Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's stint as reality television stars is apparently coming to an end. E! Network has announced that it has decided not to renew The Simple Life for a sixth season.
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E!'s announcement followed a Monday morning Us Weekly report that The Simple Life Goes to Camp, a currently-airing fifth The Simple Life edition that followed Hilton and Richie as they worked as camp counselors at five different camps, would mark the end of the pair's The Simple Life run.
"We felt like the real life drama of their lives overshadowed anything happening on the show," an "insider" told Us in explaining why The Simple Life was canned. "Viewers would see Paris all day long on the news about her going to jail, so they didn't care about seeing her camping with kids. It just was too played out."
The Simple Life's cancellation isn't a complete shock. Earlier this month, E! Networks president and CEO Ted Harbert had told reporters attending the Television Critics Association summer press tour that Hilton and Richie's run-ins with the legal system -- as well as the attention they've garnered for it -- had hurt the show instead of helping it.
"We all thought the publicity would help the show; we were wrong. It's not doing well [in the ratings]," Habert told reporters, according to Television Week. "People watch it because they want to see what's going on with Paris Hilton. But now everybody's covering what's really going on with Paris Hilton. It makes the show seem contrived by comparison."
"I'm not sure we're going to do any more. You can say it's a 50-50 chance," Habert said. "In fact, you can say it's 51-49 against."
The Simple Life first premiered in December 2003 on Fox and the broadcast network aired two addition installments before canceling the show in October 2005. A month later, E! announced it had picked up The Simple Life and had ordered production on a fourth season, which premiered in June 2006. The Simple Life Goes to Camp was announced in October.
The Simple Life Goes to Camp's finale will air Sunday.
According to E! News, The Simple Life's producers are still hoping another network will pick up the reality franchise, however neither Hilton or Richie would reportedly be part of any new seasons.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
