The MTV reality show focused on the love triangle between Cavallari, Conrad, and Stephen Colletti.

Kristin Cavallari thinks Laguna Beach wouldn’t have worked without Lauren Conrad rivalry

The MTV reality show focused on the love triangle between Cavallari, Conrad, and Stephen Colletti.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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April 7, 2026 12:35 a.m. ET

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Kristin Cavallari and Lauren Conrad on 'Laguna Beach'. Credit:

*Laguna Beach* made a lot of the rivalry between Kristin Cavallari and Lauren Conrad, her classmate on the reality show. Both women had a history with fellow student Stephen Colletti.

While promoting the upcoming reunion of much of the cast, Cavallari explained that, in fact, she doesn't think the show would have worked without it.

When asked if she wished that she and Conrad would have shared an on-camera conversation back in the day, as they do on the reunion, Cavallari said no.

"I think it, honestly, worked out exactly how it was supposed to," Cavallari said in an interview with *Extra*. "I think that was sort of the allure was Lauren and I against each other, so I don't know if you put us together, I don't know what would have happened. Maybe we just would have made peace and then we wouldn't have had a show."

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Over the years, both women have explained that their feelings about many things were blown out of proportion for drama's sake. And after all, they were teenagers.

Back in 2016, Cavallari told Buzzfeed that the series certainly hadn't been a good thing for them.

"I think because of the show, the rivalry between Lauren and I sort of escalated. We were never friends. We just weren't," Cavallari said. "I didn't hate her before MTV came and the way it sort of turned into. And that's because I felt like she was trying to steal my boyfriend."

Fans of the series knew about the upcoming truce between the women, after they posed for photos together on the red carpet for the reunion premiere and Cavallari teased it on her podcast, *Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari*.

They also told PEOPLE that all was well between them — really — while promoting their project.

"It was part of what we wanted to show is that we've all grown, we're all adults, a lot of us are parents," Conrad said. "And I think that as you get older, you're not worried about the small stuff."

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Cavallari that hadn't "had any beefs for the last however many years." She added, "We're adults. We've all moved past it, but I think it's nice and to show everybody that we've moved past it is going to be really therapeutic in a lot of ways."

Colletti, the former object of their affection, told ** last month that, until recently, he was still hearing about one of the major topics of the popular show.

Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari at 'The Reunion: Laguna Beach' premiere.

Michael Tullberg/Getty

"Back in the day, I mean, I had guys that wanted to fight me," he said. "I had people just yelling Kristin or Lauren's name from across the street and offering their advice on dating. All sorts of weird interactions."

Times have changed, he said.

"As years have gone on, people would approach me and they're much more reflective about it," Colletti said. "They'll be like, 'You know what? I remember watching the show and it was interesting to relate to what you guys had going on.' And to me, when you hear that, 'Man, that's why I'm even in this business.'"

*The Reunion: Laguna Beach* premieres April 10 on Roku.

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Source: “EW Reality”