What a year it's been. Thank heavens The Hills is always my constant in a world of turmoil. The trend-setting show really told us what is in or out. As we gear up for the season finale, let's look back at the trends Lauren and the gang made hot this year.

Real Estate: These kids seem to buy houses like you or I buy gum at the checkout counter -- an impulse buy, really. Lauren bought a house for her and her friends to live in. Lo got a bedroom next to the queen bee and Audrina was relegated to the guesthouse. Lo peed in a circle around Lauren to mark her territory, and Audrina felt left out. Audrina moved out and bought herself a house in West Hollywood on the slight chance that Justin would want to move in with her. Yea, that's my way of catching myself a man. Meanwhile, the economic crisis hits home for all of us, especially Lauren's parents who sold their beachfront house in Laguna, where Lauren went home and showed off some supposed childhood artifacts planted by the producers.

Crying was back in a big way this year. However, knowing the right moment to cry is really how to wear this trend. Lauren and Audrina's big confrontation ended with a big, black mascara tear on Lauren. Lauren waited until she was out at a club being seen before her dramatic crying fight with Audrina over the rumor that Lauren hooked up with Justin Bobby. Lauren makes another tearful moment about her when Whitney leaves town for New York. Stephanie has a big cry in Vegas when Brody called her crazy and revealed she once had a drug problem -- thus, her addiction makes her the most intriguing character on the show ... which is not a hard trophy to get.

Losing and gaining jobs: These are career women on the move! Staying content in a good job is so 2001! Heidi was rightfully fired from her job for not following orders, drinking on the job and having Spencer around. Teaching us the life lesson that you never have to take responsibility for your actions, Brent Bolthouse gave her her job back but she was relegated to a cubicle. Audrina continues to move up the ranks at Epic Records by promoting some wannabe emo band and watching Brandy record her comeback album. Lauren started her clothes-organizing job at People's Revolution with Whitney, but Whitney got a job with Diane Von Furstenberg after a 5-minute interview in order to justify her new spinoff, The City. Our respected Whitney will be the one telling other co-workers about her life and will no longer be the one asking leading questions. Go Whit!

Setting back the women's movement: Heidi continues to let Spencer control her life and alienate everyone around her so she will have no one but him. Audrina runs back to Justin Bobby after he treats her like garbage more times than Heidi has layers of makeup on. Lauren claims friendship with Brody but gets snippy when he dates someone else. Whitney has an awkward conversation with a musician in New York and suddenly they are star-crossed lovers parted by the separate coasts. Relationships are haaaaard!

Reality show contracts are fleeting, but families are forever. Heidi's sister Holly decides she needs some camera time and crashes at Chez Speidi until Spencer forces Heidi to kick her out. Audrina's sister Casey and her ugly tattoos show up to fill in for Chiara as Audrina's target for whining to. Heidi's mother shows up just long enough for Spencer to make her cry. Even the Pratts' grandmother, Nana, gets her own cameo and white block-letter label.

Stephanie's slowly slipping sanity: Say that five times fast. The slightly less irritating Pratt sibling is on the verge of a breakdown. First we hear she used to have something of a drug problem, then she freaks out at Doug's pool party when Doug is mean to her. She constantly lets Spencer put her down, she breaks up with her boyfriend because Spencer convinces her too, Spencer turns their dear old Nana against her, and she doesn't even know the difference between a hamster and a Guinea pig! She's about 5 minutes away from going Margot Kidder on us. I hope she gets a very special episode in season five.

Sloppy Seconds: Apparently there are only about six eligible men in all of Los Angeles, because the gals keep dating the same guys. Lauren dates Doug "I already had my own website after appearing on only one episode" Reinhardt, only to break up with him because there is no spark. Stephanie has a boring dinner with him and suddenly it's a scandal. Audrina dates around for a bit but breaks it off with some nice guys because she enjoys the thrill of the chase with Justin Bobby. That or she's a masochist. An Internet rumor goes around that Lauren hooked up with Justin, who strategically doesn't ever deny it.

Faking your reality show: The hottest pick for trends this year is claiming to be a reality show, but forgetting the reality part. Lauren has a fashion line that's never talked about on the show. Heidi has an album that [thank goodness] we never hear. And supposedly Spencer and Heidi had a fake marriage. My big shock is: And you all just figured out that reality shows are not real?

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