Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County

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Laguna Beach:
The Real Orange County
Genre Reality TV
Teen drama
Created by Liz Gateley
Opening theme "Come Clean" by Hilary Duff
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 43
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 Tony Disanto
Running time Approx. 22 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel MTV
Original run September 28, 2004 – November 16, 2006
Chronology
Followed by Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County (2007 - 2008)
Related shows The Hills (2006 - present)
External links
IMDb profile
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Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County (often referred to as Laguna Beach) was an MTV "reality" show documenting the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, a seaside community located in Orange County, California. It differs from the usual reality show in that it is rather structured as a traditional narrative (seen more commonly in fictionalized television dramas or soap operas) than a straightforward observant documentary.

Contents

[edit] Overview

[edit] Development

During initial development of the show, ideas were to create a faux reality show which followed the lives of rich kids. MTV producers thought about setting a semi-real show in Beverly Hills, mimicking the successful fictional '90s FOX television show Beverly Hills 90210. Producers scouted numerous other rich Southern California towns such as San Marino, Beverly Hills, and Malibu before deciding to locate the show in Laguna Beach. Knowing that FOX was also airing the popular program The O.C., producers added the tagline "The Real Orange County" to the show's moniker before premiering on September 28, 2004.[citation needed]

In September 2006, MTV launched Virtual Laguna Beach, an internet-based program for Laguna fans, cast members, and various celebrities to participate in a virtual setting of the actual show. This platform was created by Makena Technologies (creators of There).[citation needed]

[edit] Format and Structure

Each season documents (all the cast is loosely scripted) the lives of a group of young people living in Laguna Beach, California and attending Laguna Beach High School. Casting would interview applicants about school, their social life, and any romantic interests in search of a story to document that would be of interest to the target audience. Cameras were not invited into the school, but a single camera was taken into formal dances usually by a cast member and some footage was used on-air. The only event to which cameras were allowed was graduation because it was in a public venue rather than the school itself.

Each season started with the introduction of new characters, in an order tied by friendship or love interest. The season usually follows the same structure in which romantic relationships played a bigger role toward the beginning and rivalries were played up nearing the finale. The major themes throughout the seasons include romance/unrequited love, friendships and rivalries, and the presence of wealth.

In the case of rivalries, production invited cast members and their friends to a "peace bonfire" on the beach, in which cast members were to clear the air of any drama. The bonfire was documented early in season 1 where Stephen and Kristin fought because of a new boy Kristin was interested in, Sam. In season 2, Jessica and Alex M were to discuss Alex M's relationship with Jessica's ex-boyfriend, Jason, but Alex M did not comply with "not kissing Jason in front of [Jessica]." In season 3, Rocky and Alex talked about the status of their relationship and later broke up, and Alex went on to ask Lexie for her phone number.

Each season ended with some major event taking place, other than graduation. In seasons 1 and 2, Trey organized fashion shows to help fundraise money for Active Young Americans (season 1) and landslide victims (season 2) with much of the cast either as models or entertainment. In season 3, Chase's band, Open Air Stereo, had its first live show in Los Angeles with much of the cast in attendance.

[edit] Spin-offs

  • Cast member Lauren Conrad (LC) had her road to independence documented in a spin-off entitled The Hills after season 2. She was shown driving out of Laguna Beach to an apartment in Los Angeles where she met her good friend, Heidi Montag, who she originally met while at fashion school in San Francisco. There she spent her days attending the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and interning for Teen Vogue magazine. Along with her car and her clothes, Jason came with Lauren to Los Angeles and cameras documented their rocky relationship and eventual breakup. Later in the series, Laguna cast member Lo would join Lauren as her new roommate. The show premiered on MTV on May 31, 2006.
  • The Real Orange County series moved to Newport Beach, California for a similar, albeit unrelated "fourth season" with a completely new cast from Newport Harbor High School. Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County premiered August 15, 2007.
  • In March 2008 MTV announced that they would begin shooting a new reality show in Marin County following the lives of seven teenagers. Much like the network's other shows, "The County" will follow the teens as they face the problems that affect teens all over the country. The show is set to air in early 2009.

[edit] Cast Members

For a full list of cast members of Laguna Beach see List of Laguna Beach cast members.

[edit] Episode Guide

For a complete episode guide for all seasons, please see List of Laguna Beach episodes.

[edit] Season One

Stephen has fallen for long-time girlfriend, Kristin, much to the dislike of LC, Stephen's close childhood friend. During the times when Stephen and Kristin were at low points in their relationship, Stephen would turn to LC while Kristin went on to hook up with other boys, including Talan. Though these three make a big splash when it comes to romance, much of the trio's close friends had their minds set on other things, including Trey spending time promoting his non-profit organization, Active Young Americans, Christina trying to make singing a professional career, and all their senior friends preparing for college.

[edit] Season Two

Kristen has emerged as a leader among her clique, which includes Jessica and Alex H, rivaling the ways of Alex M and Taylor. Both cliques, however, shared one thing in common: Jason, Laguna's biggest heartbreaker, goes on to date both Jessica and Alex M. With this love-triangle on the rise, Stephen comes back to woo ex-girlfriend, Kristin, but also remains loyal to his best girl, Lauren, who moved back home during her second semester. All of the girls eventually grow out of their rivalry and befriend each other, leading to tearful good-byes when leaving for college!

[edit] Season Three

Tessa's life changed dramatically Rocky, by her side after sophomore year. Tessa is supposedly rivaling Kyndra, her former best friend, and her cohorts, Cami and Nikki. These girls spend their days rekindling romances, shopping around town, and partying with their close friends, including Cameron and girlfriend Jessica (from season 2). When she really needs it, Tessa can always turn to her best guy-friend, Chase, only when he's not spending time rehearsing with Open Air Stereo who eventually signs a contract with Epic Records.

[edit] Criticisms

  • The show has given the city of Laguna Beach a reputation as a city with spoiled and superficial residents. One website reported that not all cast members live in mansions and that some live in typical, middle-class houses. It has been reported that MTV only wanted to film in upper-class homes to depict the Laguna Beach as a wealthy community. Cite Laguna's "Going Home With..." web-series (in which cast members give tours of their bedrooms and cars), cast members reveal that not all Laguna Beach teens own designer items or drive expensive vehicles and live like "normal" teens.[citation needed]
  • There has been much debate throughout the series over how "real" and "true" the show actually is due to the quality and quantity of the camera angles and the alleged public discovery that many of the show's scenes are manipulated by the show's producers. Cite "production manipulation" in episode 208 ("What Goes Around") in which production allegedly staged a bonfire before inviting cast members to interact with one another and had also instructed Jason with his entrance and dialogue. Also cite "production manipulation" in episode 209 ("Cabo, Cabo, Cabo") in which cameras asked to set up before Alex M. confronted Jessica about supposed activity with Jason.[citation needed] Also in season one, Steven enters Kristin's home wearing one outfit and in another shot wearing another.
  • The Parents Television Council (PTC) argued that the sexually explicit and profane content in the series makes the show inappropriate for its intended audience. It included the series in its 2004 study on profanity, violence, and sexual content on cable television. [1] Although much of the profane language throughout the series is censored, the PTC pointed out that the context in which the censored words were used made them discernible, which in their view rendered the censorship useless. The PTC also criticized MTV for not including content indicators such as "L" (language) or "S" (sexual content) in addition to its television ratings for the show, a move that prevents viewers from being able to effectively use the V-chip feature found on some televisions to control the broadcast of the show into their homes. MTV airs the show several times during daytime hours in addition to its regular timeslots around 10:00 PM (ET), and the PTC claimed that the adolescents whom MTV is targeting are being exposed to "excessive sexual and profane content through inaccurately rated programs." [2]
  • MADtv filmed a parody of the show titled Laguna Bi-otch, featuring Nicole Parker as Kristin; Arden Myrin as Jessica and Lo; Crista Flanagan as Alex H. and LC; and Ike Barinholtz as Jason, Talan, and Polster (who plays Jessica's boyfriend in the sketch). [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cable TV Study - Violence, sex and profanity on cable - Basic Cable Awash in Raunch
  2. ^ http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/lbbcolumns/2005/0804.asp
  3. ^ YouTube - Laguna Biotch

[edit] External links