Why we’re all rooting for Spencer and Heidi
A love letter to The Hills
I know this sounds dramatic, but I think my life would have been completely different if I had never grown up watching The Hills.
Like a millennial rite of passage, I spent my teenage years wincing watching Lauren, Kristin and Stephen navigate their love triangle in Laguna Beach. It’s funny to think back to in an age of Netflix at our fingertips, but I would count down to the new episode each week. I think a part of the charm was the American dream of it all. Watching their fairytale prom was like stepping into another world when you went to a normal school in Birmingham.
Naturally, when Lauren and the girls spread their wings and moved to Los Angeles, I was ready and waiting for the spin-off.
The Hills premiered in 2006, so I had two solid years of watching their adventures before I went to uni myself. They seemed to spend more time at work than they did at college, so a message landed loud and clear with me: you only get a dream job if you do internships in your spare time. By the time 2008 came around, I went to the University of Liverpool and found every possible way to keep myself busy outside of my classes.
I made some special memories during these years, writing for the student magazine, interning at the Bluecoat, organising fashion shows and even landing a dream weekend job at Peaches and Cream. It wasn’t particularly the easiest time. I was very cut up after a bad break up and my aunty had passed away quite suddenly. But I knew how important this time was to set myself up for the future, and somehow managed to power my way through it all. (The girls at Peaches were like angels sent to me and still are to this day. I never would have got through that time without them.)
Looking back, I took heed of so much from The Hills. Watching Kelly Cutrone command her high standards made me see the importance of being a committed intern, and seeing Lauren and Whitney at Teen Vogue showed me that I wanted to be in that kind of environment. Within weeks of finishing my degree, I was on the train to London for my first internship in the British Vogue beauty department and the rest, as they say, is history.
My friend Thom and I were discussing this not long ago, and he said he didn’t understand how I’d thought to do internships. “We were never told that at school,” he said, “so how did you know to do that?” But it was honestly second nature to me. “We watched Lauren and Whitney on The Hills, and they always had to do their internships.”
The Hills is still a comfort show to me and it’s the kind of thing I’ll have on in the background because they all feel like old friends. This was one of those shows I watched over and over again - the re-runs would play weekly. But weirdly, the only one I really kept up with in recent years was the biggest villain of them all, Spencer Pratt.
A mutual love for Taylor Swift was my reason for following Spencer on TikTok. Swept up in the magic of the Eras Tour, I loved seeing her concert footage and generally hearing more about her, and someone that always joined in the fun was Spencer. Rebranded as the world’s biggest Swiftie who fed his hummingbirds every morning and sold crystals, this was a guy I could get on board with. He has such a dry sense of humour, and seeing his response whenever anyone was nasty to him really made me laugh. He genuinely seemed to have such a great outlook and not let outside noise like that bother him. It was also lovely to get a glimpse that after all these years, he was still as besotted with Heidi as ever. When the wildfires swept LA this week and I saw that they had lost their home, I felt truly heartbroken for them.
It has been beyond upsetting to even watch the news this week, and I can’t imagine how it must feel for the people living this experience. A development I could never have anticipated was the camaraderie of the internet when Spencer stepped up to ask for help and provide some light relief.
After losing not only his own home but the family home he grew up in, Spencer made one small request of his followers. If we were to stream Heidi’s album, at no cost, just to listen to her, it would help their family to raise money. Within days, her album is number one in countries all around the world, icons of the 00s like Paris Hilton are dancing along to her music on Instagram, and old fans have emerged in their thousands to support them. It’s like an old school friend has turned around and said, “I know it’s been a while, but can you help me?” and everyone has unreservedly said yes. The reason why we’re all rooting for them is that we feel like we grew up with them.
It's amazing how this small ask has brought so many people together. Old cast members are coming out in droves to do their bit and stream the music. Talan said that his website crashed after he posted a video dancing to I’ll Do It, because Spencer then sent everyone to buy his blankets and they did. Even Lo, his once arch nemesis (and subject of much of his teasing to this day) reached out to say she wants to sponsor them to promote her supplements.
What did I learn from Spencer Pratt today? In hard times, ultimately you can trust that people will be kind and come together.
I’m so grateful that we had The Hills growing up. When I was watching Heidi and Spencer on Tiktok this week and seeing stars of the show for the first time in years, I wondered why it meant so much to me. On reflection, I realised that they had shaped my life path big time. Yes, The Hills was largely full of teenage drama and nonsense, but for me it also sent me towards a career I wouldn’t have otherwise known to pursue. I have a job I’m so grateful for, friends I never would have met, and opportunities that bring me so much joy, all because I watched this show.
I for one will be playing Heidi’s album for the foreseeable, and I am so inspired by Spencer’s ability to find joy in such an unthinkable situation.
In relation to the fires in LA this week, I want to share this post by Kirbie Johnson here on Substack. She created a list of ways in which we can help, offering suggestions for people far and wide, and many resources to help us make a difference to those who need support right now.
