Can The Hills survive without Lauren Conrad?

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Beauty and the Geek

Flash Forward

"The future of The Hills has been thrown into doubt since the departure of its leading lady, Lauren "LC" Conrad.

Access Hollywood reports that almost one-third of The Hills ' US viewers have abandoned the totally fake ... er, "semi-scripted" reality series since LC departed in May.

When the series returned to US screens without LC in September, just 2.36 million Americans tuned in — 30 percent down on the equivalent episode that aired in 2008 — and viewer numbers have since slipped to 1.72 million.

Instead of focusing on LC, The Hills now revolves around her frienemies Heidi and Spencer Pratt, and newcomer Kristin Cavallari (who formerly starred alongside Conrad in The Hills ' predecessor, Laguna Beach ).

In April, Heidi told MTV News that The Hills didn't need LC to survive on television — though that doesn't seem to be the case.

" The Hills hasn't even really begun yet," Heidi said at the time. "I think this is just the beginning."

The beginning of the end, perhaps.

Leaving The Hills hasn't hurt LC's career: her semiautobiographical novel, L.A. Candy , topped the bestseller lists and may be adapted into a film.

The Hills airs on Go! and MTV."