The Hills may have closed its six-season run on MTV in 2010, but as Natasha Bedingfield’s famous theme song goes, “the rest is still unwritten….” Nearly 10 years after the original show ended, Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port, Heidi Montag and company are back (this time sans star Lauren Conrad) for more drama with The Hills: New Beginnings.
To celebrate the premiere of The Hills: New Beginnings Monday (June 24), Billboard is looking back on all the famous faces and best music moments of the original series.
Audrina gets a job at Epic Records (Season 2/Episode 1)
After Lauren became the girl who didn’t go to Paris, Season 2 of The Hills kicked off with new drama, new boys and new opportunities for the cast. Audrina started the season by landing a receptionist job at Epic Records, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at life inside a major record label.
Whitney and Lauren style The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus for a Teen Vogue photoshoot (Season 3/Episode 8)
In Season 3, Whitney earned a promotion at Teen Vogue and was handed her first major responsibility: styling rock band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus for a photoshoot. However, the chance to prove herself quickly turned into a crash course in damage control when she and Lauren went out drinking with the rockers the night before the big day. The next day, the band to show up late, cranky and more than a little hungover, leading Whitney to receive a stern reprimand from her boss for partying like a rock star and jeopardizing the photoshoot.
Audrina accompanies Sean Kingston on a press day (Season 3/Episode 14)
A promotion from receptionist to label rep meant more interaction with artists for Audrina (and MTV’s cameras) during Season 3. Her first big assignment? To accompany Sean Kingston on a press day to promote “Beautiful Girls,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 2007. After performing the smash hit at a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kingston was so taken with the Hills star that he sent her a bouquet of flowers as a thank you gift for working with him.
Roommate drama between Lauren, Lo and Audrina overshadows Alkaline Trio (Season 3/Episode 27)
After moving into a palatial Hollywood home together, Audrina’s relationship with Lauren and co-star Lo Bosworth was fractured by the end of Season 3. As a peace offering, the Epic rep invited her roommates to visit the studio and watch Alkaline Trio record their 2008 album Agony & Irony. Most music lovers would jump at the chance to witness private studio time, but the tension between the girls eclipsed the punk band’s music. Eventually the drama led to a showdown and gave fans one of the most iconic moments in Hills history: Lauren crying a single mascara-filled tear as she confronted Audrina over the fate of their friendship.
Lauren saves Lady Gaga from a wardrobe malfunction (Season 4/Episode 5)
In Season 4, Lauren and Whitney started new jobs at fashion PR company People’s Revolution, where the two were tasked with styling a then-unknown singer by the name of Lady Gaga for a small event at nightclub Area. When the future superstar’s zipper broke just moments before her performance, Lauren swooped in to save the day, with Gaga declaring “Lauren Conrad, you’re a superwoman right now!” before taking the stage to perform a little song called “LoveGame.”
Audrina plans a showcase for The White Tie Affair (Season 4/Episode 6)
After fixing her friendship with Lauren, Audrina turned her focus back to work by planning a label showcase for pop-rock act The White Tie Affair at L.A.’s famous Roosevelt Hotel. Castmates Lauren, Lo and Stephanie Pratt showed up to support Audrina at the event, though polarizing bad boy Justin Bobby Brescia was a no-show for his girlfriend’s big night, leading to one of the contentious couple’s many break-ups.
Justin Bobby crashes Audrina’s studio session with Brandy (Season 4/Episode 12)
Fresh from ending things with Justin Bobby, Audrina got the chance to assist Brandy in the studio during the recording of her 2008 album Human, complete with helping the star select the album’s cover art. As the iconic singer laid down vocals for single “Long Distance” with legendary producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Audrina was interrupted by Justin Bobby showing up unannounced. The exes’ heart-to-heart outside the studio led to their reconciliation, with Justin Bobby promising he was finally ready to commit to an exclusive relationship as Brandy’s heartfelt ballad played over the romantic moment.
Whitney starts dating Jay Lyon, lead singer of Tamarama (Season 4/Episode 14 & 19)
Sent to New York City during Men’s Fashion Week for People’s Revolution, Whitney was introduced through a male model to singer Jay Lyon. The frontman of Australian indie band Tamarama charmed the fashionista and by season’s end, Whitney was moving to NYC to film her own spin-off, The City, and her budding relationship with the dreamy rocker was a central storyline of the show’s first season.
Audrina hosts a showcase for The Script (Season 5/Episode 9)
Long before they became mainstays on the Billboard charts, The Script appeared on The Hills during a showcase organized by Audrina to introduce the Irish pop-rockers stateside. As another round of relationship drama played out onscreen between Audrina and Justin Bobby, the band performed their single “Breakeven,” which would go on to peak at No. 12 on the Hot 100 and serve as their breakout hit in the U.S.
Audrina and Lo organize a showcase for Vedera (Season 5/Episode 12)
By the back of Season 5, Lauren had exited the series that made her a star, only to be replaced by former Laguna Beach nemesis Kristin Cavallari. The iconic OC bad girl wasted no time stirring up drama for the cameras, launching a war with Audrina for Justin Bobby’s heart. While the Epic rep and Lo Bosworth were busy planning yet another showcase for indie rock band Vedera, the band’s performance of their single “A World Apart” provided the perfect soundtrack for Kristin to make her move and steal Justin Bobby away from his longtime love.
Audrina dates Ryan Cabrera (Season 6/Episode 3-9)
In the show’s final season, Audrina had moved on from her fraught relationship with Justin Bobby with pop-rocker Ryan Cabrera. Much of Season 6 documented her budding romance with the famously spiky-haired crooner but the relationship was doomed the moment Justin Bobby re-entered the picture, with a tearful Audrina realizing she had to break up with her new boyfriend in the middle of his performance of “On the Way Down” at KIIS FM’s Wango Tango Village.