‘The Hills’: Some girls fall prey to alcohol, others to Justin Bobby

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Not a great week to be Stephanie Pratt.

Just when she thought her public struggles with substance abuse had ended, headlines broke over the weekend that she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after leaving Holly Montag’s birthday party. In a case of unfortunate timing, this week’s episode of ‘The Hills’ prominently shined a light on alcoholism as Stephanie questioned Holly’s penchant for partying. It was uncomfortable to watch Stephanie trying to goad Heidi into approaching her sister about what she believed to be a serious alcohol problem. Stephanie’s concern seemed genuine in light of her infamous run-ins with the law and rehab stints.

I have to say, I was surprised at how well Spencer handled the situation -- and how genuinely sympathetic he seemed to be towards his new sister-in-law.

‘I’m right there with you,’ he told Holly in an effort to relate to her struggles. ‘I saw a long-haired Spencer Pratt with better dance moves.’

And what dance moves they were. Holly -- in her first appearance of the season -- did look like quite a mess at Brent Bolthouse’s photography exhibition, where she busted some interesting ‘Napoleon Dynamite’-esque dance moves.

‘Our new sister-in-law has had 200 drinks tonight,’ Spencer said as he eyed Holly breaking it down by herself on the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Justin Bobby was also getting sentimental with ex-’girlfriend’ Audrina, whom he met atop a fancy Los Angeles hotel with a glittering view of the city. Though clearly forced together by the show’s producers, the pair still seem to have feelings for each other. It was clear that Justin Bobby’s hold on Audrina is as strong as ever, despite her constant assertions that she’s over him.

And within moments of their meeting, classic Justin Bobby game playing emerged. Despite the fact that he allowed Kristin to take Audrina’s spot on the back of his motorcycle, he somehow succeeded in convincing Audrina that her mere friendship with their mutual buddy Derek was out of line.

‘I’m glad you’re with Kristin,’ Audrina said, her eyes nearly filling with tears. Justin promised he wasn’t dating the femme fatale -- though he had cooked her dinner.

‘A big part of me will always have feelings for you, and be that guy for you,’ he shrugged, twirling his facial hair. ‘I would never be able to say anything was better than Audrina Patridge ever in my life.’

Swoon. Even though Justin Bobby is often, well, a jerk, in that moment I saw why Audrina is unable to shake him. The gossip tabloids report that she has already broken things off with BMX racer Corey Bohan, and she says she isn’t seeing Derek, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see yet another Justin Bobby-Audrina reunion in the future.

Regardless, Justin and Audrina’s heartfelt conversation just made the whole JB and Kristin relationship seem like even more of a ruse. The pair could barely think of enough things to talk about before downing as much wine as possible and proceeding to the bedroom. Did anyone catch Justin blatantly taking off his cowl-neck sweater as the two were walking down the hallway before they had even made it to the bedroom?

So is anyone out there still rooting for a Justin Bobby and Audrina reconciliation? What about Brody and Kristin -- is a reunion in store for those two? And is it Holly or Stephanie who needs to curb her drinking? Share your thoughts in the comments.

-- Amy Kaufman (follow me on Twitter @AmyKinLA)

Related:

‘The Hills’: Brody needs to break up with Jayde, Justin Bobby needs tattoo removal

‘The Hills’: Justin Bobby and Kristin swap spit, but Enzo steals the show

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