'The Hills': Is this the beginning of the end for Lauren Conrad?

I don’t mind that MTV is heavily promoting Whitney’s spin-off “The City.” Most of Monday’s episode of “The Hills” was used to set up Whitney’s love triangle: Will she choose aggressive Australian singer Jay or shy male model Alex? Judging from the show’s official trailer, where you can see that Alex will accuse Jay of being a regular Casanova, it looks like Whitney prefers the playboy. (Poor Alex. If he watched “The Hills,” he’d already know how very slim his chances are. He’d know the bad boys are what MTV reality show girls want. Audrina nixed Corey for Justin Bobby. Lauren picked Jason instead of a summer in Paris. Heidi chose Spencer over everyone else in her life.)

The bigger problem with the episode is in its implications for "The Hills": Is it just me or does it look like Lauren really will make good on cutting loose after this cycle wraps? This isn’t the first episode this season where the star has been sidelined for the series’ B storylines -- and it just doesn‘t work. What star just gets up and takes a vacation from her show like Lauren did in September? Since when has Audrina’s Justin Bobby drama become the biggest deal on the show?

As discussed previously, Lauren is necessary to “The Hills,” but it looks more and more like she‘s ready to say goodbye. Let's face it, nothing's going on for her: Strikingly handsome Doug was a distratction, not a chapter in her life. Things are hunky-dory with Lo. And watching her work for Kelly Cutrone is more tiresome than watching her loaf around the Teen Vogue offices of previous seasons.

Maybe Lauren is over feuding with friends and dating boys in her own circle. Maybe she’s outgrown the drama. Maybe her clothing line -- the business viewers are never allowed to see -- is hogging all her time. Maybe she's moved on.

Or maybe next week she’ll have a screaming match with Heidi or Audrina and we can just chalk this week up as another exception. Who knows? But it is feeling like MTV is beginning to move its eggs into Whitney’s basket.

The only worthwhile moment from Monday’s episode involved Spencer -- again Speidi needs its own show -- who turned my world topsy-turvy with his well-intentioned if misguided attempt to win back Heidi‘s job for her. Bad boy gone good? Probably not. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t floored as I watched Spencer take a verbal beating from Heidi’s boss, Brent, who bluntly told him he was wrecking Heidi’s professional life. Spencer, dare I say it, stood there and took it like a man, continuing to apologize for his part in Heidi’s having been fired.

As much as I enjoy the pair, however, I don't think they can continue on "The Hills" without Lauren as a counterpoint. What they need is their own show with a different format. I’d be down to watch a lead-up to their nuptials or something along the lines of a “Newlyweds.”

-- Denise Martin

Photo credit: MTV

Comments

[Doug]

I completely agree that it looks like they are phasing Lauren out, and I also agree that I don't think the show can work without her. Audrina is not a lead.
I wouldn't want to watch a Speidi series, though. Now that Spencer has eliminated everyone from his and Heidi's life, there's nothing to see.

[milquetoast]

Audrina may not be a 'lead', but (unfortunately for The City) Whitney isn't someone to hang onto week after weel either, and New York trying to make up for that by being the star is getting older than anything in the country. Los Angeles will be the end stage here.

[Daniel Quintanilla]

Here's my question to Denise Martin. What do you think MTV needs to do to solve "The Hills" problems?

My thinking is that Lauren wants to leave the show, but not the spotlight all together. Lauren needs to do a brand new show entirely, centered completely around her, and needs to create and executive produce it. Lauren needs to have complete control of how she's portrayed, good and/or bad because people tune in to see her, everyone else comes second. I mean, she can do it in the same format as "The Hills", and take the crew she's known forever with her. The only thing different would be that it'd be centered around Lauren's "real-life" drama, instead of the drama MTV likes to create. Even if Lauren has to resort to making drama, at least she'd be the one making decisions, and having control of it.

Also, MTV needs to do a better job at keeping all the drama a secret, until "The Hills" episode actually airs. After all, life moves very fast and hearing news from 2 months ago may be old to people, unless it's that compelling or eventful, or life-changing to watch. See, MTV dropped the ball after the time they were filming in Paris. Right after Paris, everything had changed. Lo and Stephanie became regulars in the show (bad choice), Teen Vogue dropped out of the show, Lauren moved into a new house which was set up incorrectly with Lo moving in, instead of Whitney, which ruined the rhythm of chemistry created between Lauren, Audrina, and Whitney. And Doug was a bad choice, at least after breaking up with Lauren, or entirely. And at times, MTV didn't promote "The Hills" effectively, giving attention to GOD AWFUL shows like "The Paper" and Exiled.

Have you got any better or similar ideas?