In 2004 the world met Lauren Conrad along with her high school buds Stephen Colletti, Kristin Cavallari, and Lo Bosworth on MTV's Laguna Beach. The teens were thrust into the public sphere as one of the first reality shows. They even preceded other franchises like Bravo's The Real Housewives. Conrad sported the typical Orange County tan and blonde hair. "That's Orange County hair. It's really bleached and straight," she told Allure. "And a lot of sun on my skin. Now I'm always wearing sunscreen."

As crazy as filming a reality show must be, Conrad came across as a normal teenager. A normal teen living in a mansion on the beach, but still a normal teen. She laughed and gossiped with her girlfriends, while pining after that unrequited love.

She even skipped the occasional class. "When you get into senior year, it's a lot harder to go to school," Lauren told MTV in an interview. She shared that she sometimes drove to school and parked her car before deciding to turn around and hit the beach.

Cast member and friend Dieter Schmitz told Time in 2014 that Conrad is as sweet as she seemed on the show. "Lauren's one of my best friends. She hasn't changed at all since we were kids," he shared. "She's still the same, kind person I knew growing up. We still see each other occasionally, and she hasn't changed a bit."