Plot: What’s it about?
When rich bitches Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie spent time on a farm in The Simple Life, a cult hit was spawned. The girls shirked their duties, pulled pranks, flirted with local boys, and seemed more out of place than ever dreamed possible. After all, these two ladies have millions to squander, so some manual labor and responiblity were enough to send them into a panic. But Paris and Nicole are back and this time, the farm is safe, but the rest of America isn’t, as the two princesses take their show on the road. The two kick off a cross-country trek in Miama, then journey across the nation until their pink trailer rolls into Beverly Hills. No credit cards, no cell phones, just different low paying jobs at each stop, to ensure fuel is ample for the rest of the excursion. The girls visit a nudist colony, spend time as corrupt maids, make hilarious stops at Burger King, shovel out horse stalls, and so much more in this second season. We know the girls will duck out on work when possible and raise as much ruckus as possible, but will this trip across America with these two spoiled brats be as entertaining as their down on the farm antics?
I loved The Simple Life. I know this will shock some folks, but based on the ratings and a second season, I wasn’t alone. The show wasn’t great, or even that good, but Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie were too priceless. Bad actresses? Yes. Spoiled bitches? Yes. Good Television? Yes. The show was hilarious throughout the episodes, as Hilton strolled in a vacant daze and Richie never seemed to realize that her actions had consequences. I suppose when you’re that rich however, you forget the little troublesome things in life, right? The Simple Life 2 was a given, but even I had doubts about how well a second season would stack up. As it turns out, this second spin is even better than the first season, thanks in part to Richie. In the first season, she stayed back most of the time, letting Paris be the focus of the series. But now, she is up front and steals much of the spotlight, which turns out to be just what the show needed. She provides most of the season’s best moments, though Paris does have her usual antics. Hilton also sees that Richie is the center of attention at times, so she ramps up her behavior also, which brings in even more chaos. The Simple Life 2 is much like the original season, a fun show that has no reedeming value in the least. But I loved this new season and while a third one is doubtful, The Simple Life 2 is now available to revisit, so be sure to check out the two seasons, both of which are available on DVD.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. The show looks terrific, as it should, since it is brand new and made a quick jump to home video. The image is clean and sharp from start to finish, aside from those blurs, of course. Aside from blurred buttcracks, the episodes look great and offer minimal reasons for concern. The bright, bold colors come across well, so all those hot pinks and other exotic hues shimmer as intended, while flesh tones remain natural, except in the episode where Pais and Nicole experiment with spray on tan. No issues with contrast or softness either, so the series looks quite impressive.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is a “reality” show, so the audio has no real duties outside of the show’s main element, dialogue. So the musical soundtrack sounds good and the basic sound effects come through, but the sole spotlight here shines down on the vocals. From Hilton’s raspy observations to Nicole’s outlandish remarks, all the vocal work is in excellent form here. The whispers even sound clear as a bell in this release, so you won’t miss a single dumb remark. This disc also includes subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes half an hour of outtakes and unused material, plus a “lost” episode from the first season. A lot of folks complained about the “lost” episode being excluded from the first season release, but Fox has stashed it in this time.
