Andy DehnartE! Online’s resident sycophant Wanda, er, Kristin has for us “the true story behind MTV’s cult hit, Laguna Beach.” As usual, her scoops are about three weeks old, as she reveals such breaking news as the series’ renewal and the fact that the cast has become celebrities. (No way!) Also as usual, she inexplicably pretends that she doesn’t like a show she actually watches.
However, she does have some new information to report about the way the series is produced, although none of it that different from what happens on other reality series. For example, “the castmembers only ‘work’ Thursday through Sunday, … so important ‘scenes’ are often delayed and then set up by producers to make sure they’re caught on film.”
She also reveals that the producers interfere with their lives. For example, “[b]efore the bonfire, the crew spent hours lighting the beach and the mountains in the background before the kids were allowed to interact with each other.” And while Laguna Beach does not include interviews like other reality shows, Kristin says there’s “off-camera coaching” from producers who prompt the cast to talk about certain subjects, and that “is actually the reason we often see castmembers laughing when they talk about serious situations.”
Finally, Kristin contradicts the show’s executive producer, who said that the third season would be similar to the second. Instead, Kristin reports that “they’re toying with the idea of introducing a few new kids that are seniors this year (they’re casting now), but ultimately, the show will focus on the current cast, living in Los Angeles, and will pop back into Laguna from time to time.”