The Simple Life is an American reality television series starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. It depicts the two wealthy socialites, as they struggle to do menial, low-paying jobs such as cleaning rooms, farm work, serving meals in fast-food restaurants, and working as camp counselors. The series premiered on December 2, 2003, on Fox, and concluded on August 5, 2007, on E!. A falling out between Hilton and Richie in 2005 led the series to be cancelled by Fox following its third season. It was eventually picked up by E!, which aired its fourth and fifth seasons. The Simple Life helped catapult Hilton and Richie into international stardom, and maintained a consistently high viewership throughout its run on both networks. It also spawned a number of international remakes.
Paris and Nicole shooting The Simple Life.
Quebec remake La Vie Rurale (The Rural Life) promo shot, with Jacynthe Millette-Bilodeau (left) and Anne-Marie Losique (right)
Kelly and Kimberly shooting a spin-off to The Simple Life that was not picked up.
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s with shows such as The Real World, then achieved prominence in the early 2000s with the success of the series Survivor, Idol, and Big Brother, all of which became global franchises. Reality television shows tend to be interspersed with "confessionals", short interview segments in which cast members reflect on or provide context for the events being depicted on-screen; this is most commonly seen in American reality television. Competition-based reality shows typically feature the gradual elimination of participants, either by a panel of judges, by the viewership of the show, or by the contestants themselves.
The Loud family, subjects of the pioneering PBS series An American Family. During filming, the parents decided to divorce and son Lance (top right) came out as gay.
Dutch media tycoon John de Mol Jr., who created the reality television franchises Big Brother, Fear Factor and The Voice, among others
Duncan Laurence, who competed on the fifth season of singing competition show The Voice of Holland in 2014, with the trophy for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.
Reality TV personality Kim Kardashian