Paris & Nicole Film "The [Not So] Simple Life"

Trashy Hollywood socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie who put bimbo-chic back in vogue are returning to the E! cable network on May 28 (Memorial Day) with a new season of their reality show "The Simple Life," an impressive achievement given the season's rocky path to airwaves.

The show originally premiered on FOX in 2003 pulling in over 13 million viewers during its limited summer run. The two subsequent seasons however attracted 10 and 7 million viewers respectively. When it became clear the two friends had fallen out FOX canceled the series in 2005.

7 million may be peanuts for FOX, but it is more than enough for E! Online. In fact when the fourth season of "The Simple Life" premiered on E! in early 2006 to only 1,3 million viewers that was still four times the prime-time average for the network which happily greenlighted a fifth season.



Although Hilton and Richie in the meantime rekindled their friendship, the production of the 5th season ran into a lot of trouble. Originally scheduled for November, the production was delayed till March due to Nicole entering health facility to tackle her weight issues.




There were additional complications stemming from both Richie and Hilton's DUI arrests and facing jail time as well as a revelation on Courtney Love's website about Paris' birthday party and a big pile of "white powder" in her bathroom. The network however went ahead with the production.




The fifth season entitled "The Simple Life Goes to Camp" follows Paris and Nicole working as counselors at Camp Shawnee. Following the Memorial Day premiere, the show will regularly air on Sunday nights. 10 episodes have been ordered.

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