The producers of these shows made a franchise out of an obvious truth: high school kids create and thrive on petty, selfish conflict. So with television in general (and reality TV in particular) trying desperately to find, or recreate, serious drama, why not just put cameras on high school kids and let them do what they do best: whine, and bitch, and backstab? While we're at it, why not make those kids the most beautiful, spoiled children of the West Coast elite? Against the backdrop of beautiful beach mansions and fancy cars, these shows, I honestly believe, are the most real and genuine reality programs out there. Though the protagonists are obviously aware that cameras are following them everywhere, I argue that all of the drama is completely real, and would occur almost exactly as it does on television, even if there is some incidental coaching and clever editing along the way. High school kids are crazy, and rich, spoiled high school kids are fucking batshit. The original "Laguna Beach" has produced some truly memorable characters, such as bitter rivals Kristin Cavallari and Lauren Conrad, as well as bad-boy and assault/battery regular, Jason whatever his last name is. That dude is a badass.

I seriously recommend checking these shows out. If you can watch one episode and not be immediately hooked, then you are obviously what's wrong with society and the war in the Iraq and blah blah blah.