The first moment I became invested in reality TV was during the premiere of MTV's Laguna Beach show in 2004. It's not that I didn't love The Simple Life or What Not To Wear, but Laguna Beach somehow felt more relatable. I was on the cusp of being a full-fledged teenager — cue the excitement — so watching teen drama onscreen felt like a portal into what I could expect in high school.
It didn't matter that I lived in sunny Florida instead of California at the time. I just knew I'd have a life that mirrored Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari...whether or not I actually did. As much as I loved the show at the time, I began wondering if I'd feel the same way about it as an adult. After all, it occupies such a memorable part of my past, I couldn't imagine my opinions on it changing.
But now that I'm officially in my early 30s, I have a few thoughts about the Laguna Beach show that the pre-teen version of myself never even thought about.
Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari's Feud Over Stephen Colletti Was Unnecessary
Being a teen comes with its fair share of friendships, rifts, and the inevitable love woes. I remember watching Laguna Beach and being confused about the infamous love triangle that existed between Kristin Cavallari, Lauren Conrad, and Stephen Colletti. It seemed like Kristin was being painted as the insecure, jealous girlfriend while Lauren was upheld as the shining star who could do no wrong.
What I now know is that Lauren did fan the flames with her "mean girl" stance, but Stephen surely didn't make things better. As someone who did the same thing in middle school, it's not a good look. Also, I learned that some young guys will quickly take on the role of an instigator because they think it's cool to have two girls fighting over them. It gives me the ick just thinking about it.
One silver lining is that Kristin and Stephen invited Lauren on their podcast Back To The Beach last year to discuss what actually went down. In true reality TV fashion, the Laguna Beach producers apparently created extra drama for viewers — no surprise there — and the feud wasn't as bad as it played out. While that's good news to hear, I still think their love drama was unnecessary.
Lauren Conrad Wasn't Perfect
There was a time you couldn't convince my friend Ashley and me that Lauren wasn't the epitome of an "it" girl. We literally worshipped the ground she walked on and swore our future careers would mirror hers. But, adult me realizes that no one is perfect.
Not only was she a part of love triangle, she also made a nasty comment about Kristin that she later regretted saying. It makes me realize that we’ve all said things we regret — whether the internet knows about it not. Thank goodness we all get to grow up and progress from the people we were in middle and high school!
Kristin Cavallari Was Never The Villain of "Laguna Beach"
It never occurred to me that reality TV wasn't actually real when I was younger. Now that I know shows are sometimes scripted or drama is created on purpose, I can fully see Kristin for who she was — a teen caught up in everyday life with cameras in her face. As far as reality TV "villains" go, she's not even the worst of what viewers have seen on other series.
It sucks that the role was all but carved out for her just because MTV needed a strong storyline to keep Laguna Beach going.
Lo Bosworth Deserved More Than Reality TV
This may be an unpopular opinion but I personally believe Lo Bosworth deserved more than being on MTV's Laguna Beach show.
She may have been Lauren's best friend, but I couldn't help but feel she she didn't really want to be on the show. While she was seen throughout the first season of Laguna Beach, we saw less of her in season 2. It was almost like she came and went. But, I was happy to learn that she's since gone on to found Love Wellness, a brand that focuses on women's health.
The Cast's Spring Break Trip To Cabo Made Me Realize Our Lives Were Different
Though no fault of their own, I realized the Laguna Beach cast had access to things I didn't in high school. I partially grew up in a single-parent home, so there were no fancy trips out of the country for vacation. That's not to say I never went anywhere but I knew it was out of the question to ask for a trip to somewhere like Cabo.
Still, it didn't stop me for telling my mom I wished we could afford to do things like my favorite people on Laguna Beach. Adult me completely understands how impossible it was to live up to a TV show that had a full production team.
Overall Take: It's Hard To Revisit "Laguna Beach" As An Adult
Here's the bombshell I haven't admitted to my bestie — I don't like revisiting Laguna Beach because there's so many cringe-filled moments in different episodes. I'm glad we were lucky enough to catch all its episodes as budding teens, but this is one show I'd like to leave in the past.
As much as I love reunion shows and photo ops, I can do without anything related to Laguna Beach. Now, if you want to talk about its spin-off The Hills, I'm an open book.
What do you remember most about Laguna Beach? Let us know your most quotable moments in the comments!
Featured images via Scott Gries/Getty Images and Evan Agostini/Getty Images
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