While listening to the new Laguna Beach and The Hills podcasts, fans are taking a trip down memory lane, but it seems like they wish that the latter was left in the past. In early May, news broke that reality stars Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti would be reuniting to host a Laguna Beach rewatch podcast called Back to the Beach with Kristin and Stephen. Fans were so excited to see the high school exes revisit their past relationship, as well as some of the other drama that occurred on the MTV reality series. The podcast premiered on July 19, and there have been three episodes so far.
In late June, Audrina Partridge, Brody Jenner, and Frankie Delgado released a trailer for their own podcast, Was It Real? Fans had heard about the podcast via The Hills star, Spencer Pratt. The reality icon was very upset to learn that his friend Brody signed up for a podcast that he wasn't asked to host. Spencer has been hosting his own series called The Spills on TikTok, where he lets fans in on the behind-the-scenes secrets of the reality show. However, he's since gone on hiatus, as he doesn't want to give the Was It Real? hosts any content for their show.
While the Laguna Beach spinoff was more successful than its predecessor, it seems to be the other way around when it comes to the rewatch podcasts. According to some podcast reviews shared by NoExamination4048 on Reddit, fans find The Hills podcast to be "chaotic." The Redditor thinks it "pales in comparison to a certain other rewatch podcast that has started simultaneously." It's clear that the review is referencing Kristin and Stephen's podcast, which fans are absolutely loving. Some fans responded to the Reddit thread, accusing Audrina, Brody, and Frankie of only doing the podcast as "a quick money grab." They also believe that it's obvious that the hosts aren't actually re-watching the episodes, and are barely talking about them throughout the episodes.
On the other hand, fans have had few complaints about the Laguna Beach podcast, and are loving Kristin and Stephen's connection. "Kristin and Stephen have such great chemistry," Reddit user blueeyed-floozy wrote. Another Laguna Beach fan praised the star's hosting skills, saying, "they give real deal insights and BTS stories that help explain how the show was soooooo overly produced." While one fan stated that they prefer Was It Real?, the fan's opinion was heavily outweighed by others, who said that The Hills podcast "was all over the place." Stephen and Kristin's bond brings a lot to the show, which fans enjoy, while the ambivalent relationship between Audrina, Brody, and Frankie is turning fans off their podcast.
The Hills may have far exceeded the success that Laguna Beach saw, but when it comes to podcasts, the 2004 series takes the cake. While the friendships on The Hills have always been pretty blurry, Stephen and Kristin were a real high school couple. Even though the show was just as manipulated by producers, the two stars were clueless teenagers trying to navigate high school, and all the jealousy and complications that come with being a teenager in love. As for The Hills, the hosts seem as uninterested as they were in their reboot, The Hills: New Beginnings, and they aren't fooling any listeners by pretending to care. Laguna Beach has won this round, and the Was It Real? hosts are going to have to think outside the box if they want to keep up. Maybe they can call up Lauren Conrad for a cameo.
Sources: NoExamination4048/Reddit, blueeyed-floozy/Reddit