'He’s Kind of an Evil Genius'

IN HIS CAMPAIGN ADVERTISEMENTS, mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt portrays Los Angeles as a tent-strewn hellscape.

It’s a far cry from the sparkling city MTV viewers saw depicted on The Hills, the reality show that made Pratt famous in the mid-aughts. Nearly every episode began with a panning B-roll shot of jewel box homes teetering on Hollywood hillsides. Pratt and the show’s other twentysomething stars spent their days tanning by the pool at their Mediterranean-style apartment villa or shopping at Fred Segal, the ivy-covered boutique on Melrose. The velvet-rope-lined nightclubs they frequented — Les Deux, Area, Hyde — became so popular that millennial tourists outside of California began planning trips to L.A. just to visit the same hotspots. 

Though “The Hills” ostensibly starred Lauren Conrad — the wide-eyed beach blonde who cameras followed from her high school days on “Laguna Beach” to the big city — Pratt quickly became one of the series’ fixtures. He started dating Conrad’s best friend, Heidi Montag; Conrad loathed him, and the romance drove a wedge between her and Montag. Over the show’s six seasons, Pratt would go on to display all sorts of unsavory behavior: spreading a rumor about the existence of a Conrad sex tape, threatening physical violence against castmates, calling his sister a “crazy bitch.” 

Pratt — who has been married to Montag since 2009 — has since claimed that many of his most vitriolic moments on the show were staged in the hopes of attracting high ratings. But were we here at L.A. Material going to take his word for it? Of course not. We reached out to dozens of cast and crew who worked on The Hills during its four-year run to get their thoughts on the parallels between the Spencer from reality television and the Spencer running for mayor. The picture his former colleagues painted is of an uber-focused — at times obsessive — Pacific Palisades native who was unafraid of ruffling feathers and remains exceptionally skilled at controlling media narratives. 

Through their publicists, Conrad and Kristin Cavallari — the two female leads of “The Hills” — declined to participate in this story. Other cast members, including Brody Jenner, Whitney Port, Audrina Patridge, Lo Bosworth and Justin “Bobby” Brescia, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But a number of cast and crew spoke to us about what Pratt was like then, and what they make of his run. 

Interviews have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Who? Supervising producer, post-production, seasons 1-4 & 6

Voting for Pratt? No

The cast would sometimes get screeners of the episodes before they would air, and every once in a while, they would put in a request to have something edited if they didn’t like it. Not all of those things were granted. It wasn’t uncommon if someone didn’t like something about their appearance, I would be the one who was asked to fix it in post. 

Spencer was better than his castmates at spinning the press and making sure he was at the forefront of public attention. I had to keep up with the tabloids to make sure the episodes stayed relevant. What I thought was very crafty about him is that he figured out what everyone’s job was and he could do what to help him. I was impressed that he knew I was the one who could clear up his skin, for example. 

With the race, it’s really only been the last few weeks where it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, shit. He’s gaining some traction.’ At first, I wasn’t concerned. But then reasonable, logical people I know started saying they were thinking about voting for him. And then I felt like, ‘Oh, we’re in trouble.’

He was always incredibly opportunistic and looking out for himself. I think it’s naive of Angelenos to think he’s evolved into some person that really cares about the community. He was really able to vocalize for his community in the Palisades and the frustration there. But at one point he was worth $10 million — he blew through that. I don’t know how he’s supposed to handle a budget. 

He always bounces back and has a way of keeping himself relevant. Are those good qualities for a mayor? I guess. 

Would I put Los Angeles’ stability at stake based on that? No.

Who? Owner of fashion publicity firm People’s Revolution, where Conrad and Port were interns starting in season 3

Voting for Pratt? Ineligible, lives in New York

I was surprised when I first saw he was running. But when you look at the candidates in the primary, I think Karen Bass is an idiot — and I hate to say that about a woman. I think there’s something really shady about this chick.

I’ve had kickback from people going, ‘We never thought you would support someone MAGA-adjacent.’ But he seems to have the tools and the passion to do the job. From a PR standpoint, I’ve watched the trajectory of what he’s doing, and I think he’s serious. I do believe his heart is in the right place. You have to think: Does this person really have the tenacity and passion to do this job? He’s an L.A. kid — The Hills was about kids who grew up in L.A. He became a reality star, but just because someone is on a reality show doesn’t mean somebody doesn’t have a point of view or is stupid gladiator fodder for people eating popcorn and drinking chardonnay. 

From a PR standpoint, I think his campaign is great. I don’t think he needs my help. His footage is really compelling. When people think of L.A., they think of the coastline, hot chicks at Erewhon. But now it looks like a one-wagon town now and it’s all boarded up. Moms are out on the street with their fucking baby strollers — do you want to walk out of the house and think you’re gonna get popped? So did I ever think he would be the mayor of L.A. when I worked with him on The Hills? No, I didn’t. But I think he’s the best candidate. These two chicks [Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman]? I think he’s got them. They don’t have the receipts.

Who? Friend of Conrad’s from Laguna Beach who allegedly tried to steal Conrad’s boyfriend, Jenner, during seasons 2-3

Voting for Pratt? Ineligible, lives in Orange County

I met Heidi shortly after graduating high school around 2005, and we’ve been friends ever since. I’m the godmother of their oldest son, Gunner, so we have a pretty close relationship. I just visited them up at their beach house. 

I think he’s done a great job advocating for the Palisades, and that the fires awoke something in him that he’s really passionate about and talented at — fighting for the people. People probably thought, ‘Geez, he’s so good at exposing what happened here and fighting for what we need in the Palisades — couldn’t this be extrapolated to the larger region and more issues?’ 

The personality he has is actually going to be what people end up appreciating, because he can make things happen. In his younger years, maybe he had different outlets, like reality TV, that seemed unusual. But I think the characteristics that allowed him to be well-known in those areas are also going to make him a really effective politician. He has an ability to stand up to the incumbent administration and isn’t afraid to say the things that need to be said or step on toes. He’s not afraid to hurt feelings because he’s focused on getting results.

Who? Director of photography, seasons 1 & 3

Voting for Pratt? Ineligible, lives in Georgia

He was a very strong character, but he always treated everybody on the crew really, really nice. He and Heidi were both very respectful of the crew and what we had to do, and we all worked really long hours.

I was really shocked to see he was involved with politics. To me, it shows the polarization that’s happening in L.A. The city took a lot of hits with Covid and the [entertainment] industry just shut down, and then the fires. It’s a lot for a city to take on. 

People want change, but is Spencer the right change? Is it a knee-jerk reaction? Does Spencer really know how state government is run? There’s a lot to running a city. There are so many factors involved and departments and communities. Do you have any experience in that? I don’t think he has any of that. 

I’m also not a big fan of the AI videos that have come out trying to support him — the one that had Karen Bass as The Joker? That is just terrible. I find that really offensive and divisive. It’s not helping the situation. But that’s what’s happening in politics now.

Who? Dated Conrad during seasons 4-5

Voting for Pratt? Ineligible, lives in Orange County

Spencer has always been a very smart guy. The show needed a villain, and he was going to fill that role. He decided that’s how he was going to make money, stay on TV and build his brand — and that’s what he did. He made The Hills probably one of the most successful reality shows of all time. He’s always had a knack for reaching people.

I said, ‘You have a great story. You can touch the average voter.’ He’s done a great job just using common sense. He wants to get people that are hooked on drugs off the street and help them get a job afterwards. I think that’s the humane thing to do. He’s already talking to really successful people that want to get L.A. back to the days of ‘The Hills.’ That was the L.A. I loved. If you look back at the show, it’s not even the same place. We used to go out in Hollywood to bars and restaurants, and I wouldn’t be caught dead at Hollywood and Highland now. You can’t walk five feet without stepping on a needle or feces or whatever. 

He’s a really good guy. He loves his family, and he’s turned into a great man — great husband, great father. He got very religious. He decided to run and I think he was doing it to more so to, I’d say, maybe wake up people in power and kind of shake things up. But the things he was saying were resonating, and if you give Spencer a glimmer of hope …

Who? Talent producer, seasons 1-6

Voting for Pratt? Undecided

I was basically like a liaison from talent to production, listening to cast stories, getting all the info and going back to the writer’s room and formulating the storylines. 

He changed the way our show operated. For better or worse, we definitely had more ratings and drama because of him. He was such an operator, and that is who he is. I experienced him as wanting to produce with us, and the other cast members were more in the experience. He had done a reality show and was more sophisticated. I’ve seen him be a producer — really direct, confrontational. He can be a great listener — he really can. He really works off energy. I’m not surprised that he spent a million on crystals, because he is like a full battery. 

I haven’t talked to Spencer in years, but hearing that he and Heidi lost their home was really hard to see. I have a love for him and Heidi forever, just seeing how much they’ve gone through. When I saw he was running for mayor — I definitely never laugh anything off when it comes to Spencer. He has always made it very clear what he cares about and where he puts his energy.  He’s relentless, whether it’s about wanting to be on reality TV or Heidi’s career. 

I feel like he’s really speaking to his side of town that was experiencing this thing that I could not relate to because I didn’t experience the fires like that. I could see him getting a reaction from people who were really listening to him — especially others who had also lost their homes. If the mayor needs showmanship or performance — someone to be the face of how people are feeling at their most chaotic — then he would do really well at that.

Who? Director, seasons 1-3

Voting for Pratt? Ineligible, lives in Minnesota

He’s kind of an evil genius — a master manipulator of the media, and he has been since back in the day. The Hills would never be as successful as it was without Spencer Pratt. And much to the consternation of the MTV press department, he was great at placing stories in tabloids and on Radar Online, TMZ, Perez Hilton. He had those guys on speed dial. 

I think he has an uncanny skill to get the message he wants across. … Spencer's bombastic attitude on ‘The Hills’ was born from his desire to see the show become the highest-rated show on television and make a name for himself as TV's greatest villain. He carries that same attitude forward with his run for mayor of Los Angeles.

At first, I felt like him running was a charade. The analogies to Trump are too easy. I don't think Trump thought he was going to win in 2016. And maybe Spencer thought this was a lark, but then after that last debate and what’s happened in the polls, I think he's going to be on the ballot. I think he is the next mayor of Los Angeles.

I'd say Spencer Pratt is a combination of Zohran Mamdani and Donald Trump. He represents the grievance politics of Trump and the keen use of social media that Mamdani has. Both seem to outline problems without ever really having real solutions.

Who? Pratt’s childhood friend who appeared on seasons 5-6

Voting for Pratt? Declined to answer

When I heard about him running, I was pleasantly surprised. Because I thought, ‘Ah, this makes sense for him.’ It felt like a natural segue, because he's good at getting attention and he's just incapable of being dishonest — for better or worse. He just doesn't have that thing that makes him want to manipulate a situation. He does it 100% transparently. He's been that way since, like, pre-puberty. Since coming of age, he hasn’t changed much. And there’s positives and negatives to that. But he’s himself through and through, and it brings me joy to watch. 

No matter what it is, he's 100% in. He has one setting, and it doesn’t deviate from where his attention is focused. So if he decides crystals are a thing for him, he is gonna learn everything about them and get the best ones he can get. It was Jiu Jitsu at one point. I remember him religiously watching movies and studying those incredible late 90s and early 2000s blockbuster films. So if he's gonna give his attention and do something in a positive direction for us in the city of Los Angeles, I think he will not hold back. 

Knowing him, if something is within the letter of the law, I don’t see him backing down from any of his promises. He would probably not want to be embarrassed if he got the job so that he would make sure he would do the best job possible.

Amy Kaufman is is a journalist who spent 15 years at the Los Angeles Times and wrote the New York Times bestselling book "Bachelor Nation."