Socialites hit the road in ‘The Simple Life 2’

If you’re Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie, life on the road isn’t likely to be any simpler the second time around.

After their experiences last year as temporary members of a family in rural Arkansas, the socialite friends drive coast to coast in an Airstream trailer -- made even more cramped by the cameras and microphones monitoring their every move -- as the unscripted series “The Simple Life 2: Road Trip” premieres Wednesday on Fox.

The glamour-sensitive young women leave behind their credit cards and cellphones again, and bring along their dogs Tinkerbell and Honey, as they set out from Miami Beach to Beverly Hills. They sample the local color of places they pass through and dive into activities that range from making sausages to catching crawfish.

“It was fun to see all of America, especially with my best friend,” Hilton says from the Australia movie set where she’s acting in a “House of Wax” remake. One reason she was game for “The Simple Life 2” was her acquaintances’ reactions to the original show. “They thought it was one of the funniest things they’d ever seen. They can’t believe I actually did it. They all loved it; I never heard a bad word about it.”

“I loved Louisiana,” Hilton says of her travels in the new show. “We stayed with a family on a swamp; it was, like, all muddy, but the people were so nice. I like Mississippi, too; they had a casino, and we went there. I also loved Texas. We just met so many neat people along the way; it was a totally cool experience.”

Transportation was sometimes problematic. “It was so difficult to drive the trailer,” Hilton says. “It was really hard. Especially making big turns or backing up, I always wanted someone to help me

Hilton says she was glad to have Richie (who replaced Hilton’s sister, Nicky, on the first “Simple Life”) by her side again. “I couldn’t have done it otherwise.”

The Ledings of Altus, Ark., hosted her and Richie the first time, and Hilton admits she hasn’t kept in touch with the family. “I’m so busy,” she explains. “I’ve talked to the mother and the grandmother and the son, Braxton, but not on a regular basis.” Hilton appreciated the reunion special Fox staged after she and Richie had left town. “It was fun to go back to the town and see everyone. That was a couple of months after we’d shot the show, and I enjoyed it.”

Hilton no longer shops at Wal-Mart, either, a place she originally thought sold walls. “There aren’t any Wal-Marts where I live. When we were in Arkansas last year, that was the only store around. I loved it, and I went there every day back then, but I don’t go there on a usual basis.”

“The Simple Life 2” was one of the last projects initiated by the late reality-show pioneer Mary-Ellis Bunim (“The Real World,” “Road Rules”), whose production partner Jonathan Murray oversaw Hilton and Richie’s latest TV exploits. Bunim died “right before we left” to make the new show, Hilton reports. “It was really sad, really hard. She was a great woman.”

Hilton is due to issue a book and a clothing line before year’s end. And her acting gigs include recent guest shots on the Fox serial “The O.C.” and the NBC series “Las Vegas,” her role in the new Kate Hudson movie “Raising Helen” and her work on the “House of Wax” update due this Halloween. Making the horror movie has been “awesome,” she says. “We have a great cast, and with Joel Silver [‘Die Hard,’ ‘Lethal Weapon’] producing, it’s going to be amazing. Some people are turned into wax figures ... but I’m just brutally murdered.”

With the success of “The Simple Life,” it was inevitable someone would try an other-way-around show. Hilton’s mother, Kathy, is preparing to welcome some not-as-privileged people into her home for NBC’s upcoming “The Good Life.”

Paris isn’t sure if she’s had enough of “The Simple Life,” should Fox come calling for a third edition.

“I’m just waiting for ‘The Simple Life 2’ to come out,” she says. “I haven’t really decided yet. I’m just excited about my career. I had a lot of fun when I was younger, and now that I’m working, it’s even more fun.”

Jay Bobbin writes for Tribune Media Services.

“The Simple Life 2: Road Trip” premieres Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Fox and is rated TV14-DL (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14, with advisories for suggestive dialogue and coarse language).

The cover photograph is provided courtesy of Fox.