‘Back Then, Reality Stars Got Paid,’ Says ‘The Hills’ Villain Spencer Pratt — How $20K An Episode Turned Infamy Into Fame
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A reality TV villain admits the chaos was planned.
MTV’s “The Hills” personality Spencer Pratt told People magazine that his transformation into one of the show’s most polarizing figures was intentional from the start.
In his newly released memoir, “The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain,” Pratt details how strategy, timing and money shaped his rise on the network’s hit series, which followed young adults navigating careers and relationships in Los Angeles.
The Villain Role Was A Pitch
As the show approached its second season, Pratt positioned himself as the antagonist while pursuing a relationship with Heidi Montag, a fellow reality television personality who later became his wife.
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He and childhood friend Brody Jenner joined the cast in 2007 while also discussing a separate project with MTV.
Pratt said he presented himself to MTV executives as a built-in source of conflict for “The Hills,” People reported. He described himself as the “villain every story requires,” arguing that tension would keep audiences watching.
The strategy secured Pratt and Jenner a place on the show as producers looked to maintain momentum.
Reality TV Paid Differently Back Then
Pratt said he was paid between $15,000 and $20,000 per episode and his contract allowed for renegotiation if his presence on the show increased, according to People.
“Back then, reality stars got paid,” Pratt reportedly wrote in his memoir. “Today? Not so much. People do reality shows for free these days, just for social media followers.”
His comparison comes as average pay for reality TV work in the U.S. sits around $38,581 a year, well below earlier per-episode payouts, according to ZipRecruiter.
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A Spinoff That Never Launched
Before committing to “The Hills,” Pratt said he and Jenner were close to finalizing a separate MTV reality series, “Banking on Brody.” The pair also filmed a pilot for the project, capturing the two around Beverly Hills, including appearances by Jenner’s stepsister, Khloé Kardashian, before she rose to fame, People reported.
Pratt proposed joining “The Hills” before launching a standalone series so audiences could become familiar with them, People reported. The separate project, “Banking on Brody,” never moved forward.
Pratt and Montag later became known as “Speidi,” a dynamic that shaped some of the show’s most talked-about moments on “The Hills,” including his long-running feud with series lead Lauren Conrad.
Pratt added that former MTV President Tony DiSanto later told him the series would have been canceled after season two without the “Speidi” storyline, People reported.
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Image: Shutterstock
