MTV’s hit reality series, The Hills, followed the lives of several Californian girls pursuing careers and building social lives that especially entertained this generation of current college students. The show ended its run in 2010, but the cast, unlike most reality stars, managed to stay in the spotlight.
Lauren Conrad
Lauren Conrad, the essential star of the show, left the series in its fifth season (no surprise, it only lasted one more season after that). She began to focus on writing her bestselling novel L.A. Candy, which was inspired by her own life. The first novel was followed by five more and two fashion guides: Lauren Conrad Style and Lauren Conrad Beauty (I actually met her at one of her book-signings in New Jersey!). She also collaborated with Kohl’s to launch a fashion line and with BlueAvocado to design products safe for the environment. Today, you can catch Conrad blogging away on her website (www.laurenconrad.com) about endless tips and giveaways. The former Hills star most recently got engaged to William Tell this October. Congrats, Lauren!
Heidi Montag (with husband & former cast-mate, Spencer Pratt)
Heidi Montag is still married to longtime boyfriend Spencer Pratt (Yes, “Speidi” remains a thing). She continued to work on an acting career, worked on a second album, and even began to write a memoir. She competed on VH1’s Famous Food as well as the British version of Celebrity Big Brother with her hubby. Since then, Heidi has been pretty low-key compared to her former cast- mates, but you can always catch Speidi trying to relive the spotlight at appearances here and there.
Whitney Port
Whitney Port, similar to Conrad, went off completely in her own direction to build a name for herself. She debuted a fashion line named “Whitney Eve” and left the series sooner than the rest to move to New York City, where she starred in her spin-off series, The City. The show gave Port her own spotlight, but only lasted through a second season. She released a book, True Whit: Designing a Life of Style, Beauty, and Fun, judged one season of Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model, and acted as herself alongside J.Lo in What To Expect When You’re Expecting. Port continues to work on her clothing line and even works at TMZ. Earlier this year, the fashionista grieved over her father’s lost battle to kidney cancer.
Audrina Patridge
Audrina Patridge continues her career as a model and actress, having made appearances in several films. Patridge was on Dancing with the Stars with partner Tony Dovolani. However, they only made it to the sixth week. In 2011, she received her own reality TV series on VH1 self-named Audrina, but the show only lasted one season.
Kristin Cavaralli
Although Kristin Cavallari only appeared on the last season of the show to replace Conrad, she brought back a splash of nostalgia for all of us Laguna Beach fans. After the show, she appeared in films alongside Amy Poehler and Rumer Willis and has campaigned for funds for AIDS, HIV, and PETA. She also competed on Dancing with the Stars, but was third to be eliminated. This past June, the actress put her career on hold to marry quarterback for the Chicago Bears, Jay Cutler, with whom she landed the most important role of her life: Mommy! She gave birth in August of 2012 to her first son, Camden. Cavallari is currently working on her jewelry line, shoe line, and just announced that she is expecting baby number two!