When Laguna Beach debuted on MTV in 2004, no one knew how big a phenomenon it would become. Before long, the series, which revolved around attractive high schoolers living in the affluent town of Laguna Beach, Calif., began to define the early aughts cultural zeitgeist. Millennial teens and tweens around the country had finally found their favorite reality television show.
It’s been nearly 20 years since Laguna Beach came to an end, and the original cast members — including Lauren Conrad, Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti — have returned to their SoCal beach town for the highly anticipated anniversary special, The Reunion: Laguna Beach, which will be available to stream on Friday on the Roku Channel.
“I just think seeing everybody 22 years later [will be a highlight for fans],” Cavallari recently told Yahoo of the upcoming reunion. “It’s nostalgic. But it’s also really sweet because everyone collectively is doing really well. People will be happy to see how everyone turned out.”
To celebrate more than two decades of Laguna Beach, Yahoo rounded up seven moments from the beloved MTV series ingrained in our memories all these years later. Join us as we go back to the beach — and the beginning.
The black-and-white party.
Because it’s totally normal to throw a hotel party in high school, right?! The first-ever episode of Laguna Beach revolved around Conrad and Lo Bosworth’s black-and-white party, which took place at a beachfront hotel. Highlights include Cavallari showing up in a white dress — while the rest of the girls were all in black — and Colletti leaving the party with her early. Conrad was distraught by how brief his appearance was.
The infamous fight in Cabo.
What happens in Cabo … gets broadcast on MTV. Drama erupted in Cabo during spring break, when Colletti saw Cavallari dancing on a bartop. What resulted was Colletti’s uncalled-for berating of Cavallari, which he has since apologized for.
The infamous birthday in Cabo.
Conrad and Colletti leaned into their situationship when they were down in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for her 19th birthday celebration. The Mexico montage consisted of several flirtatious moments between the pair and ended with Colletti putting a “Do Not Disturb” tag on their hotel room door. Hmm!
Every time Kristin said ‘Stephen.’
Cavallari had such a distinct way of pronouncing “Stephen” — and we weren’t the only ones who noticed. Conrad and Bosworth had a running joke of randomly repeating Cavallari’s pronunciation — Steph-ennn!! — throughout the show.
Kristin and Stephen’s breakup talk.
Cavallari and Colletti were finally in a good place after months of breaking up and making up, but their sweet reunion would soon be “dunzo.” A few days before he leaves for college, the high school sweethearts have a conversation on the beach during which Cavallari begins to cry and Colletti says something about wanting to take a picture of her eyes so that he can look at it whenever he’s “bummed out” in San Francisco. Aww.
They ultimately decide to be in an open relationship … which doesn’t really work out.
When Kristin’s car was ‘dunzo.’
Speaking of “dunzo,” Cavallari’s now-famous line spawned from that one time her car broke down in the middle of the Pacific Coast Highway. “My car is dunzo!” Cavallari declares. Unfortunately for Cavallari, her dad did not buy her a new car after this incident.
LC, Stephen and Journey.
Just a small-town girl! Conrad and Colletti shippers remember this scene well. After having dinner at an Italian restaurant — during which Cavallari calls Colletti, who sends her to voicemail — the duo heads back to Conrad’s mansion for some Jacuzzi time. “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey plays in Colletti’s truck, and he and Conrad adorably sing along before the montage cuts to them exchanging glances in the hot tub.
The scene ends with Conrad and Colletti getting out of the hot tub and returning to her house as the screen fades to black. It was definitely giving “to be continued …” vibes!
