're good-looking, and we have loving families. Why don't we quit complaining about the small stuff and just relax and enjoy life?"

DVD Info: The Hills is presented by Paramount in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture looks amazing and very, very bright, and the sound is crisp and clear. The DVD features no subtitles, but it is captioned.

Special Features:

Forty minutes of Deleted Scenes: On this special feature, we are treated to twelve deleted scenes from The Hills. There is a really weird deleted scene featuring Lauren's cat. Don't ask!

Commentary: On one commentary track, we get to hear from Lauren, Audrina , and Whitney as they talk about some of the juicer moments from Season Three of The Hills. We also get a separate commentary track from Heidi. Where is Spencer with his commentary track? Running time for commentary with Lauren, Audrina, and Whitney: 26 Minutes. Running time for commentary with Heidi: 11 Minutes.

Interviews: We are treated to four interviews with Lauren, Heidi, Audrina, and Whitney. They discuss some of the highlights from Season Three. Running Time: 38 Minutes.

Virtual Hills Promo

Eight Fashion Life Promos: Running Time: 46 minutes.

The 411: The Hills is not trashy enough to be considered a guilty pleasure, and it's not authentic enough to move your average audience. In the end, the show falls somewhere in the middle. While I enjoyed spending time with most of the characters on The Hills, I can't say I really cared about any of them.. They are pretty average and normal for the most part. And that's the problem with The Hills. It's too ordinary and bland.

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]