After the lackluster end of MTV’s The Hills, the media has latched onto just one thing to talk about: whether or not the show was fake. The confusion comes from the final scene of the finale, wherein the camera was pulled back to reveal an elaborate sound stage.

So, it was all fake? Of course it was all fake - and this isn’t even the first time the question has come up. MTV’s version of “reality” has always been the source of speculation, more so with The Hills than past shows offered by the cable network. Was every single bit of it fake? Probably not - but at best, it can be chalked up to improv around provided plot lines are pre-arranged scenarios.

Are we really surprised by this?