As it happens on every reality show, the cast is always edited into characters, and so events and a person’s qualities are inevitably left out. Heidi realizes she was portrayed to be the ditzy party girl, and said she appreciates the way she came off. She’d rather have MTV show her having fun than being boring, because she said, “I am fun. I do have a good time.” But, Heidi added, “I have a good heart. I’m not all jokes. I’m a pretty serious person sometimes. I’m very very hardworking. I’m very academic.”
Heidi understands that The Hills is a TV show and that editing is a big part of that. Yet that doesn’t mean that what airs doesn’t affect her. Anyone that watches The Hills probably thinks that Heidi and Lauren have a fake friendship. “Like any relationship, we definitely have our ups and downs. We get along very well though. I love Lauren. We’re closer now than we ever have been. I think we were both a little hurt by [the editing of our friendship], because it’s not how it really is.”
Lauren and Heidi
So, in the scene when Heidi called Lauren to tell her she got the job at Bolthouse and Lauren hung up on her, MTV conveniently left the next part out - the part where Lauren called Heidi back because she really did lose cell reception.
It makes you wonder how much of these teenagers’ lives we really are witnessing. Sometimes when we watch these shows we forget that we’re only seeing 30 minutes each week of these peoples’ lives. For example, two months time passed between the July 12 and July 26 episodes. Obviously we didn’t see all of it, either because of editing or because MTV’s cameras just missed it.
Also, because MTV tries to portray The Hills cast as normal teenagers, they leave a lot out. MTV does not air scenes of the cast hanging out with celebrities, nor do they air scenes of the cast being treated as celebrities. “Laguna Beach was the first step to becoming a famous reality star. It was a whole different level of reality,” said Heidi. These kids are now famous, but MTV doesn’t want us to be thinking about that as we watch the show. So they leave it out.
And that is why so many people think Lauren is crazy to be with Jason, because all we are ever shown is their fights. Heidi said that girls are always grabbing Jason and guys are always trying to kiss Lauren. We don’t realize this while watching The Hills because MTV doesn’t want us to. Instead Jason comes off as a jerk. “Like every relationship, it has its ups and downs. They’ve just had more ups and downs than the average couple. I’m really proud of how they’ve worked through things… They really do love each other,” Heidi said. And really, you have to go with her on that one - just imagine how hard it would be to keep a relationship while every other girl or guy in the room is fawning over your significant other.
MTV also leaves out why Heidi left the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. She didn’t just leave school because she felt like it. Heidi originally went to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco with Lauren. Then when the two moved to Los Angeles, they both transferred to FIDM. Heidi didn’t find the school to be challenging at all, which is why she decided to apply for an internship at Bolthouse, where she continues to work.
What did MTV leave in? According to Heidi, that she’s not the very best actress. Yes, the show is real, but it’s impossible to think that people won’t alter some things about how they act because they know they are going to be on TV. For example, when Jordan first gave Heidi a stuffed animal for Christmas, and she thought that was her only present after all the gifts she had given him, she tried to hide her disappointment. Yet everyone who watched knows, it was obvious she wasn’t very happy… at least until Jordan came back with a puppy for her. When I told Heidi that most girls were jealous and wondered what kind of boyfriend does that, she responded, “One who is on TV.” Did I mention that Heidi is really funny too?
Heidi said the girls on the show were cautious about what they said on camera, as not to hurt each other’s feelings. The guys, on the other hand? Not so much. Remember the scene when Heidi and Jordan were doing laundry and Jordan said that Lauren and Jason were immature and stupid and shouldn’t be in a relationship? Heidi said that Lauren was really hurt by it. The cast has to watch the episodes for press reasons, so there’s no escaping it.
That also means that they have to relive all of their fights. No one wants to fight with a significant other in the first place, so it’s not exactly enjoyable watching that fight months later. Heidi said, “I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it was. It re-upsets you. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I was right!’”
Sure, now people know Heidi’s name and she can hang out with celebirties, but overall, she says her life is just more fun. But, the best part about Heidi Montag is that she’s just living her life. “I’ve always been this way. This is who I am. Take it or leave it. You’ll either hate me or you’ll love me. I have a strong personality which isn’t necessarily good or bad. I really don’t mind what people in Oklahoma who I don’t know think of me. I really only care about the people in my life.”
