To spell back, backmost to the beginning, Talan Torriero wasn't primitively a main formed subordinate connected Laguna Beach, arsenic the teen had nary involvement successful being connected the 2004 world bid aft appearing successful respective commercials, including a Yahoo advertisement with Al Gore, erstwhile helium was a child.

"I truly wanted to beryllium taken much serious," Talan told E! News. "Remember, world shows astatine the clip were like The Real World, and I was like, 'I don't privation to bash that.'"

So, helium continued, "My communicative is simply a small antithetic than different people's. The crushed I americium not connected the DVD container screen is due to the fact that I did not sprout play 1 until astir three-quarters of the mode through."

Because helium was friends with each of the formed members and they often spoke astir him, producers "were like, 'We request you to beryllium connected the show,'" Talan recalled. "I was like, 'No, I don't privation to beryllium connected the show.'"

Eventually, aft being asked respective times by production, Talan relented. "I was like, 'Screw it, let's bash it. Let's person immoderate fun,'" helium said. "So past I had to sprout things arsenic if they happened and past they would portion it backmost into the amusement due to the fact that evidently immoderate of these things happened earlier. That's wherefore a small spot of my storylines got bleeded out. I was placed in."

Another crushed wherefore Talan whitethorn not person been arsenic prominently featured arsenic formed members such as Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti and Kristin Cavallari: The amusement was initially expected to movie astatine their precocious school, which ultimately was not approved.

"I played shot and I was a jock and that was not chill astatine my school," Talan said. "So they thought that was truly interesting. Like, we tin amusement a antithetic broadside of precocious schoolhouse that nary 1 sees. But they couldn't travel maine playing shot oregon that broadside of me."

After it was announced that a world bid would beryllium filming astatine Laguna Beach High School, producers acceptable up a array wherever students funny successful being connected the amusement could conscionable with producers during lunch. 

"There were elephantine lines," Talan recalled. "Some radical were acting similar they were excessively cool, but secretly they were going implicit to conscionable with the producers."

Prospective formed members had to capable retired packets that included questions like, "'Who bash you person a crush on? Who are you successful a narration with? Who is the funniest idiosyncratic successful the school?'" Talan explained. "So they could enactment the pieces of a puzzle unneurotic to make a narrative."

When Talan is introduced successful the bid premiere, Lauren Conrad explains successful a voiceover that helium is simply a inferior that has hooked up with each miss successful schoolhouse "twice," mounting him up to beryllium LB's precise ain teen Lothario. 

"I thought was brainsick that they would enactment successful a teen amusement arsenic a voiceover," Talan said with a laugh. "It's comic due to the fact that the mode they introduced maine was beauteous overmuch arsenic an f-boy."

But helium did admit that Lauren's connection wasn't untrue.

"You person to remember, I went to a precocious schoolhouse wherever it was precise small. My graduating people was, like, 180 students," helium explained. "Because of that, determination was a small spot what I would call  incestual relationship overlap. I wasn't the lone one, is what I americium fundamentally saying. There was truly not a batch to take from erstwhile you lone person truthful overmuch to take from."

Looking backmost connected his precocious schoolhouse emotion beingness though, Talan stressed helium was "a hopeless romantic," claiming girls were much funny successful his "bad boy" champion person Jason Wahler than him.

"My biggest downfall was that I was the jock bully guy," helium said. "I would marque dinners for girls astatine 16 years aged and they would beryllium like, 'Oh, that's truthful sweet. I'll bent retired with you,' and past they'd beryllium like, 'This is boring, I privation to spell bent retired with the atrocious boy.'"

He continued, "So it wasn't similar I was trying to beryllium an f-boy, honestly, the girls were benignant of screwing maine over!"

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: "I volition accidental that earlier the amusement aired, determination were already relationships happening, oregon hookups, if you will," Talan clarified. "I didn't bent retired with Lauren until later, similar successful my 2nd play oregon something. Kristin, inferior and elder year, connected and off."

Of course, Lauren and Kristin's revelations during their bombshell Back to the Beach interrogation astir their respective hookups with Talan caused a millennial meltdown connected societal media. "I texted Lauren close aft saying, 'Thanks for blowing up my full societal media today, I truly admit it!'" Talan said.

Piggybacking disconnected the piqued interest, Talan made a TikTok reacting to their confessions that went viral, lip-synching the words to Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero." ("It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me," is playing successful the inheritance with the caption, "im the occupation its me.")

"The constituent I was making was not like, 'Oh, look astatine me, I'm the man,' or, 'You guys didn't truly cognize what was going on,'" Talan explained. "It was that radical were truthful focused connected the Stephen-Lauren-Kristin being similar a existent melodramatic thing, but the world is determination were truthful galore different storylines going connected down the scenes. Not adjacent with myself, but with Kristin oregon adjacent with Lauren. Lauren had different boyfriends portion she was precocious school, immoderate truly chill dudes that I cognize that ne'er wanted to beryllium connected the amusement oregon were connected the show."

As the main three have stated, the romanticist play betwixt them was decidedly heightened by the show, thing Talan besides acknowledged.

But helium gave recognition to MTV for "making the close choice because America fell successful emotion with them arsenic a trio, adjacent if it meant fabricating that play betwixt Lauren and Kristin due to the fact that it made for bully TV. But that wasn't what the existent happening was. They were really beauteous cool."

In fact, Talan went truthful acold arsenic to comparison Laguna Beach to The O.C., the teen play that inspired the amusement successful the archetypal place.

"I cognize that's benignant of a agelong here, but if you look astatine the emotion triangle arsenic characters successful a show," helium said, "that doesn't mean successful existent beingness they were arsenic progressive arsenic the characters successful the amusement were." (At slightest we'll ever person our "Team LC" t-shirt from Hollister.)

When Laguna Beach began filming, Talan admitted that the formed had "no idea" what to expect, with the effect to the amusement being "much larger than we, and honestly, MTV anticipated astatine the time. I didn't deliberation they were acceptable for thing to get arsenic large arsenic it did."

The young formed rapidly adapted to beingness connected world TV, according to Talan, who said they "were similar seasoned pros" erstwhile they filmed the sophomore season.

"Someone would say, 'Hey, we request to spell bash this scene, you guys request to speech astir thing that's going to hap adjacent week,'" helium shared. "Like, we were doing pick-up shots. We were successful afloat production, let's enactment it that way." (Talan recalled 1 country successful which helium filmed an wholly fake telephone telephone and was fixed lines truthful they could spot successful the different extremity of the speech successful post-production.) 

In summation to changes successful production, Talan said the dynamic among the formed shifted arsenic well. 

"We had a amended knowing of what the amusement was portraying versus what was really happening successful existent life," Talan explained. "The archetypal season, it was beauteous earthy to person immoderate real-life play arsenic a effect of what you're proceeding successful the show. But successful the 2nd season, we were like, 'We each cognize it's BS.'"

There was besides the newfound fame the teens were experiencing, which was "crazy" astatine the time. 

"I deliberation our faces were connected calendars and schoolhouse luncheon boxes, each kinds of things, which by the way, we didn't get immoderate benignant of compensation for," Talan said. "It was inactive truly chill erstwhile you were a young kid. I deliberation the archetypal play we made $2,500 and I was like, 'This is crazy, I'm the richest feline connected the planet!'"

Talan acknowledged that each formed subordinate would springiness you a antithetic reply arsenic to however authentic their IRL acquisition was, compared to what made it into Laguna Beach.

"No one's reply is going to beryllium little than a six oregon a 7 retired of 10, similar 10 being fake, 1 being real," helium said. "For me, it was astir apt an 8 and a half, possibly adjacent more."

So wherefore is Talan's fig higher than most? Well, helium really wasn't adjacent enrolled astatine Laguna Beach High for the bulk of play two, a revelation helium dropped successful a caller TikTok video. 

"Only hardcore fans knew astir it, wherever I really near precocious schoolhouse aft my archetypal semester of my elder year," Talan elaborated. "I moved to L.A. and MTV was freaking out. They were like, 'Dude, you can't bash this.' And I was like, 'Dude, I tin bash immoderate I want,' due to the fact that I had a precise peculiar declaration wherever I could fundamentally bash what I wanted."

Talan would marque play visits to SoCal "to movie the amusement similar it was a existent show" earlier returning backmost to his beingness successful Los Angeles, helium called, wherever "there were paparazzi photos of maine successful cars with similar Paris Hilton oregon Lindsay Lohan oregon immoderate the hellhole was going connected successful my beingness astatine the time." 

Looking backmost connected the experience, Talan believes the amusement should person documented his existent travel alternatively than person him unreal to inactive beryllium successful school.

"I deliberation they learned their lesson," helium said. "If you look astatine immoderate of the astir fashionable shows contiguous successful the world, similar The Hills or The Kardashians,  you tin instrumentality things that are happening successful existent beingness truthful you tin springiness idiosyncratic a down the scenes. The storyline should person followed maine to LA. I deliberation it would person been acold much fascinating. I cognize that The Hills was fundamentally that."

Even though helium was surviving successful L.A. and hanging retired with The Hills formed regularly—his archetypal roommate was Frankie Delgado—Talan ne'er appeared connected the spin-off series.

"I would adjacent beryllium determination erstwhile they filmed and conscionable beryllium implicit connected the broadside and speech to the cameramen who had worked connected Laguna Beach," Talan revealed. "It was precise odd. To beryllium 100 percent honest, I was ne'er asked to beryllium connected The Hills."

But Talan does person 2 imaginable theories arsenic to wherefore helium was ne'er asked to appear. The archetypal being that his inclusion "would've been a batch of Laguna each implicit again successful a sense," and helium "didn't truly person a melodramatic storyline with those people," Talan reasoned, admitting helium would person conscionable been "a floater."

The 2nd explanation, however, is acold juicier arsenic Talan revealed helium "pissed disconnected MTV" aft helium was expected to co-host TRL, lone to purposefully miss his red-eye formation due to the fact that his teenage aforesaid had antithetic priorities astatine the time.

"Oh my god, I americium going to dependable similar specified a douche, but I was hanging retired astatine the Chateau Marmont having drinks with immoderate people," Talan detailed, "and I was like, 'You cognize what, screw it.' I deliberation idiosyncratic other was hosting it with me, truthful I was like, 'They'll beryllium fine, I don't request to go.'"

As Julia Roberts erstwhile said: Big mistake. Huge.

"Oh boy, was that a large deal," Talan recalled. "They were beauteous upset with maine for a agelong time. It was a atrocious determination connected my part. I was a a young punk kid, I didn't cognize immoderate better."

So upset, successful fact, that his determination to bail on TRL apt outgo Talan his ain TV amusement documenting his euphony career—think Ashlee Simpson's eponymous 2004 Newlyweds spin-off—with with the network. (Joe Simpson was his manager for a time, by the way!)

"The feline astatine the apical was like, 'Oh, this is decidedly not happening and I americium truthful blessed to kibosh this happening due to the fact that of the TRL incident,'" Talan explained. "I'm not saying it would person happened either way, but helium made it known, like, 'We are for definite not successful the concern of Talan Torriero.'"

"So I don't cognize if determination was atrocious humor and possibly that's wherefore I wasn't astatine each featured connected The Hills adjacent arsenic a impermanent idiosyncratic oregon conscionable due to the fact that I didn't truly person a storyline," Talan concluded. "It's astir apt a premix of both."

It turns retired that the devil you whitethorn cognize already knows you, which is what Talan learned erstwhile a antheral successful a devil disguise approached him during a Halloween enactment astatine a Hollywood agent's location astatine the tallness of Laguna Beach's popularity.

"We talked for a bully 10 minutes and helium was telling maine however overmuch helium loved the amusement and worldly and it was Leonardo DiCaprio," Talan revealed. "I thought that was beauteous wild." He added that respective celebrities helium hung retired with astatine the time—including Frankie Muniz—were fans of the world series.

"They didn't person a precocious schoolhouse life, they grew up successful the industry, truthful to ticker our lives unfold, for them, it was similar experiencing what precocious schoolhouse would person been similar if they had been a mean kid," Talan explained. "It was fascinating having these radical you respect admiring you. You're like, 'Well, I didn't bash anything, and you did a batch much than I did!'"

On their rewatch podcast, Back to the Beach, Stephen and Kristin often speech astir feeling similar the producers were guiding them by sharing accusation that whitethorn not person been existent oregon feeding lines, including Lauren's narration successful play 1 and Kristin's successful play two.

"I deliberation that's messed up looking back," Talan said, "considering those producers were nevertheless aged they were, and these are conscionable young kids and you're fundamentally similar embarrassing them a small spot connected nationalist tv knowingly."

But Talan said helium felt "fortunate" that helium wasn't 1 of the driving forces of play connected the show. "I conscionable ran successful my ain lane," helium explained. "Of course, I had my ain play successful my life, but I stayed retired of the tv play and, arsenic a result, that's astir apt wherefore I wasn't arsenic prominently featured arsenic Kristin, Stephen and Lauren."

He did admit that helium had respective relationships that were ne'er featured connected the show, arsenic did Lauren, but, Talan said, "It wasn't MTV's responsibility entirely, immoderate radical conscionable didn't privation to beryllium connected the amusement and that is wholly understandable and admirable."

"I didn't spell to accepted college, truthful for me, it was similar assemblage connected steroids," Talan described of his clip successful Los Angeles. "I got it each out, I would say, successful presumption of partying and hanging retired and having fun. It was conscionable a blur, that clip of my life, until I met my woman astatine 22."

Talan said it was "love astatine archetypal sight" erstwhile Danielle walked into Big Wang's Sports Bar for her 21st birthday. "I said, 'Who the hellhole is that?'" Talan reflected. "I ended up talking to her and she said she was from Nebraska. I had nary thought wherever the hellhole that was. Yet present I am, 14 years later, surviving successful Nebraska."

Talan credited Danielle for "grounding" him, admitting, "I easy could person gone successful different absorption successful my life. I could person taken a antithetic way that was possibly much negative. Who knows wherever it would person taken me, but astir apt not successful the close direction."

The mates , who person 2 children—Bronson, 5, and, Hudson, 2—is presently gathering the "dream home" successful Omaha and Talan presently works "a mean aged job" successful maturation marketing. "I emotion what I do," helium said. "I'm a mean dude." 

After his 2 seasons connected Laguna Beach, Talan admitted that helium "ran away" from the show's success.

"I did not privation to beryllium known arsenic this kid from Laguna Beach connected MTV, I wanted to beryllium known arsenic Talan," helium said. "I didn't adjacent cognize what that was, but I didn't privation to beryllium known arsenic Talan from Laguna Beach."

Now, astir 2 decades later, Talan tin positively bespeak connected his clip connected the show. 

"I americium an aged man, I americium 36, I person grey successful my beard, I person wrinkles nether my eyes, I americium embracing it," helium said. "I americium not glamorizing it, but I americium having amusive with it, the mode I privation I would person erstwhile I was a younger kid. Because it's a amusive portion of my beingness that not a batch of radical get to experience."

Pointing to a circumstantial "turning point" erstwhile it came to his cognition toward Laguna Beach, Talan said his position wholly shifted aft helium became a father.

"You deliberation astir your beingness differently," helium explained. "You deliberation astir it like, 'Oh, that was a chill happening I tin stock with my kids.'"

And Talan has already started showing Bronson some Laguna Beach scenes.

"Not due to the fact that I privation to amusement my son, he's lone 5, I conscionable cognize that successful the adjacent mates of years, the speech is astir apt going to travel up," helium said. "Honestly, due to the fact that I'm connected TikTok and my videos are going crazy, but I besides conscionable privation him to beryllium prepared astir what it is, what I did and things similar that."

Given the chokehold nostalgia has connected audiences and Laguna Beach's caller resurgence acknowledgment to Netflix, 1 could spot a web wanting to instrumentality to the tiny coastal municipality to reunite the archetypal cast.

"I've ever joked with Jason and immoderate of the producers that we should bash like, Spring Break Cabo," Talan said, "the mode that Jersey Shore did Family Vacation in Vegas. The information that we haven't done that is crazy."

But, Talan added, "It would person to beryllium the close show. If they did Spring Break Cabo, it would beryllium boring. We'd each beryllium dormant by 10 o'clock astatine night, we're each married, determination wouldn't astir apt beryllium arsenic overmuch play arsenic you would imagine."

And adjacent if they could find the close format, Talan isn't convinced everyone would beryllium down to fto the rainfall autumn again. 

"I don't deliberation Lauren would ever bash the show," helium said. "Stephen, it depends, helium would possibly bash the show. I uncertainty it though. But I could spot Kristin perchance doing it, but astir apt not. So if you instrumentality retired Kristin, Stephen and Lauren, I don't deliberation immoderate web is going to backmost it."

"So I would say, would I bash it? Sure, nether the close circumstances," Talan continued. "Will they bash it? Probably not. I conscionable don't deliberation that would happen."

At slightest we person the comfortableness of knowing we tin instrumentality to Laguna Beach connected Netflix.