'The Hills' Frankie Delgado on his own new beginnings as a dad and nightlife impresario
The hills are alive with the sounds of very familiar voices, including Audrina Patridge, Heidi and Spencer Pratt, Brody Jenner and Frankie Delgado, to name a few. In the almost ten years since we said goodbye to the group of friends, much has certainly changed. Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari have gone on to build lifestyle empires; Brody is traveling the world deejaying and the majority of The Hills: New Beginnings’ cast now has kids. And take it from Frankie, who has successfully built a roster of restaurants, nightclubs and lounges with hospitality company SBE, his daughter Isabella, five, and son Francis, two, take center stage in his and wife Jennifer Acosta’s life. “We needed to make sure the kids over all were always first,” he tells HOLA! USA about signing onto the show. “Everything was about them. [My wife] and I understood that, and we made sure that was our priority.”
After a family discussion and a phone call with Spencer Pratt, the 38-year-old was ready to jump right in. “Even though there was a lot of drama, there was also a lot of really good times,” he adds of his first run. “There was a lot of love from me to them and them to me that I just missed it.”
Keep reading to learn how new additions Brandon Lee (Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's son) and Mischa Barton fit in, if Frankie and Brody’s bromance is still strong and how being a nightlife impresario helped Brazilian megastar Anitta with her career.
HOLA! USA: It’s been almost a decade since The Hills ended. Did you ever expect it would be back?
Frankie Delgado: “I don't think I ever expected it, but I really wanted it. It was pretty cool to hear MTV call me and say, ‘Hey, we want you back.’ Nothing much has changed other than I'm married and have kids, but other than that I can keep being myself in the show.”
With that, was there any hesitation to return?
“In my heart I had no hesitation. I did consult my wife to see if she wanted to be part of this, if we were going to put our kids in the show, if we were just going to say no, or if I was going to do it on my own. She was down to to do it.”
So is your bromance with Brody still alive?
“I think its stronger than ever. Not being on the show we were living separate lives; we don't live close to each other so it's hard. We are both entrepreneurs and running our businesses so we never really have time to hang out anymore. With this show coming back, it just brought us back in together.”
Some people are missing like Lauren [Conrad] and Kristin [Cavallari]. Did you miss having them there?
“Yeah, of course. I haven't seen Kristin in a long time. I think she's doing really well; I just haven't seen her or talked to her. She was always a really fun person to be around. When it comes to Lauren, I know she's moved on to bigger and better things. I wish her the best, and I'm sure she wishes me the best.”
And you have some new additions like Mischa [Barton] and Brandon [Lee]. How did they fit in?
“Brandon and I have been hanging out for a long time; he’s like a little brother. He’s a big fan of HYDE so we've known each other. With Mischa, it was just cool to see her again. I mean the OC gave us the start to Laguna Beach and Laguna Beach became The Hills, you know.”
How was it having your wife be a part of this?
“She's much like me. She's very fun, very nice, very sweet. She stays in her own lane. She doesn't get involved in other people’s business. We just had to make sure to maintain a balance between the both of us. We needed to make sure the kids were always first.”
Majority of the cast is in relationships or married. Did that change the dynamic of the show at all?
“I think it made it a lot more real. Everybody poured their hearts into it, and everybody opened up so much.”
You’ve been keeping busy with SBE and venues like Nightingale and HYDE. What’s the most fulfilling part of being the ‘Nightlife King?’
“I've met some of my best friends. There's too many to name, but I've created some friendships that I just would have never thought they would be possible.”
Speaking of friendship, Anitta gives you a shout out in her Netflix documentary…
“When she was at the beginning of her career and came to L.A., I met her and we became really good friends. She went through a really tough time finding someone to really believe in her [here]. She would have become a superstar regardless of me, but I said trust me and let me introduce you to some of the best people I know – the Shahidi brothers. The next thing you know she was on songs with Alesso, she wrote with J Balvin and she just became a global superstar. So she was like if it wasn't for you I would have never met these guys. You changed my life.”
How awesome does that make you feel?
“It does. What I do, I do without taking a dollar, without thinking for the money. I think for my friends and I think with my heart and that's what feels good.”
Lastly, can you summarize this season in three words?
"Umm Oh. My. God!"
The Hills: New Beginnings premieres June 24 at 10pm EST on MTV.
