After a brief respite, Season 3 of MTV ?reality? series ?The
Hills? has returned, and, in this episode, the drama revolved around a dress.
But that dress was no ordinary one, as it proved that though ?The Hills? may be
fluff, it?s stiff fluff to the utmost level of entertainment.

On Monday?s premiere episode, the show?s diva and star,
Lauren Conrad, and her ever-responsible bud Whitney Port, arrive in Paris to
assist Teen Vogue at the Crillon Ball. Trouble arises immediately when the two
decide to pick up their ball gowns before completing their assigned tasks. But
the problems don?t stop there for the petite blonde, as, after a night on the
town with a herd of French rockers, Conrad discovers a burn mark from a
misplaced curling iron on her Alberto Ferretti gown. Fortunately ? and suspiciously
? the Hills heroine scores a new gown a mere 45 minutes before the Crillon Ball
begins.

Meanwhile, back on the other side of the pond, Conrad?s best
enemy, Heidi Montag, has returned to her parents? home in Colorado in an
attempt to clear her head about her tumultuous relationship with the dastardly
Spencer Pratt. But Montag hasn?t escaped from his clutches quite yet, as she
finds Pratt on her doorstop. An awkward meeting later leaves their relationship
status hanging in the air ? and Pratt without a home.

It seems the drama, save for that surrounding the couture
gown, is no different in this season of ?The Hills.? In typical fashion, Conrad
makes poor decisions and suffers no consequences. The situations seem just as
forced, if not more so, than previous seasons. Rumor has it, according to
PerezHilton.com, that Conrad?s chain-smoking Parisian escort ? one of the
aforementioned rockers ? was hired by the production staff to show the reality
star the sights and sounds of the City of Lights.

But despite the producers? manipulation of this ?reality?
show, ?The Hills? somehow still manages to delight. Although theatrics were
kept to a minimum on Monday night?s premiere episode, it looks as if the drama
has just begun. Sometime during the season, Port quits her job at Teen Vogue and,
according to editor Lisa Love, sells her soul to the devil. Dirty bad boy
Justin Bobby returns and so does ?Laguna Beach? alumnus Stephen Colletti.
Hopefully we will see some of Conrad?s new fashion line, for which she claims
herself as the inspiration. So much for ?gaining perspective? in Paris. But sometimes
it really is hard not to feel for the girl; after only a week apart, Conrad?s
Brody Jenner gets a new girlfriend. As usual, MTV already has viewers thinking,
?poor Lauren.?

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3 stars out of 5