Heidi Blair Pratt (née Montag; born September 15, 1986) is an American reality television personality, model, singer and actress. In 2006, Montag came to prominence after being cast in the MTV reality television series The Hills. The show chronicled the personal and professional lives of Lauren Conrad, Montag, and friends Audrina Patridge and Whitney Port. During its production, she briefly attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and was “employed” by event planning company Bolthouse Productions. As the series progressed, Montag began dating fellow cast member Spencer Pratt, which ultimately ended her friendship with Conrad. Their ensuing feud became the central focus of the series, and was carried through each subsequent season.
The couple, jointly nicknamed "Speidi", married in April 2009. Later that year, they made controversial appearances on the second season of the American version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! In January 2010, Montag released her debut studio album Superficial; it was critically panned and commercially unsuccessful at the time, failing to earn back the money she spent making it, but would go on to garner a cult following. She also received widespread criticism after undergoing ten cosmetic surgery procedures in one day. In 2011, Montag was featured on the television series Famous Food, where she and several celebrities competed for a restaurant partnership. Two years later, she and Pratt competed as a single entity on the eleventh series of the British version of Celebrity Big Brother, and returned to the series with Pratt as an All-Star for Celebrity Big Brother 19.
Life and career
1986–2005: Early life
Heidi Blair Montag was born September 15, 1986, in Crested Butte, Colorado, to parents Darlene (née Seiden) and Bill Montag. After divorcing, her mother Darlene married Tim Egelhoff; they owned The Timberline restaurant for 21 years until its closing in 2010. Montag has an older sister Holly, also a reality television personality, and a younger brother Sky. Their father Bill later married Terri O'Hara; their step-brother Eric O'Hara died in 2008 after an accidental fall from an icy roof.
After graduating from high school, Montag moved to California and attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for one semester. During freshman orientation, she befriended Lauren Conrad, who at the time was a primary cast member of the MTV reality television series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. After both transferred to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, California, Montag was subsequently featured in four episodes during the series' second season. However, after failing to find the school "challenging", she dropped out and received employment from Bolthouse Productions as an assistant. Though later interviews with Montag revealed that the position at Bolthouse was all a set up for The Hills and she was never promoted.
2006–2010: The Hills and Superficial
After moving to Los Angeles in 2006, the Laguna Beach spin-off series The Hills was developed to chronicle the lives of then-housemates Conrad and Montag and friends Audrina Patridge and Whitney Port. That year, she began a short-lived relationship with Jordan Eubanks; she described its end as "the best decision of [her] life". By the second season, Montag and Conrad's friendship had deteriorated after the former began dating and later moved in with Spencer Pratt. During the third season, Conrad ended her friendship with Montag after she suspected that Pratt was responsible for rumors of a sex tape involving her and her former boyfriend Jason Wahler; the ensuing feud carried through each subsequent season.
In August, she entered the music industry and began recording her debut studio album. Later that month, the song "Body Language" was leaked on the internet, and featured an uncredited rap verse from Pratt. The following month, she confirmed to Us Weekly that she had undergone a breast augmentation and rhinoplasty five months prior. Montag's first promotional single and its accompanying music video "Higher" were released in February 2008.
Later that same month, she appeared on the cover of Maxim. Montag collaborated with Anchor Blue to launch her first clothing line "Heidiwood" in April. Her contract was not renewed the following year after the company decided against featuring celebrity endorsements in future advertising.