Last fall, MTV announced that it was reuniting with Lauren Conrad, star of the network’s Laguna Beach and The Hills, for another reality series focused on the young star’s burgeoning fashion line. But EW has EXCLUSIVELY learned why the Conrad series has been passed on by the network. “We decided not to go ahead with the show,” says David Janollari, EVP, Head of Programming for MTV. “She did do a pilot. There were talks about whether we could somehow manage to put together a special based on that footage but that’s also a big question mark based on her interest in that and the finances. We love her! We would love her on our network!” The proposed series was not a glossy reality soap like The Hills but much more documentary style. It was also noticeably absent from MTV’s Upfront this week. Says Janollari, “It was a great attempt but it just didn’t feel like a perfect fit for us now.” (The news of Conrad’s show not moving forward was first reported by blogger Rob Owen.)

UPDATE Lauren Conrad has sent EW a statement regarding MTV’s decision:

“We sold a show to MTV, filmed it and are really proud of the final result. MTV felt the subject matter was too high brow for their audience and offered me the opportunity to change the show by incorporating more of my personal life. We agreed going into the project that this show would be an aspirational one, focusing on my career and my goals and not my personal relationships. We delivered the show that we sold and are sorry MTV didn’t feel their viewers were savvy enough to appreciate it.”

Credit: Entertainment Weekly

What does The City’s Whitney Port want to do before she dies? Date fellow MTV reality star Ben Nemtin, it turns out.

Nemtin, the 23-year-old ringleader of MTV’s new bucket-list series The Buried Life, confirmed on Ryan Seacrest’s 102.7 KIIS FM radio show today that he’s “kind of been hanging out with Whitney” while in New York City.

Port has been busy in the Big Apple, where she showed her collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. She and Nemtin may have caught each other’s eye when they were in town recently at the Bryant Park Hotel during MTV’s Upfronts.

Seacrest asked all four cast members of The Buried Life — including Nemtin’s costars Dave Lingwood, Jonnie Penn and Duncan Penn — during his show if they’re dating anyone, and that’s when Nemtin spoke publicly about Whitney. “We just met, you know, when I’m in New York and stuff,” he said. “We’ve been hanging out but other than that, you know, we just kinda met.”

The other guys, however, all said they were single.

Credit: People Magazine