This show just keeps getting better and better. I used to think it was boring, now I get a tumbling sense of glee when it happens to be on TV (which is all the time, thanks to MTV’s generous re-play scheduling)…

1. SPENCER PRATT. He has got to be the best reality TV villain of all time. You can watch the little gears turning in his head as he tries to say whatever he thinks people out there want him to say. The episode where Heidi painted over the heinous “Hollywood” tag he’d had painted on their LIVING ROOM WALL was amazing. It was like watching a psychopath unravel.

2. The “jobs” these people hold are given the perfect amount of airtime - only roughly 10% of their lives seem to be spent in any sort of office/Teen Vogue accessory closet/nightclub bouncer station.

3. The fashion is fun! For someone who doesn’t have the luxury of living in Southern California, it’s great to see what the kiddies were wearing 6 months ago…

4. LC/Lauren Conrad. She stole our hearts as a teen in the first season of “Laguna Beach,” and we all can just take a moment of silence and admit there would be no “Hills” without LC. I still love LC for wearing black nail polish, even though that trend jumped the shark about a year ago.

5. The show gets to use MTV music, which means it has an awesome bubble gum pop soundtrack. Nothing like hearing some Avril when Audrina gets dumped, or some Gwen Stefani when Heidi and Spencer go out dancing.

6. The characters actually confront each other in horribly awkward and never-resolved verbal spats (usually inebriated at Les Deux, which appears to be a bordello/nightclub). This kind of thing happens once in a normal person’s lifetime, but somehow the stars of “The Hills” manage to give us several big fights per season.

7. The occasional appearance of parents. When LC visits Laguna Beach or Heidi and Spencer visit Crested Butte, you remember that these kids are still really young and have somewhat/very successful parents who seem relatively normal. And it freaks you out, because the parents seem completely ill-equipped to deal with the bizzaro-fame that their offspring have somehow achieved. Poor Heidi’s mom really seems utterly perplexed. We should take this as a lesson and keep our own children as far from Bunim-Murray Productions as possible.

8. The reappearance of Lo. Dear Lord, did this make me happy! Lo was a cornerstone of the plotline of the original “Laguna Beach” series, and she’s already adding her sparkle to “The Hills.” She’s just so happy and… pint-sized! Doesn’t hurt that she actually attended college, unlike all the others!

9. Whitney from Teen Vogue. The only person on the show who actually seems to have a job and do it pretty well. She’s somehow managed to come through several seasons of “The Hills” completely error-free. She’s fun to watch and LC seems to truly like her. Whenever Whitney’s around, we get a glimpse into the world of high (albeit teen) fashion, which is extra fun.

10. JASON’S COMING BACK! I saw it in the preview, and I’m just waiting with bated breath.