Imagine if your most vulnerable years were captured on camera for one of the most popular reality TV shows of the 2000’s. You manage to sidestep any major disasters and you move on to a notable career in the medium, but the debut performance hasn’t aged well.
Such is the reality of Kristin Cavallari. She starred as Lauren Conrad’s nemesis on Laguna Beach, then took over on The Hills when LC left. Kristin’s presence on camera then got her a spinoff with her ex-husband Jay Cutler in 2018, before Very Cavallari was cancelled after three seasons.
So one has to think that Kristin knows the tricks of the trade and exactly how much to present on camera. But that wouldn’t have been the case while filming Laguna Beach, and Kristin has a unique opportunity to revisit those days alongside her co-star and former boyfriend Stephen Colletti.
Back to the Beach With Kristin and Stephen is a podcast that has the two stars rewatch Laguna Beach to offer commentary and feedback on what really went down behind the scenes. Entertainment Tonight reported on what was said during the latest episode.
To her credit, Kristin took time to reflect on the optics of her privileged upbringing. After viewing a particular episode, during which her car broke down and she struggled to buy groceries, Kristin explained, “I will say, so not to get too deep, but in high school, I lived with my dad and my stepmom. My stepmom was 20 years younger than my dad. She was actually closer to my age than she was with my dad. She never cooked. My dad was, I wouldn’t say absent, but he wasn’t involved in my life very much. And it’s very clear to see from this episode and actually the next episode that my dad didn’t teach me some basic things that I probably needed to know. Like how to put oil in my car, which we will get to in the next episode. Or how to order food at the grocery store.”
Kristin went so far as to say she would have been, “cancelled” if Laguna Beach aired in 2022 and gave herself an “F” for the episode. Cancel culture holds public figures accountable for their behavior on social media and in entertainment. Offenses can cost a person their job, reputation, and acceptance in society.
“I’m gonna give myself an F,” she explained. “I said some dumb stuff. I looked like a little brat. I’d say this was not my best episode for sure.”
But Kristin acknowledged that editing played a role in how she was portrayed. It was a rookie mistake, that she “learned very quickly filming season one.”
“I will say I went into season two with a much different mindset because, you know, you only know so much while you’re filming the season, what’s going to happen, how it’s going to be edited,” she added.
Kristin said, “And then when you see it, you’re like, ‘Wow, OK. This is what they do.’ And as we were talking about earlier, you know, if you are trying to have a conversation, cause I remember sometimes going in the bathroom and talking to your friend about whatever.”
Kristin elaborated “Because you think, ‘I’m off camera,’ but they’re listening the entire time and they’re still recording your audio, which then they can put in anywhere. So you learn very quickly, like, ‘Oh, OK, as long as I have a microphone on, I am not safe.'”
So how do Kristin’s comments stack up against today’s cancel culture? It doesn’t seem anything truly offensive was said, however the teen did live a highly privileged lifestyle and seemed unaware of anything outside the Orange County bubble.
Kristin admitted that the “hardest part about watching the show is hearing how I f**king talked.”
Well, there’s no going back but a girl can dream. Kristin concluded with her thoughts on what she would have done differently. “Honestly, it’s more of a general thing. I think throughout the entire show I wish I would just explain myself a little bit more instead of just being so sure,” she said. “And just being like, ‘Oh, you know, whatever, you know, screw her.’ It’s like just put some thought behind it.”
TELL US- DO YOU THINK KRISTIN WOULD HAVE BEEN CANCELLED IF LAGUNA BEACH AIRED IN 2022? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF KRISTIN ON LAGUNA BEACH? HOW WOULD YOUR HIGH SCHOOL ANTICS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED IF YOU WERE ON A REALITY TV SHOW?
[Photo Credit: Paul Archuleta/Getty Images]
