In the 00s, one couple courted more ire than any other. Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, the main antagonists of the scripted reality TV show The Hills, were open about their desire for celebrity, and were happy to be hated in exchange for fame.
The couple’s (largely fake) relationship drama, and fall out with Lauren Conrad over an unverified sex tape rumour, were central storylines on The Hills. Suffice to say, no one expected their 2009 marriage to go the distance.
But 16 years later, the pair are still together and have two children. To every millennial’s shock, Spencer has never stopped being a supportive partner, promoting Heidi’s music and career, and gassing her up at every opportunity.
Which brings us to January 2025, when Spencer shared a heartbreaking update informing the world that their house had burned down in the LA Pacific Palisades fire.
In a strange turn of events, Spencer’s coverage of the fires helped him hit 1m TikTok followers. He took this as an oppportunity to ask users to stream Heidi’s 2010 album Superficial, widely panned by critics at the time of its release, for emotional and financial support. The internet said “bet”.
The cast of The Hills, plus celebs like EmRata, Julia Fox and Paris Hilton, shared videos dancing to songs from Superficial. Even superstar DJ and producer Diplo showed his support. With I’ll Do This on repeat, everyone finally realised it’s a bop.
So 15 years after its first release, Superficial made it to the top of the iTunes charts, and Heidi released a c**ty, latexy music video for I’ll Do It. Which led many to wonder if Superficial was actually an underrated, ahead-of-its-time hyperpop masterpiece. I feel a Mighty Hoopla headline slot coming!
The things that make Speidi likeable now are the same as what made them unlikeable in the 00s: telling everyone that they and other celebs call paps on themselves, openly admitting to an extreme plastic surgery makeover, a eurotrash recession pop album, and a candid request to stay famous. Their podcast is called Speidi’s 16th Minute FFS. Staying together so long, and losing their home overnight, has made people reexamine how, rather than villains, Speidi actually just blew the lid of hypernormalisation off the weirdness of Hollywood and fame itself.
Speidi have consistently understood that every great reality show needs great villains, and they mostly relished the part. But at the hour they need it most, they finally get to be America’s sweethearts.
Advice on how to support those affected by the LA wildfires is available here.
