September 3, 2024 • 31 mins
What would Heidi Do? Well, she's definitely not afraid to tell Rachel!
Reality TV "villain" Heidi Pratt is here and she's giving some surprising advice on how she would've handled Scandoval, how she transitioned from her character on "The Hills" into the real world and offers an update on her relationship with former BFF Lauren Conrad.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is Rachel Go's Rogue.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome back to another episode of Rachel Goes Rogue with
your host, Rachel Savannah Leavis. Today, I am so excited
to be joined by an iconic guest. You may know
her from the Hills or I'm a Celebrity, Get Me
Out of Here, or Marriage boot Camp or Celebrity Big Brother.
(00:32):
You might know her from her music. You may even
know her as one half of Spidey. Wherever it's from,
you absolutely know the name. Heidi Krat, one of the
most iconic reality TV personalities turned wife and mother, joins
me today to talk about her journey navigating her way
(00:54):
through the reality TV space and coming out the other end. Heidi,
I'm so excited to have you on Rachel Goes Rowe.
It's good to see your face.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Thank you you too.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So, I've been reading your bio and you've not only
done The Hills, but you were also on I'm a Celebrity,
Get Me Out of Here, and Marriage boot Camp and
Celebrity Big Brother. Yes, did you ever expect for yourself
to be on so many reality TV shows? Was this
(01:29):
the life that you pictured for yourself when you were
growing up?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (01:35):
I think growing up, I was always like I want
to be famous and successful, and you know I used
to wear like a.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
A fake fur coat with big sunglasses.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
But I grew up in a really small town in Colorado,
and you know, my mom was always very encouraging.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I was like, you can do whatever you want.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
So, yeah, you, how did how did you get into
the Hills? Because like that was such I feel like
that was such a huge reality TV show for our
generation growing up on that and kind of paving the
way for reality TV today. Were you guys like actually
(02:15):
a friend group going into filming?
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Lauren and I were best friends.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
I met her in college in San Francisco, like our
first day of college, and there was this rumor that
this girl was going to be on it from an
MTV show, But it was before anyone could be.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Famous for a.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Docu series and they weren't yet like it had an
aired yet. We Gonna Beach had an aired yet.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
I think it started airing like right around the times
school started.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
So I didn't know who she was when I met.
She wasn't anyone successful like when I met her, and
then like a few months later, she's like, I'm going
to be a maze and I was like, that's so cool.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
How do you get to go?
Speaker 4 (02:54):
And she's like, oh, I'm on a TV show and yeah,
it just kind of all came together from there.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Cool And are you still friends with Lauren today or no?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
No, not for a very long time now.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
So yeah, Unfortunately, we just had a real falling out
on TV.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
And I think that's why the audience connected with it.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I think that when you're in your twenties, it's really
about finding who you are and following different paths and
finding friends and falling out with friends. And it was
just a really relatable storyline. And thankfully I made the
choice that I did, because I'm still married seventeen years later.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yes, I'm glad I chose that path.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, so you said you knew you were going to
be famous, and then you know, you found the path
to the show was reality specifically what you expected it
to be.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
You know, I didn't have any expectations because it wasn't
a thing yet.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
You know, there wasn't.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Reality TV to look at or to see anyone else
doing it. We were kind of like the first group
and especially of that age to do it. The only
other people were Jessica Simpson and Ozzy Osbourne and the
Real World. So it wasn't something that I had any
expectation for. Yeah, there were no Kardashians.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Crazy to think about reality TV before the Kardashians, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
It was. It was very different.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
The landscape was very different, and it was actually a
lot harder to be invited to things. And now, you know,
reality stars are everywhere and influencers are everywhere, but to
be able to get on a red carpet back then
was really challenging and to be a reality star. So
we were the first group of reality stars. I remember
the Real World casts would come up to me and
(04:43):
they're like, how are you guys doing this and getting that?
And you know, they've definitely succeeded and gone their own
route too. But it was kind of a time where
people didn't understand why one thing would work and why
the other thing wouldn't work, and it was just it
was a really interesting time in Hollywood.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I feel like it was kind of the gold rush
of reality TV or the beginning of it.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yeah, for sure, do you regret like anything that you
did on your time at the Hills, because, like you said,
it was during your twenties and that's the time of
your life that you're figuring out who you are and
navigating this adult world. And I mean, clearly hump vander
Pump rules. I've grown up kind of on this show
(05:27):
and made my fair share of mistakes and have to
live on with that being in the zegeist forever. Do
you regret anything?
Speaker 1 (05:38):
I regret having my family on it.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
I definitely wouldn't have had my family on it, so
that was one thing that I shouldn't have done. But uh,
you know, other than that, No, it's just kind of
it's a part of life and moving through it, and
I'm really grateful for the opportunity. And I think you
need to is a moment when you have success and
kind of go through the hardships and kind of you know,
(06:08):
just no matter what people are saying, you know, I've
always been strong in my own self and it's like, great,
I don't care what you say. I'm gonna do what
I want to do and I'm not going to turn
down a situation. I mean, I had people being like,
you're not on the show anymore. I was like, yes,
i am, because great, you don't all have to film
with me. But I'm gonna stand strong and be in
this opportunity that I got and make the money I'm
(06:30):
gonna get and like you can change your mind, but
I'm gonna ride it out, you know, like this is
my opportunity because you don't get on reality TV like
again and again. You know, like I've been on seasons
where you can be on Big Brother once or this
or that, but to be on a reoccurring cast is
just as they say in Hollywood, lightning in a bottle.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
So I gotta let go of that opportunity.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Did you kind of your your producer had click in
for you because you go in and you knew you
wanted to do it, and you knew you want to
to be famous, and you're in there and now you
sort of start learning the game, right, So at some
point did it click for you that, like you just
said you were going to make your way? What was
that like or when was that?
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:13):
That was really you know kind of when Spencer came
in and thankfully we've always been such a strong team
and he was like, you don't have to do this
and you don't have to do that, and you can
do what you want, like don't let them bully you
or like force you into anything, and so it gave
me like the strength and the perception to be able
(07:33):
to be like, Okay, yeah, I can do what I
do want to do and navigate in this world and
they can kind of take it or leave it.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So it gave me an extra like power and strength
to be able to be more assertive.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
And you know, you're dealing with you know, I'm twenty
years old, nineteen years old, not even in college, from
a small town, dealing with really manipulative, smart, savvy Hollywood people.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So I was definitely way out of my realm.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
And you know, just being around that type of people
and being around lawyers and agents and managers, you kind
of get the verbage and you understand the ins and outs,
and it's kind of it's like going to college. It's
like going to school and being around smarter people, you
get smarter. So it was definitely a learning curve.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Yeah, did you know that it was like a manipulative
environment by the production and and everything around you from
the get go? Or was that like a learning curve
that you eventually like played into.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
It was different because Lauren was the boss. Everyone bowed
down to her.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
You know, it's different when you have one narrator, and
she could talk to everyone how she wanted and everyone
would just like kiss her butt and you know, do
anything she said. And she could like hang up on
producers and scream at that. I mean, whatever she wanted
to do, she could do. So I saw that side,
and then when I was on my own, it was
drastically different. And that's when producers started turning in this
(08:56):
and that. But yeah, I didn't I didn't mind. I
was like, you know, I'm not gonna let this define
who I am. Like, I think it helped me to
be stronger.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I would just have to guess if you were put
in my position, you would probably go back for another season,
wouldn't you, Heidi, Yeah, a million percent.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
I would go in and maybe you could even make
amends or reach out or you know. I don't really
I didn't watch the season, so I don't really know
exactly what happened. I mean, I have like a guess
from like TikTok or certain things, but mom life, it's
really hard to watch TV.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
But yeah, I think so.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
I think if I had that opportunity, I definitely would
have stayed on. Had a producer or someone as an
ally gotten the money that I could, you know, because
TV money is definitely different than other money, and then
maybe figure out a way because everyone on that show,
it seems like, has had ups and downs. Everyone has
(09:57):
been in the mud, and everyone has been able to
dig out so much so on the other side, I mean,
you look at like Saucy and Jacks and they have
their own show, and at one point they were at
the lowest low, and so it's just about weathering through
the storm. And if you quit, you don't get that
redemption or that chance or to tell your story because
(10:18):
other people are going to tell it for you. And
so if you're there, you're the only one who can
put your foot down and kind of be like, hey,
I am a person, I am a human, I've made
a mistake or whatever it is, however you feel. I
don't know, but I would have been a really good
opportunity to kind of be able to get that other
side of the story.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
And if it's not too.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Late, I totally would still do that empur you and
you know, because yeah, it's it seems tricky though, but
I don't know like legally or anything, or like where
you're at or anything like that, but it's always best.
Also keep your cards close and not like publicly stay
behind the scenes stuff until you're out of it, you
(11:01):
know what I mean. So it gives you more of
a chance to like move and make whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
So you just got to think, like, all right, well,
what is the best deal? What's the long term?
Speaker 4 (11:10):
And it's hard when you're emotional, and especially with reality TV,
it gets so emotional because it is personal and it
is your life and you're mixing your life with business
and personal and that's really hard.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
That's a really.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
Hard challenge to do, and especially when you're in a
depth of it or a dark place of it, to
be able to be like, Okay, I'm going to rip
this wound open that's already open and.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Get out there. So it can be hard.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
It can be really hard, especially when everyone's against you
and coming at you and you're already feeling so like down.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
But only you can kind of get yourself out of it,
you know.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Yeah, I feel like you definitely have that personality to
really stand your own and I'm you know, I've been
able to be more confident and be more self assured
through this time period of just like being on reality
TV and really like exposing myself to the social situations
(12:03):
that have made me grow as a person. But I
just felt like as much as the cast has been
saying like, oh, she should have come back, she ran away,
blah blah blah, like if I did go back, they
would have been like, oh my god, I can't believe
she came back. She's so thirsty, like she orchestrated this
(12:23):
whole thing, whatever it may be, just like a lot
of shaming. And it just felt like I wasn't wanted
there anymore, So why put myself in a position where
I'm clearly not wanted and for the price, It just
didn't you know, Like it was like I don't know
if I actually want to be in this environment anymore.
(12:45):
But it was a hard decision to make.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Yeah, it's hard, and it's hard to know in the
moment what is right and how it's going to play out.
But my only thing would be, first of all, what's
best for your life. If it's not mentally a good
thing for you to do and you can't do it,
and it's going to take it on goal in your life,
and that you know you've got to prioritize real life.
And also at the same time, it's like you're never
going to be wanted. Nobody wants people on a cast.
(13:08):
No one wants anyone they're not. They don't want Jackson there,
they don't want this person there. So it's not about
being wanted in a cast.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Ever, my cast hated me. No, you know, like they
still probably don't like me. But it's like I don't care.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
This is my spot and I'm I deserved it and
I worked hard for this and I did this and no,
I'm not going to let you bowling me off or
kick me out or whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
So it's like, doesn't really matter what they think. At
the end of the day. It's like if you show
up and you get paid, you know, that's the job.
At the end of the day. It's not really about a.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Group of friends. It is, but you're work friends. They're
not like your real friends.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Well yeah, it became pretty apparent that it was like
work friends, and if you weren't somebody that could be
easily aligned with, like you're you're no longer friends. And
it's a very quick shift. So like just that fact alone,
I'm like, I want to live an authentic life, Like
I don't know if I want to be spending my
time with people that I actually don't consider friends anymore.
(14:07):
If I were to go back and like mend the friendships,
it wouldn't be authentic.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
But you don't need to do that, Like you could
just go back and work, you know what I mean.
Like they're a coworker, don't get along in a coffee shop.
It's like, well, they're not there to be friends, Like
they're there to work and to you know what I mean.
So it's like you wouldn't have to go back to
be friends or make amends, Like if they'll film you
at work and talking to your own friends, Like I
(14:33):
think that you at that point would have had enough
power on screen to be like, here's my new friend
Jane or George or whoever, and I'm going to film
with them and they'd be like great.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
So I don't know now, and I don't know where
things are at, but I do think that you could have.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
There's not one route.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
And that's the thing is reality TV, Like you can
kind of make it up as you go. You can
kind of play the cards that you're being dealt. You
can ask for more things so you can always and
then if you get a chance, and you wanted to apologize,
or you wanted to make amends with somebody, or you
wanted that It doesn't have to be rushed. You know,
that can also like happen and play out and you
(15:11):
could just say you're your piece in it.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
There was done two quotes that I thought was very interesting.
One was TV villains aren't born, they are made. What
do you think about that, Heidi?
Speaker 4 (15:36):
It's rare that someone is just vilified when you don't
do something or play into it, Like maybe you have
a personality for that, and it's easy to do that
and you go on with an agenda, or you make
a mistake, whatever it is, it has to be a
catalyst for you. Reality TV villains are just like the
(15:58):
second they pop on stage. There's type casting. Now, you
know reality TV has evolved. They have more of a
type cast like we need the sweetheart, we need the villain,
we need this. But originally I feel like I was
very different. So I think it depends on what era
and how it's formed.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
So this one is that you, specifically you and Spencer
are credited with creating a blueprint for the next generation
of stars who weren't afraid to play dirty. In the
Quest for Celebrity. What do you think about that? You're
kind of thee I.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Think that the whole game is dirty. You know, it's TV.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
It's hard for If everyone could do it, everyone would
do it, you know, and you get paid to play
type of things, so you also have a choice at
the end of the day, like am I going to
do this?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Am I going to do that?
Speaker 4 (16:48):
It's like, did I have a fair hand? I was delves. No,
but I'm thankful for it, and you know, I made
it work. And you just have to keep real life
in perspective from reality TV life.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
In your career, was there a pivotal moment for you
when you kind of like took the bull by the
horns and you're like, all right, this is my villain
era and I don't care what people think.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
I think from the beginning, because to be painted as
a villain because my best friend didn't like my boyfriend
anymore was just ridiculous to me. So, you know, and
now it would never have played out that way. The
media wouldn't play it out that way, and it wasn't
a villain thing, you know. So it was just because
they told Lauren that they would do that. To like
(17:40):
keep her on the show, and it was just more
of a political thing. But the public now has Twitter
and tiktokm and their own opinions.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
And it's just it's very different culture.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
So for me, I was like, if that's what it is,
then that's fine. But I'm gonna, like you said earlier,
I'm going to live my life authentically. And if people
are not liking my boyfriend, it's literally the stupidest thing
I've ever heard, So I'm like, okay, whatever, you know.
And then there was also the falling out whatever for
(18:10):
the sex tape, and I knew that I had nothing
to do with it. So when you know the truth
at the end of the day too, and that's also important,
it's like, well, I have nothing to do with that,
and I'm sorry you're going through that, but that's.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Not on me.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Yeah. Yeah, that's such a good point and there's such
strength with that and just knowing that you're not really
in the wrong and you're going to stand by your actions.
Well you and Spencer, I mean, it just seems like
you guys really figured something out and you were in
it for the long haul. What is your guys' dynamic
(18:47):
and what is the success of having that relationship pan
out the way that it has with like your marriage
and kids.
Speaker 4 (18:56):
Now, yeah, we've been together for seventeen years, and we
always knew the love that we had, and we're like,
this is like soulmate a lot. So I was willing
to sacrifice a TV show for it, or a friend
who no longer wanted to be dating him, because we
always knew at the end of the day and we
had that just kind of soulmate love. And for me,
(19:20):
it was love at first sight. And you hear these stories,
but it really it was. So it's just kind of
you know, the blessing of it. And we have two boys,
and we work well together, and everything brought us closer together.
When it was kind of us against the world, it
just really like unified us too. And we've always been
so similar in like our outlooks in life and our priorities, and.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
We had so many great experiences. So that was the thing.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Like on camera they were calling us the villains or
whatever it was, but in real life, we were having
the time of our life. And we're in Mexico and
we're doing music videos and you know it's my music
that as actually so successful now and thank god.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
We did it then.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
But yeah, it's just it's been a whirlwind for sure.
You just never know how life is kind of pan out.
But you always have the power to change your life
and you can always just change it at any time,
and you know, just keep evolving, keep moving.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah, from when you were on reality TV to today's
reality TV and now the way that the internet plays
in how do you think that has really changed the industry. So,
whether it's the fans on comments or the Bravo bloggers
exposing storyline and like, what do you think the biggest
changes are from then to now that you see.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
I think that the people on reality TV have a voice.
I mean there's podcasts, there's Instaram, there's TikTok, and before
you just only had the narrative that was on TV,
so that was it.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
There was no other outlets.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
I mean sometimes if you did an interview and US Weekly,
it would feature in US Weekly, But that had to
be consumers who also watched your show and then watched
and we read those magazines. And it's just it's very
different now. So everyone it's their perspective and their voice
out there in different different ways. So That's a huge
shift and very empowering for people on TV.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Was it hard to tune out everyone's opinions of Spencer
when you were dating or like, did it ever get
under your skin?
Speaker 4 (21:36):
When I first started dating Spencer, everyone loved him, you know,
like Lauren loved him.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Everybody loved him. So that was really the the opinion
of Spencer.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
I mean, Spencer's from la he has a million friends,
you know what I mean, Like people who know Spencer
love Spencer, and you know, I just knew the whole
politics of the Lauren and the people who I loved
loved Spencer. You know, my family loved Spencer and everybody
loved him, so it wasn't a real opinion to me. Also,
(22:10):
it's a twofold because yeah, now you have more of
a voice and Instagram and all that, but then you
didn't have comments. It was just the beginning of comments
on TMZ, and I think we were like one of
the first posts with comments to actually troll us specifically.
But that's when it just started and it was all clickbait.
But you could just really kind of escape at all.
(22:34):
No one's tagging up your page with comments directly.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Now it's like so loud, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
What is something that the fans have wrong about you
or something that you would like to set the record
straight on that I'm not.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
From Orange County.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
I think a lot of people are like, oh, you're
from a county, Like, no, I'm from the mountains.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
I'm a small town mountain girl.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
What part of Colorado.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Crested Butte it's on like the other side has been.
It's a really small ski town. So I just grew
up very differently. And you know, I didn't grow up
entitled or you know, my parents did well. They owned
a restaurant, They worked really hard, They did the best
that they could and gave us above their means, for sure.
But I definitely didn't grow up rich or given any
you know. Like I was paying for college. Everyone's like,
(23:21):
why did you drop out? Because I was going into
debt and like Lauren had it free and anyways, I
was like, I'm not going into debt for this call,
you know.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
So I was working hard and doing a lot of things.
But I grew up very differently than I think a
lot of people think.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Yeah, and when did you move to la.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
I moved to la when I was nineteen, So I
actually got my ged, graduated high school, went to fashion
school year early instead of my senior year of high school,
I had a freshman year of college. That's where I
met Lauren, and then yeah, gosh, it was also yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I was like seventeen when I left the house. They
just turned eighteen.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Do you want to continue to be on reality TV?
Speaker 1 (24:08):
I yeah, I mean whatever, TV is a blessing.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
It's definitely not what it used to be, and it's
very fragmented, and the networks are different and the viewership
is different. But I think that TV is amazing and
special and a huge opportunity and if you can or
for me, if I can get on it, you know,
I'll definitely take the opportunity. To leave the kids to
(24:31):
go do a show would be tricky, so that would
have to be the right opportunity because they're young and
you know, I mean one is six and one is two,
but still they.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Seem would you put them on camera?
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (24:46):
I mean they love Snapchat and we do that, so yeah,
I definitely would if it all made sense.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
If they wanted to do like their own kind of
reality TV show, would you be would you be supportive
of that?
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Yeah? Someone stays on YouTube fishing channel. I'm like, well,
we don't live in Florida, but we can try to
figure it out because he loves these like YouTube guys
and stuff.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
And we look at the note the photos behind you too,
So those are some of your bragsheets there.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Yeah, I mean we had so many US Weekly covers
and the calendar of La Times, which used to be
a big deal, cover Rolling Stone, cover of Maxim cover
Playboy Time magazine. Gosh, it's it's a bunch.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
So when you look at that, you really pioneered reality.
And back when you started, let's say television talent thought
you guys were kind of the clowns, right like reality, Oh,
they're just reality. Well now you you're a pioneer and
people look back and go, wow, that was cutting edge
and where reality is now, Like how does that make
you feel?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
You know, it's it always It felt good then and
it feels good now, and especially like in Weekly, cover
is not.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
What it used to be. So this is like a
frozen moment in time.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
And it's not even that it's relevant to US Weekly
or any magazines now. I mean, everything's so fragmented, But
at the time this was so hard to get, and
not only that, we got paid for most of them,
so it's even like an extra trophy. But yeah, it's interesting,
and that's what I was talking about earlier, the transition
of reality TV and how it used to be like
(26:25):
hard to get on a red carpet and taken seriously,
and there were no brands that were jumping in like
that with reality stars.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Now you even have like Addison Ray.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
It's like all these TikTokers and people who were getting
huge deals, and back then it was a big deal
to get anything.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
So yeah, it's really interesting the evolution of it.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
And like I said, I'm really thankful for the opportunities
and that I was fighting against everyone to have it too,
you know, like nobody my cast didn't want me.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Nobody wanted me to have that.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
Or do that, and to be able to fight for
that and to have gotten the success that I did
when it was hard. It was harder for us than
any other cast and to go up against conglomerates and
lawyers and people like the battles were endless. So it's
you know, it means more that we.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Could get that.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
What's the Hills scripted?
Speaker 1 (27:20):
So in the beginning season one, it was just more
like a.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
Few setups, Like the relationships were real, and they would
just say like, Okay, can you stand here and pretend
to crash Laurence teen Vogue table or whatever, And I
was like yeah, whatever, you know, like something like that
would be scripted her internship. I mean, obviously they helped
her get it or whatever, things like that, but the
(27:45):
relationships were real and like just small things were scripted
per episode, and then as it.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Evolved, you know, relationships really changed.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
I think that they tried to keep the other cast
a little more authentic, but for Spencer, neither like, no.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
One will with you.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
You guys don't have an interesting storyline. Nobody who just
wants to watch a love story with you. So if
you guys don't fake fight or do this or that,
like you're not going to be on the episode. So
we were like, great, well, fake fight because we're not
really fighting. We have an incredible relationship. We can make
a lot of money each of us, so it was
like a double income because we've always put our money together.
(28:24):
So we were like why not. And then we would,
you know, I'd fake throw a plate at the door
and then'd be like.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Okay, where are we going? Awad you know, so it
was just being on the theme page was good.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
Other cast members say that the things were somewhat scripted
for them, but I don't.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
I don't know because I wasn't there. We've literally never
filmed with anyone for the rest of this season until
the last few episodes when Christin came back.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Did that negative press ever affect other opportunities like throwing
a plate and like knowing that you are the villain
of the season for however a seasons, did that affect
your opportunities?
Speaker 4 (29:03):
You know, wise, there weren't that many opportunities really for anyone.
There was like one or two, but it just wasn't
that way. Like we made so much of our money
from proparazzi and from US Weekly, and there were just
different things like that that we were making money from.
There were a few deals people got here and there,
but in general, you know, not really.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
I mean, maybe more long term for sure, if you know,
they've probably had opportunities, but everyone's kind of at the
same place now, so you kind of think, well, I
don't know, but my music actually has the biggest resurgence
and has been really successful and people don't even know
from like TikTok and stuff.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
I was on mills like, oh, just like pop, you know,
because they're so young, these this new generation.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
So it's interesting that that.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Enabled me to have more longevity in a different genre
and to be able to pivot into that and have
like Surgeon and then they just had they had the
show and like other things that they do well.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
The last question I have for you is what advice
would you give someone who's new to reality TV and
navigating all of this for the first time.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
I would say a few things.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Definitely, know who you are, stay strong, keep a perspective,
don't mix the worlds, you know, like know your world
and know this is a job and an opportunity. And
then also like go hard and seize the opportunity in
whatever way.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
If you're like, really.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
Find an exciting, great you really find an exciting if
you're you know, like, don't leave anything out there that
you would regret, Like, just go all in, go hard.
You never know what can come from it, and just
do the best that you can.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
At whatever that situation is.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
And again, know that this is just a moment in time,
and you know that's that's kind of it so as
long as you're in your own corner and you feel
good about what you do at the end of the day,
that's all that matters.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Amazing. Thank you so much for spending some of your
time with me today. Tell Spencer I say hello.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Yes, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
We hope to see you back on reality TV too.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Yeah, yes, thank you. You never know.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
Thank you so much for listening to Rachel Goes Rogue.
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok for exclusive video content
at Rachel gos Rogue Podcast
This is Rachel Go's Rogue.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome back to another episode of Rachel Goes Rogue with
your host, Rachel Savannah Leavis. Today, I am so excited
to be joined by an iconic guest. You may know
her from the Hills or I'm a Celebrity, Get Me
Out of Here, or Marriage boot Camp or Celebrity Big Brother.
(00:32):
You might know her from her music. You may even
know her as one half of Spidey. Wherever it's from,
you absolutely know the name. Heidi Krat, one of the
most iconic reality TV personalities turned wife and mother, joins
me today to talk about her journey navigating her way
(00:54):
through the reality TV space and coming out the other end. Heidi,
I'm so excited to have you on Rachel Goes Rowe.
It's good to see your face.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Thank you you too.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So, I've been reading your bio and you've not only
done The Hills, but you were also on I'm a Celebrity,
Get Me Out of Here, and Marriage boot Camp and
Celebrity Big Brother. Yes, did you ever expect for yourself
to be on so many reality TV shows? Was this
(01:29):
the life that you pictured for yourself when you were
growing up?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (01:35):
I think growing up, I was always like I want
to be famous and successful, and you know I used
to wear like a.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
A fake fur coat with big sunglasses.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
But I grew up in a really small town in Colorado,
and you know, my mom was always very encouraging.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I was like, you can do whatever you want.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
So, yeah, you, how did how did you get into
the Hills? Because like that was such I feel like
that was such a huge reality TV show for our
generation growing up on that and kind of paving the
way for reality TV today. Were you guys like actually
(02:15):
a friend group going into filming?
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Lauren and I were best friends.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
I met her in college in San Francisco, like our
first day of college, and there was this rumor that
this girl was going to be on it from an
MTV show, But it was before anyone could be.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Famous for a.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Docu series and they weren't yet like it had an
aired yet. We Gonna Beach had an aired yet.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
I think it started airing like right around the times
school started.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
So I didn't know who she was when I met.
She wasn't anyone successful like when I met her, and
then like a few months later, she's like, I'm going
to be a maze and I was like, that's so cool.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
How do you get to go?
Speaker 4 (02:54):
And she's like, oh, I'm on a TV show and yeah,
it just kind of all came together from there.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Cool And are you still friends with Lauren today or no?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
No, not for a very long time now.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
So yeah, Unfortunately, we just had a real falling out
on TV.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
And I think that's why the audience connected with it.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I think that when you're in your twenties, it's really
about finding who you are and following different paths and
finding friends and falling out with friends. And it was
just a really relatable storyline. And thankfully I made the
choice that I did, because I'm still married seventeen years later.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yes, I'm glad I chose that path.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, so you said you knew you were going to
be famous, and then you know, you found the path
to the show was reality specifically what you expected it
to be.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
You know, I didn't have any expectations because it wasn't
a thing yet.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
You know, there wasn't.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Reality TV to look at or to see anyone else
doing it. We were kind of like the first group
and especially of that age to do it. The only
other people were Jessica Simpson and Ozzy Osbourne and the
Real World. So it wasn't something that I had any
expectation for. Yeah, there were no Kardashians.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Crazy to think about reality TV before the Kardashians, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
It was. It was very different.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
The landscape was very different, and it was actually a
lot harder to be invited to things. And now, you know,
reality stars are everywhere and influencers are everywhere, but to
be able to get on a red carpet back then
was really challenging and to be a reality star. So
we were the first group of reality stars. I remember
the Real World casts would come up to me and
(04:43):
they're like, how are you guys doing this and getting that?
And you know, they've definitely succeeded and gone their own
route too. But it was kind of a time where
people didn't understand why one thing would work and why
the other thing wouldn't work, and it was just it
was a really interesting time in Hollywood.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I feel like it was kind of the gold rush
of reality TV or the beginning of it.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yeah, for sure, do you regret like anything that you
did on your time at the Hills, because, like you said,
it was during your twenties and that's the time of
your life that you're figuring out who you are and
navigating this adult world. And I mean, clearly hump vander
Pump rules. I've grown up kind of on this show
(05:27):
and made my fair share of mistakes and have to
live on with that being in the zegeist forever. Do
you regret anything?
Speaker 1 (05:38):
I regret having my family on it.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
I definitely wouldn't have had my family on it, so
that was one thing that I shouldn't have done. But uh,
you know, other than that, No, it's just kind of
it's a part of life and moving through it, and
I'm really grateful for the opportunity. And I think you
need to is a moment when you have success and
kind of go through the hardships and kind of you know,
(06:08):
just no matter what people are saying, you know, I've
always been strong in my own self and it's like, great,
I don't care what you say. I'm gonna do what
I want to do and I'm not going to turn
down a situation. I mean, I had people being like,
you're not on the show anymore. I was like, yes,
i am, because great, you don't all have to film
with me. But I'm gonna stand strong and be in
this opportunity that I got and make the money I'm
(06:30):
gonna get and like you can change your mind, but
I'm gonna ride it out, you know, like this is
my opportunity because you don't get on reality TV like
again and again. You know, like I've been on seasons
where you can be on Big Brother once or this
or that, but to be on a reoccurring cast is
just as they say in Hollywood, lightning in a bottle.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
So I gotta let go of that opportunity.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Did you kind of your your producer had click in
for you because you go in and you knew you
wanted to do it, and you knew you want to
to be famous, and you're in there and now you
sort of start learning the game, right, So at some
point did it click for you that, like you just
said you were going to make your way? What was
that like or when was that?
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:13):
That was really you know kind of when Spencer came
in and thankfully we've always been such a strong team
and he was like, you don't have to do this
and you don't have to do that, and you can
do what you want, like don't let them bully you
or like force you into anything, and so it gave
me like the strength and the perception to be able
(07:33):
to be like, Okay, yeah, I can do what I
do want to do and navigate in this world and
they can kind of take it or leave it.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So it gave me an extra like power and strength
to be able to be more assertive.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
And you know, you're dealing with you know, I'm twenty
years old, nineteen years old, not even in college, from
a small town, dealing with really manipulative, smart, savvy Hollywood people.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So I was definitely way out of my realm.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
And you know, just being around that type of people
and being around lawyers and agents and managers, you kind
of get the verbage and you understand the ins and outs,
and it's kind of it's like going to college. It's
like going to school and being around smarter people, you
get smarter. So it was definitely a learning curve.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Yeah, did you know that it was like a manipulative
environment by the production and and everything around you from
the get go? Or was that like a learning curve
that you eventually like played into.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
It was different because Lauren was the boss. Everyone bowed
down to her.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
You know, it's different when you have one narrator, and
she could talk to everyone how she wanted and everyone
would just like kiss her butt and you know, do
anything she said. And she could like hang up on
producers and scream at that. I mean, whatever she wanted
to do, she could do. So I saw that side,
and then when I was on my own, it was
drastically different. And that's when producers started turning in this
(08:56):
and that. But yeah, I didn't I didn't mind. I
was like, you know, I'm not gonna let this define
who I am. Like, I think it helped me to
be stronger.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I would just have to guess if you were put
in my position, you would probably go back for another season,
wouldn't you, Heidi, Yeah, a million percent.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
I would go in and maybe you could even make
amends or reach out or you know. I don't really
I didn't watch the season, so I don't really know
exactly what happened. I mean, I have like a guess
from like TikTok or certain things, but mom life, it's
really hard to watch TV.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
But yeah, I think so.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
I think if I had that opportunity, I definitely would
have stayed on. Had a producer or someone as an
ally gotten the money that I could, you know, because
TV money is definitely different than other money, and then
maybe figure out a way because everyone on that show,
it seems like, has had ups and downs. Everyone has
(09:57):
been in the mud, and everyone has been able to
dig out so much so on the other side, I mean,
you look at like Saucy and Jacks and they have
their own show, and at one point they were at
the lowest low, and so it's just about weathering through
the storm. And if you quit, you don't get that
redemption or that chance or to tell your story because
(10:18):
other people are going to tell it for you. And
so if you're there, you're the only one who can
put your foot down and kind of be like, hey,
I am a person, I am a human, I've made
a mistake or whatever it is, however you feel. I
don't know, but I would have been a really good
opportunity to kind of be able to get that other
side of the story.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
And if it's not too.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Late, I totally would still do that empur you and
you know, because yeah, it's it seems tricky though, but
I don't know like legally or anything, or like where
you're at or anything like that, but it's always best.
Also keep your cards close and not like publicly stay
behind the scenes stuff until you're out of it, you
(11:01):
know what I mean. So it gives you more of
a chance to like move and make whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
So you just got to think, like, all right, well,
what is the best deal? What's the long term?
Speaker 4 (11:10):
And it's hard when you're emotional, and especially with reality TV,
it gets so emotional because it is personal and it
is your life and you're mixing your life with business
and personal and that's really hard.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
That's a really.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
Hard challenge to do, and especially when you're in a
depth of it or a dark place of it, to
be able to be like, Okay, I'm going to rip
this wound open that's already open and.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Get out there. So it can be hard.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
It can be really hard, especially when everyone's against you
and coming at you and you're already feeling so like down.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
But only you can kind of get yourself out of it,
you know.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Yeah, I feel like you definitely have that personality to
really stand your own and I'm you know, I've been
able to be more confident and be more self assured
through this time period of just like being on reality
TV and really like exposing myself to the social situations
(12:03):
that have made me grow as a person. But I
just felt like as much as the cast has been
saying like, oh, she should have come back, she ran away,
blah blah blah, like if I did go back, they
would have been like, oh my god, I can't believe
she came back. She's so thirsty, like she orchestrated this
(12:23):
whole thing, whatever it may be, just like a lot
of shaming. And it just felt like I wasn't wanted
there anymore, So why put myself in a position where
I'm clearly not wanted and for the price, It just
didn't you know, Like it was like I don't know
if I actually want to be in this environment anymore.
(12:45):
But it was a hard decision to make.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Yeah, it's hard, and it's hard to know in the
moment what is right and how it's going to play out.
But my only thing would be, first of all, what's
best for your life. If it's not mentally a good
thing for you to do and you can't do it,
and it's going to take it on goal in your life,
and that you know you've got to prioritize real life.
And also at the same time, it's like you're never
going to be wanted. Nobody wants people on a cast.
(13:08):
No one wants anyone they're not. They don't want Jackson there,
they don't want this person there. So it's not about
being wanted in a cast.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Ever, my cast hated me. No, you know, like they
still probably don't like me. But it's like I don't care.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
This is my spot and I'm I deserved it and
I worked hard for this and I did this and no,
I'm not going to let you bowling me off or
kick me out or whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
So it's like, doesn't really matter what they think. At
the end of the day. It's like if you show
up and you get paid, you know, that's the job.
At the end of the day. It's not really about a.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Group of friends. It is, but you're work friends. They're
not like your real friends.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Well yeah, it became pretty apparent that it was like
work friends, and if you weren't somebody that could be
easily aligned with, like you're you're no longer friends. And
it's a very quick shift. So like just that fact alone,
I'm like, I want to live an authentic life, Like
I don't know if I want to be spending my
time with people that I actually don't consider friends anymore.
(14:07):
If I were to go back and like mend the friendships,
it wouldn't be authentic.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
But you don't need to do that, Like you could
just go back and work, you know what I mean.
Like they're a coworker, don't get along in a coffee shop.
It's like, well, they're not there to be friends, Like
they're there to work and to you know what I mean.
So it's like you wouldn't have to go back to
be friends or make amends, Like if they'll film you
at work and talking to your own friends, Like I
(14:33):
think that you at that point would have had enough
power on screen to be like, here's my new friend
Jane or George or whoever, and I'm going to film
with them and they'd be like great.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
So I don't know now, and I don't know where
things are at, but I do think that you could have.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
There's not one route.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
And that's the thing is reality TV, Like you can
kind of make it up as you go. You can
kind of play the cards that you're being dealt. You
can ask for more things so you can always and
then if you get a chance, and you wanted to apologize,
or you wanted to make amends with somebody, or you
wanted that It doesn't have to be rushed. You know,
that can also like happen and play out and you
(15:11):
could just say you're your piece in it.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
There was done two quotes that I thought was very interesting.
One was TV villains aren't born, they are made. What
do you think about that, Heidi?
Speaker 4 (15:36):
It's rare that someone is just vilified when you don't
do something or play into it, Like maybe you have
a personality for that, and it's easy to do that
and you go on with an agenda, or you make
a mistake, whatever it is, it has to be a
catalyst for you. Reality TV villains are just like the
(15:58):
second they pop on stage. There's type casting. Now, you
know reality TV has evolved. They have more of a
type cast like we need the sweetheart, we need the villain,
we need this. But originally I feel like I was
very different. So I think it depends on what era
and how it's formed.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
So this one is that you, specifically you and Spencer
are credited with creating a blueprint for the next generation
of stars who weren't afraid to play dirty. In the
Quest for Celebrity. What do you think about that? You're
kind of thee I.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Think that the whole game is dirty. You know, it's TV.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
It's hard for If everyone could do it, everyone would
do it, you know, and you get paid to play
type of things, so you also have a choice at
the end of the day, like am I going to
do this?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Am I going to do that?
Speaker 4 (16:48):
It's like, did I have a fair hand? I was delves. No,
but I'm thankful for it, and you know, I made
it work. And you just have to keep real life
in perspective from reality TV life.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
In your career, was there a pivotal moment for you
when you kind of like took the bull by the
horns and you're like, all right, this is my villain
era and I don't care what people think.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
I think from the beginning, because to be painted as
a villain because my best friend didn't like my boyfriend
anymore was just ridiculous to me. So, you know, and
now it would never have played out that way. The
media wouldn't play it out that way, and it wasn't
a villain thing, you know. So it was just because
they told Lauren that they would do that. To like
(17:40):
keep her on the show, and it was just more
of a political thing. But the public now has Twitter
and tiktokm and their own opinions.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
And it's just it's very different culture.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
So for me, I was like, if that's what it is,
then that's fine. But I'm gonna, like you said earlier,
I'm going to live my life authentically. And if people
are not liking my boyfriend, it's literally the stupidest thing
I've ever heard, So I'm like, okay, whatever, you know.
And then there was also the falling out whatever for
(18:10):
the sex tape, and I knew that I had nothing
to do with it. So when you know the truth
at the end of the day too, and that's also important,
it's like, well, I have nothing to do with that,
and I'm sorry you're going through that, but that's.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Not on me.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Yeah. Yeah, that's such a good point and there's such
strength with that and just knowing that you're not really
in the wrong and you're going to stand by your actions.
Well you and Spencer, I mean, it just seems like
you guys really figured something out and you were in
it for the long haul. What is your guys' dynamic
(18:47):
and what is the success of having that relationship pan
out the way that it has with like your marriage
and kids.
Speaker 4 (18:56):
Now, yeah, we've been together for seventeen years, and we
always knew the love that we had, and we're like,
this is like soulmate a lot. So I was willing
to sacrifice a TV show for it, or a friend
who no longer wanted to be dating him, because we
always knew at the end of the day and we
had that just kind of soulmate love. And for me,
(19:20):
it was love at first sight. And you hear these stories,
but it really it was. So it's just kind of
you know, the blessing of it. And we have two boys,
and we work well together, and everything brought us closer together.
When it was kind of us against the world, it
just really like unified us too. And we've always been
so similar in like our outlooks in life and our priorities, and.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
We had so many great experiences. So that was the thing.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Like on camera they were calling us the villains or
whatever it was, but in real life, we were having
the time of our life. And we're in Mexico and
we're doing music videos and you know it's my music
that as actually so successful now and thank god.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
We did it then.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
But yeah, it's just it's been a whirlwind for sure.
You just never know how life is kind of pan out.
But you always have the power to change your life
and you can always just change it at any time,
and you know, just keep evolving, keep moving.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah, from when you were on reality TV to today's
reality TV and now the way that the internet plays
in how do you think that has really changed the industry. So,
whether it's the fans on comments or the Bravo bloggers
exposing storyline and like, what do you think the biggest
changes are from then to now that you see.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
I think that the people on reality TV have a voice.
I mean there's podcasts, there's Instaram, there's TikTok, and before
you just only had the narrative that was on TV,
so that was it.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
There was no other outlets.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
I mean sometimes if you did an interview and US Weekly,
it would feature in US Weekly, But that had to
be consumers who also watched your show and then watched
and we read those magazines. And it's just it's very
different now. So everyone it's their perspective and their voice
out there in different different ways. So That's a huge
shift and very empowering for people on TV.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Was it hard to tune out everyone's opinions of Spencer
when you were dating or like, did it ever get
under your skin?
Speaker 4 (21:36):
When I first started dating Spencer, everyone loved him, you know,
like Lauren loved him.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Everybody loved him. So that was really the the opinion
of Spencer.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
I mean, Spencer's from la he has a million friends,
you know what I mean, Like people who know Spencer
love Spencer, and you know, I just knew the whole
politics of the Lauren and the people who I loved
loved Spencer. You know, my family loved Spencer and everybody
loved him, so it wasn't a real opinion to me. Also,
(22:10):
it's a twofold because yeah, now you have more of
a voice and Instagram and all that, but then you
didn't have comments. It was just the beginning of comments
on TMZ, and I think we were like one of
the first posts with comments to actually troll us specifically.
But that's when it just started and it was all clickbait.
But you could just really kind of escape at all.
(22:34):
No one's tagging up your page with comments directly.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Now it's like so loud, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
What is something that the fans have wrong about you
or something that you would like to set the record
straight on that I'm not.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
From Orange County.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
I think a lot of people are like, oh, you're
from a county, Like, no, I'm from the mountains.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
I'm a small town mountain girl.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
What part of Colorado.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Crested Butte it's on like the other side has been.
It's a really small ski town. So I just grew
up very differently. And you know, I didn't grow up
entitled or you know, my parents did well. They owned
a restaurant, They worked really hard, They did the best
that they could and gave us above their means, for sure.
But I definitely didn't grow up rich or given any
you know. Like I was paying for college. Everyone's like,
(23:21):
why did you drop out? Because I was going into
debt and like Lauren had it free and anyways, I
was like, I'm not going into debt for this call,
you know.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
So I was working hard and doing a lot of things.
But I grew up very differently than I think a
lot of people think.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Yeah, and when did you move to la.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
I moved to la when I was nineteen, So I
actually got my ged, graduated high school, went to fashion
school year early instead of my senior year of high school,
I had a freshman year of college. That's where I
met Lauren, and then yeah, gosh, it was also yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I was like seventeen when I left the house. They
just turned eighteen.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Do you want to continue to be on reality TV?
Speaker 1 (24:08):
I yeah, I mean whatever, TV is a blessing.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
It's definitely not what it used to be, and it's
very fragmented, and the networks are different and the viewership
is different. But I think that TV is amazing and
special and a huge opportunity and if you can or
for me, if I can get on it, you know,
I'll definitely take the opportunity. To leave the kids to
(24:31):
go do a show would be tricky, so that would
have to be the right opportunity because they're young and
you know, I mean one is six and one is two,
but still they.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Seem would you put them on camera?
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (24:46):
I mean they love Snapchat and we do that, so yeah,
I definitely would if it all made sense.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
If they wanted to do like their own kind of
reality TV show, would you be would you be supportive
of that?
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Yeah? Someone stays on YouTube fishing channel. I'm like, well,
we don't live in Florida, but we can try to
figure it out because he loves these like YouTube guys
and stuff.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
And we look at the note the photos behind you too,
So those are some of your bragsheets there.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Yeah, I mean we had so many US Weekly covers
and the calendar of La Times, which used to be
a big deal, cover Rolling Stone, cover of Maxim cover
Playboy Time magazine. Gosh, it's it's a bunch.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
So when you look at that, you really pioneered reality.
And back when you started, let's say television talent thought
you guys were kind of the clowns, right like reality, Oh,
they're just reality. Well now you you're a pioneer and
people look back and go, wow, that was cutting edge
and where reality is now, Like how does that make
you feel?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
You know, it's it always It felt good then and
it feels good now, and especially like in Weekly, cover
is not.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
What it used to be. So this is like a
frozen moment in time.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
And it's not even that it's relevant to US Weekly
or any magazines now. I mean, everything's so fragmented, But
at the time this was so hard to get, and
not only that, we got paid for most of them,
so it's even like an extra trophy. But yeah, it's interesting,
and that's what I was talking about earlier, the transition
of reality TV and how it used to be like
(26:25):
hard to get on a red carpet and taken seriously,
and there were no brands that were jumping in like
that with reality stars.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Now you even have like Addison Ray.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
It's like all these TikTokers and people who were getting
huge deals, and back then it was a big deal
to get anything.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
So yeah, it's really interesting the evolution of it.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
And like I said, I'm really thankful for the opportunities
and that I was fighting against everyone to have it too,
you know, like nobody my cast didn't want me.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Nobody wanted me to have that.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
Or do that, and to be able to fight for
that and to have gotten the success that I did
when it was hard. It was harder for us than
any other cast and to go up against conglomerates and
lawyers and people like the battles were endless. So it's
you know, it means more that we.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Could get that.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
What's the Hills scripted?
Speaker 1 (27:20):
So in the beginning season one, it was just more
like a.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
Few setups, Like the relationships were real, and they would
just say like, Okay, can you stand here and pretend
to crash Laurence teen Vogue table or whatever, And I
was like yeah, whatever, you know, like something like that
would be scripted her internship. I mean, obviously they helped
her get it or whatever, things like that, but the
(27:45):
relationships were real and like just small things were scripted
per episode, and then as it.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Evolved, you know, relationships really changed.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
I think that they tried to keep the other cast
a little more authentic, but for Spencer, neither like, no.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
One will with you.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
You guys don't have an interesting storyline. Nobody who just
wants to watch a love story with you. So if
you guys don't fake fight or do this or that,
like you're not going to be on the episode. So
we were like, great, well, fake fight because we're not
really fighting. We have an incredible relationship. We can make
a lot of money each of us, so it was
like a double income because we've always put our money together.
(28:24):
So we were like why not. And then we would,
you know, I'd fake throw a plate at the door
and then'd be like.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Okay, where are we going? Awad you know, so it
was just being on the theme page was good.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
Other cast members say that the things were somewhat scripted
for them, but I don't.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
I don't know because I wasn't there. We've literally never
filmed with anyone for the rest of this season until
the last few episodes when Christin came back.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Did that negative press ever affect other opportunities like throwing
a plate and like knowing that you are the villain
of the season for however a seasons, did that affect
your opportunities?
Speaker 4 (29:03):
You know, wise, there weren't that many opportunities really for anyone.
There was like one or two, but it just wasn't
that way. Like we made so much of our money
from proparazzi and from US Weekly, and there were just
different things like that that we were making money from.
There were a few deals people got here and there,
but in general, you know, not really.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
I mean, maybe more long term for sure, if you know,
they've probably had opportunities, but everyone's kind of at the
same place now, so you kind of think, well, I
don't know, but my music actually has the biggest resurgence
and has been really successful and people don't even know
from like TikTok and stuff.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
I was on mills like, oh, just like pop, you know,
because they're so young, these this new generation.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
So it's interesting that that.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Enabled me to have more longevity in a different genre
and to be able to pivot into that and have
like Surgeon and then they just had they had the
show and like other things that they do well.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
The last question I have for you is what advice
would you give someone who's new to reality TV and
navigating all of this for the first time.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
I would say a few things.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Definitely, know who you are, stay strong, keep a perspective,
don't mix the worlds, you know, like know your world
and know this is a job and an opportunity. And
then also like go hard and seize the opportunity in
whatever way.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
If you're like, really.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
Find an exciting, great you really find an exciting if
you're you know, like, don't leave anything out there that
you would regret, Like, just go all in, go hard.
You never know what can come from it, and just
do the best that you can.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
At whatever that situation is.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
And again, know that this is just a moment in time,
and you know that's that's kind of it so as
long as you're in your own corner and you feel
good about what you do at the end of the day,
that's all that matters.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Amazing. Thank you so much for spending some of your
time with me today. Tell Spencer I say hello.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Yes, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
We hope to see you back on reality TV too.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Yeah, yes, thank you. You never know.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
Thank you so much for listening to Rachel Goes Rogue.
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