I never saw “The Simple Life” when it first aired. It had a lot to do with the fact that I’m not a fan of the so-called wave of ‘reality’ shows that are bombarding TV screens. The other thing that kept me away was the casting of ‘rich girls’ Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. It was bad enough that these girls were getting their 15 minutes of fame due to their party lives, but to give then their own show is just insane. Of course, the voyeuristic nature of people pretty much guaranteed the show would make a lot of money, and it did. So much so, that the talk of a 2nd season became a reality almost immediately. This time however, instead of placing the girls in a house with a small town family, they had to drive themselves across the country in a big pink truck, pulling a trailer behind them. They were to take no money, phones or credit cards, which forced them to take odd jobs along the way. The idea was that hilarity would ensue.

When I received the DVD for this 2nd season I thought I would go ahead and give it a whirl, in spite of the fact that I had an aversion to these two air-headed bimbos. Based on what I had read in the news, and caught on the Internet, I had the idea that Paris and Nicole were spoiled rich girls who shared an intelligence level just above top soil. Really, I thought they were idiots. After watching several episodes of the 2nd season, I found out that in reality they WERE spoiled rich air-headed bimbos. My mistake was in believing their intelligence level fell above top soil. Let’s just say top soil would be a member of Mensa compared to these two.

Was the show entertaining? Hard to say. There were points where I chuckled, mostly when it came to their having to work as maids in a nudist colony. The rest of the time I pretty much just sat in awe at how incredibly vapid they were. I had heard over and over again from my friends how sexy they were, which was supposed to make the show worth watching. Why anyone would consider these two sexy is beyond me. They are only fairly attractive, and it is quite obvious that if you took away the makeup they wouldn’t rate higher than 3’s on a 1-10 scale of beauty. They have no charm or charisma to speak of. And if I was forced to have a conversation with either of them I imagine my brain would explode. And as for the way they treat people? Having someone slap them across the face would provide far more entertainment than the show offered.

So what’s the appeal? Fame, fortune and the media deludes the public into thinking you have a personality. I guess that’s where the ‘reality’ comes through in a show like this. Here you can tell that having wealth does not guarantee talent or brains. In effect Paris should probably stick to stolen videos, that’s where her future lies.

As if having the 10 episodes of the 2nd season wasn’t enough, the DVD also offers up about 30 minutes worth of bloopers and a ‘lost’ episode from the 1st season.

Starring: Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie
Extras: Outtakes Reel, Lost Episode from Season 1
Specifications: Full Frame (1.33:1), English Dolby Surround
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 11/2/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give The Simple Life 2 a C-.