The Simple Life
| The Simple Life | |
|---|---|
 The Simple Life logo | |
| Created by | Bunim/Murray Productions |
| Starring | Paris Hilton Nicole Richie |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 54 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | FOX (2003-2005) E! (2006-2007) |
| Release | December 2, 2003 – August 5, 2007 |
The Simple Life was a reality television series broadcast from December 2, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first three seasons aired on Fox, and the final two on E!. The comedic show depicts two wealthy young socialites (Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie) as they struggle to do manual, low-paying jobs such as cleaning rooms, doing farm work, serving meals in fast-food restaurants and working as camp counselors.
Show History
Beginnings
The idea for The Simple Life was generated in Fox's comedy department. Brad Johnson, senior VP of comedy development, said The Simple Life was born out of a challenge from Fox Television Entertainment Group Chairman Sandy Grushow and News Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin to find another way to do comedies outside of the traditional sitcom format.
"The areas that seemed simplest and cleanest was to go back to those high-concept '60s sitcoms and say let's do them for real," Mr. Johnson said. The Simple Life was inspired by Green Acres, a sitcom about a New York society couple who moved to a farm. Mr. Johnson said they originally thought of moving an entire family to the South. Cameras would observe as the former socialites, deprived of access to their bank accounts and Beemers, attempt to get a job, buy groceries and fit in with average Americans.
At the same time the comedy department was developing the idea, Paris Hilton was meeting with the studio's casting department. Sharon Klein, senior VP of casting at the studio, said she was immediately fascinated by Ms. Hilton and wanted to do a show with her. "I'm used to meeting with actors who are putting on a facade," Ms. Klein said. "She was so real. She was funny. At that first meeting she did not come off stupid. She was in her own reality and not embarrassed to talk about it. There was a sweetness to her."
The two departments talked and realized they had their show: Send Paris Hilton and her sister Nicky, who had never worked a day in their lives, to live and work on a farm. At the time, the studio was working closely with Mike Darnell, head of reality programming at Fox, who liked the idea. "They wanted to see stilettos in cow shit," Ms. Klein said.[1] Paris was convinced to come on board, however Nicky, being somewhat shy to the limelight at the time, opted out. Paris told some media that she was in talks to do the show by herself[2], but ultimately, Fox decided the city-living cast had to be a duo.
Paris allegedly asked several close friends on board, including Bijou Phillips and Kimberly Stewart, and ended up making the agreement with Nicole Richie. Fox hired established reality producer Bunim/Murray to produce. Bunim/Murray found the Leding family in Altus, Arkansas, for Paris and Nicole to move in with. A band known as The Penfifteen Club recorded one of the show's themes, a tribute song called "Miss Hilton". Production began May 2, 2003.
Fox Cancellation
Bunim/Murray originally had plans to send the cast on a trip to Mexico in its fourth season, but plans were quickly put on hold, and rearranged. In an interview with USA Today, Paris confirmed the longstanding rumor that Nicole and herself were no longer friends by that time, and that Nicole would not be part of the fourth season. Plans at this point were now to shoot on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Instead, said Paris, the new co-star would be Paris's friend Kimberly Stewart, the daughter of rocker Rod Stewart, and someone Paris had wanted on the show to begin with. Kimberly said that producers would attempt to mollify Nicole by giving her a new reality show of her own, a Newlyweds-styled effort focused on her then-upcoming wedding to Adam Goldstein, known professionally as DJ AM.[3]
Fox was quick to debunk what Paris and Kimberly had said. Fox Network head Peter Ligouri told the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles that Paris and Nicole were actually both contracted for another two seasons. Kimberly was not going to be involved at all, and Paris and Nicole are, in his words "TV professionals, who will be ready to work together when the time comes."[4]
Fox then unexpectedly canceled its plans for any further seasons of the The Simple Life in October 2005, both because it had filled its mid season show quota, and because Paris and Nicole had the falling out as friends.
Picked up by E!
After it was dropped by Fox, other networks, such as NBC, The WB, VH1 and MTV were all reported to be interested in obtaining the rights to air new seasons of the show.[5] On November 28, 2005, E! announced that they had picked up The Simple Life and had ordered production go ahead on the fourth season, along with the rights to re-air the first three seasons. Shooting for the new season finally began February 27, 2006.[6]
The Fifth Season Complications
Despite the fact that the stars of the show had sorted out their differences and agreed to shoot the season together, the fifth season had many complications during production. It was originally set to begin production in November 2006 and air in March 2007 but was put on temporary hold, as Nicole had to enter a health care facility for her ongoing weight issues."[7]
Production resumed as of March 2, 2007, however more complications arose. Both Paris and Nicole faced major charges for DUI, and were at risk of serving jail time. Paris was sentenced to 23 days in jail, though this was after production of the season had finished.[8] Nicole accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to 4 days in jail, again thankfully after production had wrapped.[9]
During some early shooting days, Nicole complained of illness. After she was examined by the on-set doctor she was taken to a nearby hospital where she received intravenous fluids for 15 minutes before being released. This incident set production behind schedule.[10]
Courtney Love described Paris's birthday party on her website as having a "big pile of white powder" in the bathroom. It was thought the description of the incident, which took place on the eve of the Oscars, might have cost Paris and Nicole the new season. Despite all the problems, the shooting of the season finished in time and the season actually premiered earlier than otherwise expected.
E! Cancellation & Possible Future
Nicole confirmed on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles that she signed a contract for a sixth and seventh season of the show. [11]
In an interview on Larry King Live, Paris confirmed that she and Nicole will start shooting Season 6 by the end of 2007. "In a couple of months" in her own words.
Despite the initial hopes for continuation, E! announced they had cancelled the show on July 30, 2007, due to personal problems overshadowing the show. Another network may pick up the series, MTV being a strong possibility. [12]
E! networks final statement: "The Simple Life has been a wonderful addition to the E! Schedule for two years and we will always be grateful to Paris and Nicole for their hard work and graciousness."
While E! has cancelled The Simple Life, series producer Twentieth Century Fox refuses to say the franchise is a goner. The company is holding out hope another network may pick it up for another go-round, in the same way E! did in 2005 after Fox dropped the show. However, any new incarnation may not feature Paris and Nicole. [13]
Paris herself made a statement at the premiere of Rush Hour 3 saying "It's been a great five years and we had so much fun, but I'm happy to end it at that." suggesting she has opted out of any continuation of the series. [14]
It appears Nicole will also be unavailable to shoot any further episodes of the show, having just announced her pregnancy and wanting to focus on her family in future. [15]
A spin-off to air on E! featuring Kelly Osbourne and Kimberly Stewart in Paris and Nicole's shoes was in the works [16] but was not picked up after Osbourne opted out of the project, branding it "demeaning and juvenile". [17]
Keeping Up With The Kardashians is airing as the replacement. [18]
Seasons
The First Season
In the first season, Paris and Nicole agreed to leave behind their cellphones, credit cards and celebrity status to move in with the Leding family in Altus, Arkansas for a month.
What was supposed to be an experiment in learning how to adapt to doing chores and getting their hands dirty turned out to be a failure. In the process they would ruin a dairy farmer's milk supply, wreak havoc at a local Sonic Drive-In and take advantage of an employer's credit card, ultimately getting fired from every job they took up. This was greatly upsetting to the Leding family. Despite all of this, the two would often get a reality check from the family themselves. Whether Paris and Nicole took it to heart remains to be seen.
The show started airing on Fox December 2, 2003, to surprisingly well received ratings. The premiere episode drew 13 million viewers, increasing Fox's Adults 18-49 rating a phenomenal 79%.[19] The second episode drew 13.3 million viewers, an increase of 200,000 viewers over its premiere.[20] During the airing of the series, Fox added two extra episodes and a reunion special, which continued to draw ratings. With results like this, it was only natural that Fox would order a second season. The DVD of this season was released in U.S. on January 20, 2004. Some international releases included the bonus episode and the reunion episode.
Road Trip
A second season, subtitled Road Trip, began broadcasting in the summer of 2004. In this season, Paris and Nicole traveled across the United States in a pink pickup truck (driven by Paris), pulling an airstream trailer. They participated in such activities as catching crayfish, working as maids in a nudist resort, and sausage-making.
The premiere episode (drawing 9.8 million overall viewers[21]) showcased Hilton's horseback-riding accident, which made headlines when they were still filming.
The ratings continued to climb during the season, and Fox was quick to announce heading into production on Season 3, not before airing a special episode titled The Simple Life - The Stuff We Weren't Allowed To Show You on November 17, 2004. The special showcased several cut scenes from the season (some of which appear on the Season 2 DVD) as well as preview clips for the third season. The DVD of this season was released in U.S. on November 2, 2004. A CD-soundtrack for this season was also released.[22]
Interns
The third season, began shooting October 27, 2004. The first episode premiered January 26, 2005. The third season, subtitled Interns, would see Paris and Nicole take various internships with companies along the East Coast of the United States. Paris and Nicole traveled around the northeast United States via the Greyhound Bus company's publicly available bus routes. But unlike season 2, this time around Paris and Nicole did not have a swanky home on wheels and instead were travelling around the northeast in a regular Greyhound bus that was also ferrying normal members of the public that are travelling to the same destination.
The season featured one memorable encounter with twin baby orangutans from Parrot Jungle Island in Miami, Florida. Nicole Richie's fiance DJ Adam Goldstein also appeared in this season when he surprised Nicole and took her on a date. In this season, there were episodes where they were given little or no money while interning, or their internships were shortened because instead of being professional, they would goof off or fail to do the work properly.
The episode Mortuary was set in a funeral home. It drew minor controversy among viewers because Paris and Nicole struggled with unloading a casket from a hearse, then spilling cremated ashes on the floor and using a vacuum to clean it up. The show's producers claimed the casket was empty and the "human ashes" was just a stage prop[23] made of cement and cat litter. [24]. In the last episode of the season, there was no party shown with friends or family. Instead, they were hounded by paparazzi, one of the final times the two were seen together on good terms for quite some time. The DVD of this season was released in U.S. on March 19, 2006.
'Til Death Do Us Part
The fourth season premiered on June 4, 2006, drawing 1.3 million viewers. While those ratings would have been dismal for Fox, it was actually more than four times E!’s prime-time average. And in key adult demographic groups, ratings more than tripled from the network’s average.[25] The season features Paris and Nicole playing "Wife" to a different family every episode, in a similar manner to Wife Swap. Paris and Nicole alternate between the family each episode, with the family then deciding which of them was better in the role.
This season was also unique, as Paris and Nicole did not leave L.A. The families they stayed with were L.A area residents, and the episodes often focused on Paris and Nicole's personal lives and careers as well as the challenge of being a wife and mother. This season also featured guest appearances from Paris and Nicole's well-known friends, family and associates. Since the season was set in their hometowns, Paris and Nicole had cell phone and credit card usage, previously denied to them in earlier seasons.
The season finale ended with Paris confronting Nicole, stating "We have to talk", and Nicole answering "Then talk...", followed by a screen that read "To be continued... next season!" Many viewers were shocked and angry over this cliffhanger ending.
On Thursday, July 28, 2006, several E! series were added to the iTunes Music Store. Among these series was The Simple Life Seasons 1 and 4. The DVD of this season was released on December 26, 2006.[26]
Goes to Camp
It was announced on October 9, 2006 that Paris and Nicole had rekindled their friendship and had agreed to shoot the fifth season of The Simple Life together. In an interview with Australian Cosmopolitan magazine in January 2007, Paris confirmed The Simple Life will resume shooting in March 2007, in Malibu, California. The tentative title for the season was Malibu: Camp Simple Life, but later adjusted to The Simple Life Goes to Camp.[27] Paris explained how she and Nicole will be counselors for multiple camps, including, but not restricted to, a beauty pageant camp, a fat camp and a couples camp.[28] It was subsequently confirmed that The Simple Life Goes to Camp has Paris and Nicole working as counselors at Camp Shawnee, a fictional camp on the site of an actual camp, Camp JCA Shalom. The camp will be host to five different specialty groups: Wellness Camp, Pageant Camp, Couples Camp, Survival Camp and Drama Camp.[29] The campers are not the camp's real campers, and at least one of the counselors, Hunter Cross, admits he is an actor who auditioned for the role. [30] Also, the camp nurse is an actress according to IMDB. One of the campers (the high maitnence girl who quit the camp early) from survival camp was also seen on an Oust air freshener commercial. In fact, the only "real" people from Camp JCA Shalom to appear on the show are Jorge, the camp chef, and Julia, the camp dog. The season premiere was on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2007, and the show began its normal Sunday night timeslot the following week on E!.[31] The complete fifth season will be released to DVD on January 22, 2008. [32] This season is also available for download on iTunes.
Awards and recognition
- 2004, won ASCAP Award for Top TV Series.
- 2004, won BMI TV Music Award
- 2004, nominated for Teen Choice Awards for Choice Reality/Variety TV Star - Female Paris Hilton and Choice TV Show - Reality/Variety.
- 2005, nominated for Teen Choice Award, Choice TV Show: Reality and for 'The Simple Life: Interns'.
- 2006, nominated in the Teen Choice Awards for TV - Choice Reality Star (Female) - Paris Hilton.
- 2007, nominated in the Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star - Paris Hilton.
Episodes
Remakes and rip-offs
Paris and Nicole's rural misadventures on The Simple Life have proved so popular with viewers that Fox World has produced international versions for overseas television. While Paris's international counterparts aren't hotel heiresses, they are relatively rich and well-known in their home countries, and the plots of the remakes tend to be the same. So far, at least nine official remakes have been produced:
- Simple Life: Mudando de Vida for the Brazilian market
- La Vie Rurale for the Quebec market with Anne-Marie Losique as producer and star; A subtitled French version of the US edition also aired on Musiqueplus and Musimax.
- Lihtne Elu for the Estonian market
- Ciao Bella! for the Belgian market
- La Ferme Célébrités for the French market
- Cambio de Vida for the Uruguayan market
- Her Şey Yolunda for the Turkish market, featuring Tuğba Özay and Yeliz Yeşilmen
- On the Road for the Italian market
- Chayim Al-Pi Y, Ha- for the Israeli market
In 2006, E4 ran the first unofficial British remake show featuring Big Brother evictee Nikki Grahame called Princess Nikki. In a similar fashion to The Simple Life she is 'employed' in different jobs (including fish gutter and farmer) to see whether she can last one day without being fired for her now-infamous tantrums. Channel 4 are also planning another British remake that will star young, rich English socialites, who are not currently famous or well known. Casting began August 2006.[33]
Some other international markets, such as Japan, chose to subtitle or dub the original rather than produce a remake.[34]
The Simple Life has also been emulated by other less-official remakes. A good example of another reality series is E!'s Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive, which shared various unquestionable similarities with The Simple Life. It has also been said that The Simple Life has inspired other works such as Cow Belles and Material Girls; movies with very similar premises.[35][36]
Paris has released her own reality show. Titled This Is Paris, it focused more around her personal life, and the recording of her debut album, very much in the vein of In Bed With Madonna. It aired on MTV on August 8, 2006 and on VH1 on August 9, 2006. The rumours of Nicole set to have her own show about her romance and wedding planning with DJ AM were put to rest by Nicole herself, when she said she would never do a reality show about her personal life.[37] The couple is also no longer together.
Ever since plans to appear in The Simple Life fell through, Kimberly Stewart has been working hard to develop her own reality series. A series pilot, titled Win Your Life Back featured Kimberly taking favourite personal belongings off two teams of young female contestants, and putting them through challenges to win their belongings back. Whichever team wins back the most belongings would win a $100,000 shopping spree. The pilot was presented to MTV, but was not picked up.
Kimberly then began shooting a direct spin-off to The Simple Life with Kelly Osbourne for E!, but after it was also not picked up, she finally secured an active reality show, shot in London, titled Living With Kimberly Stewart, in which she put contestents through challenges involving her. The winner got to live in a luxury London pent-house, rent-free with Kimberly for a year. The show premiered on Living TV in the U.K in 2007.
In 2005, NBC produced a reality series titled I Want To Be a Hilton. I Want To Be a Hilton took the idea of The Simple Life, and reversed it. Hosted by Kathy Hilton, Paris' mom, the show saw several contestants from rural country and suburban areas having to perform certain tasks ranging from dog grooming to a fashion show and organizing a charity event, while learning etiquette and manners. The finalist of the competition received a prize package that included a $200,000 trust fund, a new apartment, wardrobe and the opportunity to live the life of high society for one year. Paris and Nicky guest starred in an episode, and Paris's dog Tinkerbell (who appeared in The Simple Life) also took part.
Notes
- ^ 'Simple Life' New Reality at Fox Studio
- ^ Paris Hilton says she’ll live on a farm and star in Green Acres reality show
- ^ Paris Hilton dumps Nicole Richie from 'The Simple Life 4', replaces her with Kimberly Stewart
- ^ Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to both return for 'Simple Life 4'
- ^ Fox drops 'The Simple Life 4,' NBC and The WB reportedly interested
- ^ Fox's canceled 'The Simple Life 4' reality show lands at E! Network
- ^ Nicole Richie Seeks Help
- ^ Paris Hilton risks jail time for driving on suspended license
- ^ Nicole Richie pleads guilty to driving under the influence, sentenced to 90 hours in jail
- ^ Nicole Richie Rushed to Hospital
- ^ Nicole Interview with KIIFM
- ^ E! DROPS THE SIMPLE LIFE
- ^ Simple Life Producer: Not So Fast!
- ^ 'The Simple Life' star Paris Hilton "happy" about the show's end
- ^ Richie reveals she's pregnant
- ^ Have Kimberly & Kelly Replaced Paris & Nicole?
- ^ Kelly Osbourne, Kimberly Stewart's Reality TV Show Cancelled!
- ^ Kim Kardashian’s Getting a Reality TV Show
- ^ FOX's 'The Simple Life' premiere draws 13 million viewers and the night's highest Adults 18-49 rating
- ^ Second episode of 'The Simple Life' draws even better ratings
- ^ FOX's 'The Simple Life 2' premieres well, wins time periods
- ^ The Simple Life, Vol. 2 [ENHANCED SOUNDTRACK]
- ^ 'Simple Life' episode upsets residents
- ^ Simple Life funeral home visit shocks residents
- ^ Simple Life 4 debut quadruples E!’s average ratings
- ^ The Simple Life 4: 'Til Death Do Us Part - The Simple Housewives? Season 4
- ^ Hilton, Richie to become camp counselors
- ^ Sandiford, Fiona (February 2007). "Paris Reveals". Australian Cosmopolitan. ACP. p. 62.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ People: Hilton/Richie
- ^ E's Simple Life 5 debuts, follows Paris and Nicole at a pretend camp staffed by actors
- ^ Simple Life posters
- ^ [1]
- ^ The Real Simple Life (Working Title) requires participants
- ^ Fox Japan - Simple Life
- ^ Cow Belles DVD Review
- ^ Hilary and Haylie's Not-So-Simple Life
- ^ Nicole Richie says she won't let 'Simple Life 4' follow her "real life"
External links
| Studio albums | |
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| Singles | |
| Books | |
| Film | |
| Television | |
| Cultural depictions | |
| Related | |
