The Bling Ring

In part one of our season finale, we dive into the celebrity obsessed work of Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring (2013), a stylish crime drama based on the real group of teenagers who burglarized the homes of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The film follows a crew of fame hungry teens who break into the houses of celebrities like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Orlando Bloom – but how accurately does it portray the crimes that shocked Los Angeles? We examine the true story of the real Bling Ring, explore how the group selected their targets, and uncover the details of the burglaries that netted millions of dollars in cash, jewelry, and designer goods. We compare the movie’s characters to their real-life counterparts, discuss what was changed for dramatic effect, and look at how celebrity culture and social media helped fuel the crimes in the first place.

 Primary Sources:

• Vanity Fair (2010)
• Sales, Nancy. The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World. It Books (2013).
• US Weekly (2026)

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Transcript

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Welcome And Spooky Season Setup

Ashley 0:10

Welcome to Criminal Adaptations, where we take a look at some of your favorite movies and the true crime stories that inspired them. I'm Ashley, a clinical psychologist and forensic evaluator in the state of Oregon.

Remi 0:23

And I'm Remy. I spent over a decade working in the film and television industry in Los Angeles, California.

Ashley 0:30

And welcome back, everybody. I sure hope you are having a fantastic start of October and gearing up for spooky season. Remy and I are quite behind on figuring out our Halloween costume, unfortunately. But speaking of Remy, how are you doing over there?

Remi 0:49

I'm doing really good, and I'm really excited that we are at the conclusion of season six. Today we're doing part one of two, both themed around Hollywood. And today we will be discussing the Bling Ring about a group of teenage burglars who exclusively robbed celebrity homes. Ashley, what were you like as a teenager?

Ashley 1:14

I think I was a pretty typical teenager. I was a good student. I wasn't like super popular, but I had a fair amount of friends, dabbled in a couple sports. But I did at times have a bit of a rebellious streak, though nowhere near as severe as yours.

Remi 1:32

Yes, I was a little hoodlum back in the day, I guess you could say. I was a troubled teen. I did a lot of partying, and I got into a ton of trouble for it. And I would say when I was a teenager, I was extremely selfish and had a pretty inflated ego. I don't know if that's related to me being an only child, but probably contributed a little bit.

Ashley 1:59

If you were in LA at the time and knew these kids, I could totally see you getting drawn into this scheme.

Remi 2:06

Oh, absolutely. And I think as we will learn in this episode, teenagers are really bad at committing crimes because they are dumb and don't really think about it and just kind of do things. And if they get away with it, they keep doing it until they get caught, basically. Now, Ashley, did you watch a lot of reality TV shows when you were a teenager? I know they were kind of just getting popular around that time.

Ashley 2:33

Back then, the primary reality shows I watched were on MTV and VH1. So I watched all those dating shows: The Rock of Love, A Shot of Tequila with Teela Tequila, or Shot of Love with Teela Tequila. I also was a big fan of Laguna Beach, followed by The Hills. And then, of course, when Jersey Shore hit our screens, I hopped right on that bandwagon. And as you know, Remy, I am still a major fan of reality TV, though my tastes have since evolved primarily to the Real Housewives franchises, pretty much anything on Bravo, and also a bunch of other dating shows. Love is Blind, 90-day fiance, you name it, I'll watch it. Guilty Pleasure for sure.

Remi 3:24

I used to like reality TV shows, actually. I watched The Real World, Road Rules, the first season of Jersey Shore is a classic, as well as The Osbornes, The Surreal Life. But after working on so many different reality TV shows while I was living in Los Angeles, I really grew to hate them. Especially the one centered around rich, attractive idiots just literally existing and it's all being televised for some reason. But you love those types of shows, right, Ashley?

Ashley 4:01

Like I said, really just the Housewives fits that bill. I guess I do watch the Secret Lives of Mormon wives, that is, along those lines. I used to watch the Kardashians, but I stopped once they went off E and moved to Hulu.

Remi 4:14

Did you watch any of Paris Hilton's old reality shows, like The Simple Life or Paris Hilton's My New BFF?

Ashley 4:22

I've seen a few seasons of The Surreal Life. I never really could get into it. And I did watch the first season of Paris Hilton's My BFF. I think there was two, maybe three, but I just watched the first one.

Remi 4:37

I distinctly remember watching The Simple Life with my friends in the first apartment I ever lived in as a teenager. And I don't think I was super into it, but I do remember watching the entire season. And speaking of which, what do you think of Paris Hilton in general? I know she had her moment where she was kind of everywhere for a while, and she's kind of taken a backseat to Kim Kardashian, but how do you feel about her as a celebrity and a person in general?

Ashley 5:10

I'm really indifferent to her. She just never really crosses my mind or

Teen Years And Reality TV Culture

Ashley 5:15

impacts my life in any little way. I do think that people think she is dumber than she is, which is something she has orchestrated by design.

Remi 5:27

I definitely think that she has cultivated the whole dumb blonde thing, but she is a pretty intelligent businesswoman. Did you ever watch a show called Pretty Wild on E back in 2010, starring Alexis Nyers?

Pretty Wild (promo) 5:48

For these diters, LA is their playground. But when you raised hell in the study of angels, sometimes there's the devil to pay.

The Bling Ring (clip) 5:58

These are the consequences of hanging out with stupid people.

Pretty Wild (promo) 6:00

And for this former wild child, came back.

Remi 6:29

Alexis was, of course, part of that bratty teenage group of burglars known as the Bling Ring, whose crimes gained widespread attention, primarily because they targeted Hollywood celebrities like Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, and even Lindsay Lohan. Had you heard of The Bling Ring before we decided to do this episode, Ashley?

Ashley 6:53

Of course. I have heard of Sophia Coppola's movie, which is what we're going to be covering today. Not the lifetime original TV movie from 2010. But I actually have never seen the movie The Bling Rang. But kind of from what I've read about it just in passing, I had a gist of what went down. You had seen this movie before, right?

Remi 7:15

I had, but it's actually kind of a funny story. I tried watching this movie online when it came out, but ended up accidentally watching the 2011 Lifetime TV movie of the same name starring Austin Butler, which you just mentioned. And I literally watched the entire film and just kept wondering, where is Emma Watson? And she just never showed up. And it wasn't until after I had watched the entire movie that I realized there is another movie about the same thing with the same name. So color my face red on that one.

Ashley 7:56

That's hilarious. I wonder what one you liked better. I kid, I kid.

Remi 8:01

Now, the film I had meant to watch was actually directed by Sophia Coppola, who is, of course, the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola and is also first cousins with Jason Schwartzmann and Nicolas Cage. How do you feel about Sophia Coppola as a director, Ash?

Ashley 8:20

So I know she directed Lost in Translation, that so many people, including you, I believe, love. I think that movie's okay. And I know she also did um Marie Antoinette, which I did see in high school, but I don't really remember much of it. One thing I did read is that at the time, I don't know if this has since changed, but when she made that movie, she was the first and only person ever to be allowed to film there.

Remi 8:48

I believe you are correct on that one. I've always thought of Sophia Coppola as more of a photographer than a director, mainly because most of her films are beautifully shot, but don't have much of a plot. I do love Lost in Translation. I think it brilliantly captures the feeling of being alone and traveling abroad. And I thought The Virgin Suicides was a magnificent first film of hers. And then after that, with Marie Antoinette and Priscilla, like they're not bad movies, but I don't know, they don't really leave a lasting memory, I guess you could say.

Ashley 9:28

I actually really liked Priscilla. I don't think I realized she directed that. It certainly was much better than the Elvis movie, again, starring Austin Butler. I guess he's getting a little cameo in this episode.

Remi 9:40

We will get to Mr. Butler someday, I'm sure. But today we are going to be discussing Hermione Granger herself, Emma Watson.

Hermione Granger 9:50

Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed. Or worse, expelled.

Ashley 9:59

Classic. She's also amazing, and this is the end.

Remi 10:03

Were you a fan of her in the Harry Potter films growing up? Watching that clip right now, I always forget how young all of them were when they started that film series. And now we got a whole new group of kids doing it all over again.

Ashley 10:17

Of course, those movies are just classics, and she is just so good as a snooty little mudblood.

Remi 10:26

I actually have a funny Emma Watson story. When I was living in LA, I had a job at the hustler store in Hollywood for a little while. And she came in with one of her friends one night, and this friend of hers was super loud and outgoing, just like, let me see that. Ooh, this looks crazy. Just going around the entire adult section, just basically asking questions about everything and handling everything. And Emma Watson was there trying to like, please, nobody notice me. This could be really bad if someone takes a picture. But it was very funny. She was very quiet. But before we get caught on security camera and somehow turn this whole thing into a reality show ourselves, let's get into the making of The Bling Ring.

The Bling Ring (clip) 11:16

Come on, let's go to Paris's. I want to rob.

Why Sophia Coppola Made The Film

Remi 11:22

The Bling Ring is a 2013 crime film written and directed by Sophia Coppola, starring Emma Watson, Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, and Tessa Farmiga. The movie is based on Nancy Joe Sayle's 2010 Vanity Fair article, The Suspects Wore Louis Batons. Coppola had vaguely heard about the burglaries while they were happening, but she really hadn't paid much attention to the story until she read the Vanity Fair article while she was traveling. Once she started reading it, she couldn't put it down, and her immediate reaction was basically, somebody has to make this into a movie. But it wasn't only the burglaries themselves that interested her. Coppola was fascinated by what the story said about this combination of reality TV, social media, consumerism, and the increasingly blurred lines between celebrities and the people watching them. Since these kids had grown up with almost constant access to information about celebrities' lives, they knew what they owned, where they lived, and even when they weren't home.

Ashley 12:35

Yeah, these burglaries took place in 2008 and 2009, which is really when reality TV was really kicking off. And it's also when celebrity news sites like TMZ were becoming increasingly popular.

Remi 12:52

Celebrity culture was also something Coppola had already been exploring in her work. Her previous movie, Somewhere, followed a famous actor living at the Chateau Marmont and looked at celebrity from the perspective of someone who was already inside that world.

Ashley 13:10

I've never heard of this. Have you seen that movie?

Remi 13:13

I have seen this movie. It stars Steven Dorf and I think Dakota Fanning is the little girl in it. But it's just about a father who is famous, and he is staying at this hotel while he's shooting a film, and his daughter is there with him, and they don't really do anything. They're just at this hotel. I mean, they listened to a guy play a song on a guitar at one point, but there is literally no plot to the movie whatsoever. But the bling ring basically allowed her to flip that around and look at the entire thing from the perspective of these teenagers on the outside who wanted into that world so badly that they eventually started breaking into celebrities' homes and literally taking pieces of it for themselves. Coppola described the Bling Ring as trying on other people's stuff to find themselves. And that's pretty much exactly what they were doing. They weren't just stealing expensive shit for the money, they were wearing these celebrities' clothes and taking pictures of themselves and their stuff, going out in it and trying to live the lives of the people they had spent years watching and obsessing over. The movie was also a pretty major departure from the visual style Coppola was known for. Her movies had generally been much more understated, and now she was making something filled with designer labels, fake tans, nightclubs, paparazzi, reality TV, and this whole over-the-top celebrity lifestyle that was completely different from her own personal taste. But that was also what made the movie fun for her to make, because she got to completely lean into this world that looked and felt nothing like anything she had done before. And I just want to point out that she could live this life if she chose to. Her father is Francis Ford Coppola, and she has basically grown up in the industry, but she seems like much more of an introverted person, and this lifestyle just never really appealed to her.

Ashley 15:27

And I think because of who her dad was, literally many consider him one of the greatest directors of all time, is why she doesn't want to live this lifestyle. She's been in the spotlight since birth.

Remi 15:42

By December 2011, Coppola was officially developing the screenplay and was set to direct and produce the movie herself. Her father, Francis Ford Coppola, was also involved through American Zootrope, while her brother Roman Coppola came on board as a producer, and Nala Films helped finance the project. This is one of the few films that we've talked about on this podcast that seemingly came together very quickly and very easily.

Ashley 16:11

The Coppolas can do whatever they want. I mean, whenever Francis wants to make a movie, he just pretty much puts up his life savings to fund it.

Research And Casting Emma Watson

Remi 16:21

And Sophia did a lot more research than simply adapting the Vanity Fair article. Nancy Joe Sales gave her access to interview transcripts and other material that hadn't made it into the published story, which gave her a much better sense of how these kids actually talked about what they had done, and more importantly, how they seemed to feel and think about it. She also met with some of the actual people involved, including Nick Prugo, who became the basis for Mark in the movie, as well as Alexis Nyers, and her mother, Andrea Arlington Dunn. Out of everyone involved, Nick was the person she found the most sympathetic and the easiest to understand. He was insecure and awkward and wanted badly to fit in, and she could relate to that feeling of being a teenager and wanting to belong. Because of that, she decided to tell much of the story through Mark, and use him as the character who first brings us into the group. She also watched Alexis Nyer's reality show Pretty Wild, and quite a bit of what we see with Nikki and her family was pulled from what Coppola saw on the show. The homeschooling, the secret, the vision boards, and Andrea's whole approach to raising the girls were all things she had seen while researching the family. One of the reasons Sophia decided to change the names of the real people involved was that she didn't want to make the actual Bling Ring members any more famous than they already were. So Rachel Lee became Rebecca Ann, Nick Prugo became Mark Hall, Alexis Nyers became Nikki Moore, Tess Taylor became Sam Moore, Courtney Ames became Chloe Taynor, Roy Lopez Jr. became Rob Hernandez, and Johnny Ajar became Ricky. The movie also doesn't include every member of the real group exactly as they were, so some were combined with other people or left out entirely. Diana Tameo, for example, was a significant member of the actual Bling Ring, but doesn't have her own character in the movie. There are different explanations online for why she was excluded, but I couldn't find Sophia or anyone else directly involved with the production ever giving a definitive reason for it. When it came to casting, Sophia specifically wanted most of the Bling Ring to be played by young, relatively unknown actors who were actually close to the ages of the real teenagers. She didn't want a bunch of people in their mid to late twenties pretending to be 18, and the search for the right actors ended up lasting more than a year. That's how she ended up with Katie Chang, Claire Julian, and Israel Broussard, who were all either completely unknown or still very early in their careers, while Tessa Farmiga, whose mother is of course Vera Farmiga, had just started getting attention from her appearance on American Horror Story. Emma Watson was obviously the big exception, and where she was in her career at the time makes her casting a lot more interesting. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 had only come out in 2011, meaning Watson had just finished spending roughly a decade playing Hermione Granger and was still trying to figure out what her career was going to look like outside of Harry Potter. She had taken a small role in My Week with Marilyn and then starred in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but she was still at the point where pretty much everything she chose was going to be viewed in terms of what she did as Hermione. Watson actually fought for the role in The Bling Ring, and a big reason she wanted to do the movie was Sophia Coppola. She was already a huge fan of her work, and later explained, I never chose the role, I chose the director. Her character Nikki was also unlike anyone Watson had played before, and was basically the complete opposite of both Hermione and Emma herself. She described her as superficial, materialistic, vain, and amoral, and even admitted that she hated Nikki when she first read the script, but that actually made the role more interesting for her.

Emma Watson 21:15

Trying to make sure that Nikki wasn't like a parody was my was my biggest challenge. The costumes were amazing. The low-part juicy couture and the skin tight dresses. I would say it's a costume. I'm like, oh, we we can see a bra strap here. We need to do something about this. She's like, no, sweetie. Nikki's all about the bra strap showing. I'm like, right. Okay. Different mindset. Okay.

Remi 21:42

To prepare for the role, Watson watched The Hills, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and Pretty Wild, and studied Alexis Nyers specifically for Nikki. She also spent a lot of time working on her Calabasas accent because she wanted it to sound like the girls she had been watching, without turning Nikki into a cliche valley girl stereotype. And she does a pretty good job overall, I must say, but there are a few moments where that British accent just slips through a little bit. The rest of the cast came together in early 2012, with Emma Watson announced at the end of February, followed by Tessa Farmiga, Leslie Mann, Israel Broussard, Claire Julian, Katie Chang, Georgia Rock, as well as Gavin Rossdale of all people, and the rest of the ensemble came together over the next several weeks. Kirsten Dunst and Paris Hilton also agreed to appear as themselves, and Hilton actually ended up helping quite a bit with the movie. Coppola was introduced to Hilton through Stephen Dorf and eventually visited the actual house that the Bling Ring had burglarized. Hilton showed her around the rooms and closets they had gone through, and even showed her the original security footage of the burglars inside the house. She then agreed to let Coppola film there, so when we see the Bling Ring walking around Paris Hilton's house in the movie, that is actually Paris Hilton's house. Meaning all of the closets, the clothing, the pictures, pillows, and plethora of Paris Hilton memorabilia everywhere are all actually hers and not the work of some expert set decorator.

Ashley 23:31

That was probably incredibly helpful because I do know Paris' house is unique.

Remi 23:39

That is an understatement. Before filming started, Coppola also wanted the younger actors to spend time together so they could get to know each other and feel more like an actual group of friends. She also came up with a pretty unique way for them to rehearse the burglaries. The actors were sent

Paris Hilton’s House On Camera

Remi 24:00

into a house in the Hollywood Hills with a list of things they were supposed to find and steal, while Christopher Blowelt followed them around with a camera. Coppola didn't tell them exactly where to go or how they should behave once they were inside, so a lot of what they did came naturally and helped shape how the burglaries would eventually be filmed. And in a funny coincidence, Emma Watson actually had her wallet stolen while she was out with the cast. Israel Broussard later said they had all gone out to eat together when Watson discovered it was missing, so while they were preparing to play a group of thieves, one of them actually ended up getting robbed. Or it fell out of her pocket. The film's original cinematographer, Harris Savides, who had previously worked with Coppola on Somewhere and had shot movies including Zodiac, Milk, and American Gangster.

Ashley 24:58

Hey, all three that are on our list to cover.

Remi 25:02

Well, unfortunately, Savetis had been diagnosed with brain cancer before production of The Bling Ring began, and still helped Coppola establish how the film would look, but as his health deteriorated, he eventually became too sick to continue filming. As a result, his longtime colleague and camera operator, Christopher Blowveldt, took over and finished shooting the movie based on what Savetis and Copla had already established. Savetis died in October 2012 at only 55 years old, several months after filming wrapped. Both Savetti and Blowveld received cinematography credit on the finished film, which was also dedicated to Savetti's memory.

Ashley 25:49

Oh, that's really nice that they did both of those things.

Film Plot Begins And First Theft

Remi 25:53

Alright, Ashley. The celebrities are all out of town, and apparently nobody in Los Angeles has ever heard of locking their doors before. So let's walk right in to the Bling Ring. The group sneaks around to the back of the mansion with their hoods pulled up over their heads, and soon discovers an unlocked patio door, easily entering the empty house without any issues. From there, they begin rifling through the owner's belongings, taking expensive clothing, shoes, jewelry, designer bags, and pretty much anything else they can get their hands on. We are then introduced to the teenagers through quick cuts of their various Facebook pages, showing them all hanging out, having fun, and partying, interspersed with tabloid videos and paparazzi photos of celebrities like Paris Hilton, Misha Barton, and Lindsay Lohan. The group includes Mark, played by Israel Broussard, Rebecca, played by Katie Chang, Chloe, played by Claire Julian, Sam, played by Tessa Farmiga, and last but not least, Nikki, played by Emma Watson. We then fade in on Calabasas, California, sometime later, where Nikki is giving a statement to the press regarding her pending legal troubles.

The Bling Ring (clip) 27:42

I'm a firm believer in karma, and I think the situation was attracted into my life as a huge learning lesson for me to grow and expand as a spiritual human being.

Ashley 28:03

I don't think I realized that this wasn't a comedy. All I know from this movie without seeing it, or at least the memories that come to mind, are scenes of Emma Watson, including this one and the one you played at the very beginning where she says she wants to rob.

Remi 28:24

Nikki is a ridiculous character, but her and her family are really the only comedic elements to the film. None of the other Bling Ring members are funny in any way. It's just Nikki. We then jump back to one year earlier, where Nikki and Sam are waking up after a late night out, with Nikki's mom Lori, played by Leslie Mann, calling from downstairs for them to get up. As the girls slowly begin getting dressed, Sam reminds Nikki just how out of control she was the night before, while Nikki fires back that Sam had spent half the night all over some older guy. When the girls finally come downstairs, Lori questions them about how late they were out on a school night before reminding them to take their Adderall and meet in the living room at eight for their lesson. The family then joins hands as Lori leads them in a prayer about striving to be the best people they can be for the greater good of the planet and everyone in it. We then cut over to Mark as he gets dressed for his first day at school, nervously checking himself out in the mirror before gathering his things and heading out the door. Once Mark gets to class, he immediately stands out as the new kid, awkwardly looking around for somewhere to sit as everyone else just stares at him. Later in the hallway, Mark is trying to find his locker when another student rudely bumps into him on purpose. After witnessing the incident from across the hallway, a girl named Rebecca comes over to introduce herself. As the two begin walking down the hall together, we learn that Mark grew up in Agora Hills, but had been homeschooled for the past year after getting kicked out of his previous school for missing too many classes. And Rebecca has ended up there because she got caught

Escalation Through Parties And Targets

Remi 30:25

with substances that she wasn't supposed to have at school.

Ashley 30:29

The school they're going to now is an alternative high school.

Remi 30:32

What is an alternative high school?

Ashley 30:35

It's a school you can enroll in after you've been expelled from other places.

Remi 30:41

Before going their separate ways, Rebecca invites Mark to come along to the beach with her after school that day. Later, Mark joins Rebecca and her friend Chloe as they drive to the beach smoking weed and listening to heavy rap music. Once there, Rebecca talks about graduating and attending the Fashion Institute of Design, where several girls from the hills had gone, and plans to eventually launch her own clothing line, fragrance, and television show someday. Later that night, Mark and Chloe go back to Rebecca's where a party is underway because her parents are out of town. As everyone drinks and gets high downstairs, Mark and Rebecca hang out in her bedroom, flipping through magazines and talking about celebrities, fashion, and designer clothing. At some point during the party, Rebecca asks Mark if he wants to go check some cars, and although he has no idea what she means, he follows her out into the neighborhood. Rebecca proceeds to casually walk down the street checking car doors, eventually finding an unlocked Lexus with a small purse inside that she immediately takes. She keeps going until she finds another unlocked car, this time with cash and a credit card inside. By the time they head back, they've stolen around $400 in cash along with everything else they've found, giving Mark his first real taste of what committing crimes with Rebecca is going to feel like. The next day after school, Rebecca offers Mark a ride and asks if he knows anyone who's out of town. Mark mentions a kid named Evan he met online whose family is vacationing in Jamaica. And Rebecca reveals that a few weeks earlier she went into someone's unlocked house and found a bunch of cash. After learning Evan lives nearby in woodland hills, they decide to go check his house out. Once there, Rebecca leads Mark around back, where they find an unlocked side door and make their way inside. Mark immediately gets nervous and wants to leave, while Rebecca comfortably wanders around opening drawers and cabinets and grabbing a Birkin bag before discovering a box hidden beneath a bed containing a thick stack of cash. But apparently that wasn't enough because on their way out, Rebecca also grabs the keys to Evan's Porsche and steals his car as well. The two then take their newly acquired loot to Robertson Boulevard, where I used to work, I might add, for a shopping spree at Kitson, where they try on clothes, take pictures of each other, and buy matching rings from Tiffany and Co. before speeding off again in Evans Porsche. Now this isn't shown in the film, but I'm assuming they're just taking these cars for joy rides and they're not like keeping them.

Ashley 33:48

In my research, I saw no mention of taking cars.

Remi 33:54

Later that night, Mark and Rebecca arrive with Chloe at a packed LA nightclub, where Nikki and Sam are already inside waiting for them at a private table in the VIP section. Chloe manages to skip the line and get everyone into the club through Rob, one of the doormen she knows. And once they're inside, Mark is introduced to Nikki and Sam for the first time. The group proceed to spend the entire night drinking, dancing, texting, and taking pictures while surrounded by celebrities like Kirsten Dunst and other people connected to the entertainment industry. Sidebar, Kirsten Dunst was not originally in the script, and she was added after visiting Sophia Coppola on set. Dunst, of course, previously starred in two of Coppola's movies, The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette.

Ashley 34:51

Oh, that's funny. So she visited on set, and Sophia Coppola was probably like, Hey, do you want to just pop in this scene for me really quick?

Remi 35:00

She literally has no lines at all. She is just walking around and one of them goes, Hey, it's Kirsten Dunst. We're also briefly introduced to Ricky, played by Bush's Gavin Rossdale, an older club promoter and friend of Chloe's. While Mark is completely starstruck after realizing that Paris Hilton is sitting nearby just a short distance away. The next day, Mark arrives at school with a newfound confidence and meets up with Rebecca, Chloe, and their friends. As they head inside, Mark explains through voiceover that he loved Rebecca and considered her his best friend and almost like a sister. Meanwhile, Sam is back at Nikki's looking pretty rough as Lori begins another homeschooling lesson. This time about character development and surrounding yourself with people who have qualities that you admire.

The Bling Ring (clip) 36:03

Okay, this morning's lesson is on character development. So in The Secret, we talk about the law of attraction and how we need to be really careful about who we surround ourselves with because we wind up being the average of those people. So we are going to make vision boards about people who are demonstrating good character. Like Angelina Jolie. So, what qualities do you guys admire about Angelina Jolie? Her husband. Mm-hmm. Okay. Anything else? Her hot bod.

Security Footage And Arrests Hit

The Bling Ring (clip) 36:45

Okay. Okay, well, the hot bod is not a characteristic, but okay. How long do we have to do this for? We're gonna do it until we finish, and then we're gonna move on to the fluorescence work.

Ashley 36:57

This cannot be an approved lesson plan.

Remi 37:01

Well, they're just sitting on the couch without any pens or papers or notebooks or anything, so I think this barely qualifies. Later, Mark and Rebecca are in her bedroom looking at celebrity gossip online when Mark finds a story about Paris Hilton hosting a party in Las Vegas. Rebecca asks where she lives, so Mark finds her address and pulls up the house on Google Maps, where they realize they can reach it by climbing the hill behind the property. Rebecca then suggests that Paris seems like the kind of person who would just leave her key under the doormat. And apparently she was right, because later that night they make their way over to Paris' house and find the key right under the mat with an Eiffel Tower keychain attached. Once inside, they're startled by Paris' pet monkey screeching at them from a nearby cage, before passing walls covered in pictures and magazine covers of Paris. They eventually reach her massive dressing area, which is basically the size of a shopping district, and Rebecca starts digging through her things while Mark repeatedly tells her that they need to leave. Downstairs, they find Paris' nightclub room, complete with pictures of herself covering the walls, pink furry pillows, and a stripper pole. Before leaving, Rebecca snaps a quick selfie and grabs a bottle of vodka on her way out. Mark and Rebecca then go meet up with Chloe, Nikki, and Sam at another party and tell them about breaking into Paris Hilton's house. Rebecca shows off a diamond tennis bracelet she stole, while Mark explains that the key was literally sitting under the doormat. Nikki immediately wants to go herself, and Rebecca tells them they can all go back as long as they figure out when Paris will be out of town. Sometime later, Mark is hanging out with Rebecca, Nikki, and Sam in Rebecca's bedroom, helping style the girls as they try on different outfits while scrolling through celebrity gossip online, before Nikki eventually gets bored and suggests going to Paris' house. Not one to disappoint, Rebecca brings Mark, Nikki, Sam, and Chloe back to Paris's that night and leads them straight into her audaciously large dressing area.

The Bling Ring (clip) 39:35

Oh my god. She likes her. Oh my god! Holy shit. Oh my god, this is so sick! Let's see. Look at all her Loubatons. Her feet are so big. No, what's the thing? Seriously? Oh my god, do you think I'll fit? Not me.

Pretty Wild (promo) 40:03

Probably you.

The Bling Ring (clip) 40:05

Oh my god! Look! That's crazy.

Ashley 40:15

I'm not gonna lie. I totally understand where these girls are coming from. This is wealth that very few people can imagine, and even fewer ever acquire. And the closet in this scene is just her shoe closet.

Remi 40:31

Yeah, her closet has different rooms in it. So you can literally open a door from the shoe closet and enter the part of the closet that has tops, and then from there the part that has skirts. Like, this is a ridiculously massive closet. It is the biggest I've ever seen in my life.

Ashley 40:52

And very well organized by the sound of it. I mean, even the shoes were all like color-coded.

Remi 40:58

I don't think Paris is doing that personally.

Ashley 41:02

Yeah, you're right. It's whoever was selected to be her BFF from the reality show.

Remi 41:07

The group immediately start trying on Paris's Louis Batons, grabbing bags and taking pictures in Paris' clothes. While Mark gets in on the fun by strutting his stuff in a pair of pink heels, which fit him perfectly, I might add. As everyone else is goofing around, Rebecca

Sentences And Nikki’s Media Tour

Remi 41:28

notices something behind a wall of shoes and discovers a hidden safe room filled with ungodly amounts of jewelry, cash, and even a few nude pictures of Paris herself. Rebecca eventually makes her way into the bathroom and starts putting on Paris' makeup, while Mark once again gets nervous and tries convincing everyone that it's time to leave. But first, Rebecca has got to show everyone Paris' private nightclub, where Nikki and Sam twirl around the stripper pole. After helping themselves to even more of Paris' stuff, they finally leave and run laughing down the hill with everything they've stolen. The group then hits another nightclub to celebrate with bottle service, but on the way home, they're T-boned by another car while distracted singing along to an MIA song.

Release Strategy And Critical Reaction

Remi 42:48

Sometime later, Mark is jamming out alone at home and trying on different outfits when he gets a text from Rebecca saying, Let's go to Paris. The two return to Paris Hilton's house yet again and help themselves to more of her stuff, with Rebecca even trying to take Paris's teacup chihuahua, but Mark convinces her that stealing the dog would be way too noticeable.

Ashley 43:18

And not to mention just needlessly cruel.

Remi 43:22

As they're leaving, they spot a security patrol car and dive into some nearby bushes. The car stops and shines a light around, but eventually moves on. Once the coast is clear, Rebecca checks an unlocked sports car nearby and finds a large bag of cocaine, which they take before driving around, getting high, blasting music, and singing along together. We then see a clip from The Hills featuring Audrina Patridge, talking about her favorite places to go out in Los Angeles, while Mark and Rebecca look at pictures of her online. Rebecca tells Mark how much she loves her style, so He finds Audrina's address and discovers she'll be at Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher's Oscar party that Sunday. While Audrina is away that weekend, Mark and Rebecca break into her house and leave moments later with bags full of her belongings. And I just want to highlight this scene because it's all shot from afar, so you can see the entire house and you see these silhouettes sneaking up to it and going into the various rooms and turning lights on and off. And it's just a very artistic way to show this robbery.

Ashley 44:43

Yeah, that's actually smart because we don't really need to have several scenes of these people just walking around the house filling up bags of stuff.

Remi 44:52

I'm not gonna lie, it does get pretty repetitive after a certain point. I mean, they go to Paris's house so many times, it's ridiculous. Back at Rebecca's, Nikki and Sam join them as they go through everything they've stolen, trying on clothes, while Mark puts together different looks and takes pictures. We then cut to Mark, Nikki, and Rebecca with a table setup on the Venice Beach boardwalk, blatantly selling the stolen goods right out in the open for a fraction of the price. And when I say fraction, they are selling these purses for fifty dollars. Before long, they're back online looking for their next target, and this time it's Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green. Rebecca, Mark, Chloe, Nikki, Sam, and even Nikki's 13-year-old sister Emily all go along, with Emily crawling through the doggy door to let everyone else inside. Once they're in, everyone immediately starts going through the closets and drawers as usual, while Mark grows increasingly paranoid.

The Bling Ring (clip) 46:05

Do you guys hear that? It's fine. No, no, I think I heard someone. There's no one outside. Calm the fuck down. I hear helicopters. We're in LA. Of course there are helicopters. Don't be such a little bitch. I like those regards, Jacket. Wait. What's up with Zola? Xanax. Oh, good.

Remi 46:33

Meanwhile, Nikki finds a box under the bed containing a gun and hands it to Sam, who starts dancing around while carelessly waving it about. Sam takes the gun with her and later climbs through Rob's bedroom window, the bouncer from the club earlier, to give it to him as a present.

Ashley 46:53

At this point, they're dating.

Remi 46:55

As the two start fooling around, the gun accidentally goes off, briefly interrupting them before they get right back down to business. Not long after, Mark and Rebecca are back online looking for their next target when they come across Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr, who are both in New York while he's shooting a film. Rebecca says she could use some Victoria's Secret model clothes, so Mark finds their address and they target Orlando's house that night. After easily finding an unlocked door, the girls head straight for Miranda's closet and start grabbing clothing and lingerie while Mark goes through Orlando's collection of expensive Rolexes. The group leaves with clothing, jewelry, paintings, rugs, and other valuables. But Mark's face is clearly captured by one of the home's hidden security cameras on the way out. Chloe later connects Mark with Ricky to fence the stolen Rolexes, giving him a way to start turning some of their stolen property into cash. The next time the group hits Paris's house, Sam brings Rob along, who is absolutely dumbfounded when he learns how many times they've broken in. I mean, seriously, it's pretty staggering at this point. And she still hasn't noticed.

Ashley 48:26

Okay, wait, I have a question. When Chloe climbed into the bedroom window, is it Rob played by Gavin Rosdale or the other guy?

Remi 48:35

It's the other guy. Ricky is Gavin Rosdale, who is the club promoter, who offers to help fence the Rolexes. Sometime later, Mark is at Nikki's trying on clothes when they get a call telling them to turn on the news. When they do, they see night vision security footage of themselves robbing Audrina Patridge's house, immediately putting everyone on edge. Later, Mark, Chloe, and Rebecca are sitting on the beach sharing a joint when Rebecca casually mentions wanting to hit Rachel Bilson's house while she's in Paris for Fashion Week. Mark and Chloe are apprehensive after seeing the news report. But Mark eventually gives in when Rebecca starts pouting about wanting some Chanel.

Ashley 49:25

Don't we all, Rebecca? Don't we all?

Remi 49:28

Mark, Sam, Rebecca, and Nikki break into Rachel's house later that night, but the mood has clearly shifted, with the robbery feeling more frantic and intense than glamorous and casual. Afterwards, they hit a party where their exploits have made them increasingly popular, giving them plenty of opportunity to brag about their numerous celebrity burglaries. From there, excess basically becomes the norm, with the group constantly partying, doing drugs, shopping and robbing, seemingly convinced that they're untouchable. They even rob Rebecca's biggest fashion icon, Lindsay Lohan, which she refers to as her ultimate conquest. Around this time, Rebecca tells Mark she's leaving for Las Vegas to stay with her dad for a while, clearly catching him off guard. Not long after Rebecca leaves, Lindsay Lohan releases security footage from her house, which is compared to the earlier footage from Audrina's burglary and appears to show the same people. An unidentified caller phones the police shortly after and identifies Mark, Rebecca, Chloe, and Nikki as the culprits, with their Facebook pages providing further evidence, including pictures of them posing with various stolen items. Early one morning, Mark wakes up to the LAPD pounding on his

True Story Origins In Calabasas

Remi 51:01

front door. As soon as his terrified mother tells him that the police are outside, he knows exactly why they're there and breaks down crying in her arms. Once Mark is taken in, the arrests spread quickly throughout the rest of the group, with police arriving at Nikki's not long after.

The Bling Ring (clip) 51:26

Yes. Is this the home of Nicolette Moore? Yes. Out of the way. Come downstairs, you guys. Come downstairs right now. Any of any weapons in the house? No. Okay. What is this about? Wait, what is going on? I'll explain everything to you before we're done. Nicolette? Yeah. Sit down over there. Why? What did I do? Why? We're conducting an investigation before we're done. I promise you'll explain everything. Why do I have to sit down? Zip it.

Remi 52:06

And I just want to point out that Sam, who is living with Nikki at this point and accompanied her on a bunch of these robberies, she is not arrested because her face was not visible on any of the security footage. Police also visit Rebecca's house, only to learn from her mother that she's staying with her father in Nevada, while Rob, Chloe, and Ricky are all arrested at their homes. Mark is eventually questioned by detectives and immediately starts talking, explaining how they used the internet to figure out when the celebrities were out of town, and rarely had to actually break in because so many doors were left unlocked. When asked about Rebecca leaving California with stolen property, Mark insists he thought she was only going to Vegas because she was having problems with her mom and stepdad.

Ashley 53:01

What coincidental timing.

Remi 53:04

I also don't mention this, but Rebecca leaves a lot of the stolen merch with Mark before she leaves. So he's kind of left holding the bag when the police come and search his home. The police eventually track Rebecca down at her father's house in Las Vegas, where she remains remarkably calm as detectives serve a search warrant and begin to question her. She admits knowing Mark was arrested and that TMZ has called her a person of interest, but repeatedly denies having anything to do with the burglaries or even ever being inside any of the celebrity's homes. She changes her tune pretty quickly, however, after the police find clothing matching items stolen from Lindsay Lohan, along with personal pictures of Paris Hilton taken from her safe. We then see mugshots of Rebecca, Mark, Nikki, Chloe, and Rob, as news reports announce that the alleged members of The Bling Ring have finally been arrested. During questioning, a detective mentions that he has spoken with all of the victims, causing Rebecca's face to light up as she asks, really? What did Lindsay say? When Mark gets home, he checks Rebecca's Facebook page and discovers she's locked it down, leaving him unable to see the pictures and messages that previously filled her profile. Out of the entire group, Nikki begins attracting the most attention and is swarmed by paparazzi outside the police station. A journalist named Kate even comes to her house to interview her for Vanity Fair, while Lori and Nikki's lawyers sit beside them. During the interview, Nikki talks about her family, being homeschooled, her religious upbringing, and the charity work she claims to be involved in, while repeatedly getting irritated with Lori for interrupting her.

The Bling Ring (clip) 55:13

So Adam here told me that you do charity work. Yes, we do a lot of stuff through our church. It's called the Agape Church. Right. It's the religious science philosophy. Um my other sister, Gabby, is on a trip with them building homes, and they do a yearly trip to Africa where they build wells and schools for kids. Which country? Um I can't remember exactly which country, but we do bake sales and like feeding the homeless and that kind of stuff.

Remi 55:50

When Kate points out the obvious disconnect between everything Nikki is saying about spirituality and helping people and the crimes she's accused of, Nikki explains that she believes everything happening to her is a learning experience she's attracted into her life, so she could grow as a person spiritually. Mark is also interviewed by Kate and is much more open about how insecure he was before meeting Rebecca, admitting that he never thought he looked as good as the people around him. But now that he's been arrested, he suddenly has hundreds of Facebook friend requests, and even a fan page dedicated to him, which Mark finds pretty awkward, considering the only reason he's famous is for doing something society looks down on, and he wishes it had been for something more positive.

Ashley 56:49

I don't mention this in my portion, but this is true. At one point he said there was a day he received 800 Facebook friend requests in a single day.

Remi 56:59

As their court date approaches, Nikki prepares by trying on different outfits and asking Sam which one makes her look conservative enough. And I just want to add here that all of her dresses are mini skirts. Nikki, Lori, Sam, and Emily arrive together and stop in the parking lot to pray before heading into court. Nikki then walks towards the courthouse surrounded by cameras and gives a statement asking everyone to respect her family's privacy, while Chloe and Mark make their own arrivals through crowds of paparazzi. Rebecca eventually arrives with her mother, who angrily lectures her as they walk through the courthouse. Once inside, Rebecca is seated directly beside Mark, but refuses to even look at him. The movie then

Tools And Tactics Behind The Burglaries

Remi 57:49

jumps ahead to their convictions and sentences, as the group is overwhelmed by reporters outside the courtroom. Rebecca and Mark are found guilty on four counts of first-degree residential burglary, and sentenced to four years in state prison and $800,000 in restitutions. Nikki, Rob, and Chloe are each found guilty on one count of first-degree residential burglary, and sentenced to one year in county jail and $300,000 in restitutions. When we last see Mark, he is handcuffed alongside other prisoners wearing an orange jumpsuit, as he is loaded onto a sheriff's department bus, where he quietly stares out the window as they drive through LA. After serving just 30 days, Nikki appears on E Entertainment News in full hair and makeup, where she talks about her experience being housed near Lindsay Lohan.

The Bling Ring (clip) 58:53

We're here with Nikki Moore, who just served 30 days for her involvement in the Bling Ring and shared a cell block with one of its victims, Lindsay Lohan. There were reports that Lindsay was crying. With you being next to her, did you actually hear any of this? Yeah, I could hear her crying the first day. Which is really hard when you're just trying to be strong. But I just really kept to myself and just tried to get through the day. It's hard when you're woken up at like 5:30. And how's she look? She got to keep her extensions in. A lot of the girls were talking, oh, I had to take my weave out or whatever. But um, she was an orange like all of us. Now, were you nervous being next to her because you actually were accused of being a part of the group that allegedly robbed her house? Yeah. I mean, it was scary for me.

Ashley 59:52

What big oversight for the jail to put them in cells that were right beside each other. How could you not know?

Remi 1:00:02

Seriously, you think somebody would have pointed that out. Nikki uses the final moments of her interview to tell everyone watching that they can continue to follow her life and journey online at NikkiMoreForever.com. And that was Sophia Coppola's The Bling Ring. Any initial reactions to this whole preposterous burglary spree, Ashley?

Ashley 1:00:29

It is not lost on me that every single clip you played prominently features Nikki. I think this movie should have leaned more into the comedy aspect. Nikki and her mom are ridiculous human beings.

Remi 1:00:52

But when it comes down to it, Nikki or Alexis is really the only comedic character in the film. The rest of the bling ring weren't that comedic and were taking things much more seriously than Alexis or Nikki was.

Ashley 1:01:10

And my other thought was from the scenes you showed me, it has Sophia Coppola's shooting style. There's a lot of bright colors that contrast against each other. Everything is like crystal clear. It really draws your eye to the screen, even in the scenes where it's kind of darker, like when they're in Brian Austin Green's house and are rummaging through his medicine cabinet.

Remi 1:01:35

And I agree with you again. The film is a lot like Sophia Coppola's other films. And I think the reality she brings to it works well with this film. There are a lot of scenes with very shallow characters just sort of sitting in bedrooms and talking and taking photos of each other. But that is who these kids really were. And I think she did a very realistic job of portraying these people. And even Alexis, who is by far the most ridiculous.

Ashley 1:02:14

And speaking of that, I think Emma Watson did a great job. I think she is hilarious. As I mentioned earlier, she was super funny playing herself, and this is the end. And I know she retired from acting, I don't think officially, but she hasn't been in anything in forever. I'd like to see her come back and do some more of these lighthearted, funny films.

Remi 1:02:33

Emma Watson definitely has a really strong comedic bone. And if she doesn't ever return to acting, I would love to see her in more comedies. She has a natural talent for it, and her demeanor and poise gets across a lot more emotions than the dialogue can. I mean, there was a scene in the film which I showed you, Ashley, where they are getting a water delivery to their house, and the Culligan man is just walking through the living room, and Nikki lets him in. And there's just a moment where she's just kind of leaning against the door suggestively for no reason at all, and her mother comes by and zips her hoodie up. But Emma Watson does a lot of subtle comedy in this film. When she's being interviewed and her mom is continuously interrupting her, her facial expressions convey so much frustration and swallowing anger as she's proceeding to answer the questions. She is great in this film, and I do hope she comes back to acting someday and hopefully does some more comedies.

Ashley 1:03:47

Well, with that, Remy, let's get into post-production.

Remi 1:03:51

In January 2013, A24 acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the Bling Ring, just a year after the company was founded. It was one of A24's earliest releases, alongside Spring Breakers and The Spectacular Now.

Ashley 1:04:10

Spring Breakers, take it or leave it, but The Spectacular Now is a very, very good romantic drama film.

Remi 1:04:19

I have seen Spring Breakers and James Franco is very good as Alien in that movie, but I've never seen The Spectacular Now. We need to add that to our list.

Ashley 1:04:30

It's sad.

Remi 1:04:31

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16th, 2013, where it opened the Uncertain Regard section, which is a separate section of the Cannes Film Festival that showcases films outside of the main competition. This was Sophia Coppola's first movie at Cannes since Marie Antoinette in 2006, which had famously received a mixture of applause and boos at its press screening.

Ashley 1:05:03

They boo at Cannes. That seems way too trashy for one of the most highly regarded film festivals in the entire world.

Remi 1:05:13

Yeah, you usually hear about the standing ovations that lasted like 10 or 15 minutes. You very rarely hear about the audience at Cannes booing a film, because that's in pretty bad taste, if I do say so myself. After Cannes, the Bling Ring closed the 39th Seattle International Film Festival on June 9th before beginning its U.S. theatrical release on June 14th. The movie opened in only five theaters and made a little over $200,000, giving Coppola the best per theater opening of her career at the time. It expanded to around 650 theaters the following weekend and ultimately made $5.8 million domestically and around $20 million worldwide. Worldwide against a reported $8 million budget.

Ashley 1:06:09

I guarantee you a good chunk of that budget was for the clothes and shoes and other merchandise that they had to buy for the movie. It all had to be designer shit.

Remi 1:06:22

You make a very good point there. I think a lot of the locations and everything, they got pretty cheap. And the actors were definitely not being paid millions of dollars for this, maybe Emma Watson. But yeah, all of the clothing had to look legit. So they probably had to go out and stock a whole bunch of closets with a whole lot of expensive designer clothing.

Ashley 1:06:46

And I bet you Emma Watson's salary was less than she was getting paid in other films at the time because she herself said she wanted to work with Sophia Coppola. And usually when people really want to work with a director, they are more than willing to take a pay cut.

Remi 1:07:01

That is 100% true. I know Jonah Hill was only paid, I think, $250,000 for The Wolf of Wall Street, which is a lot of money, but in comparison to what other actors make, it's pretty small. But actors are usually more willing to set aside their current salary rate in order to work with a director that they respect. The film currently has a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 207 reviews. And the critical consensus reads: While it's certainly timely and beautifully filmed, the Bling Ring suffers from director Sophia Coppola's failure to delve beneath the surface of its shallow protagonists' real-life crimes.

Ashley 1:07:51

I don't really think that's fair. These were mostly 18 and 19-year-old, vapid teenagers at the time of these crimes. There isn't much to delve underneath. Later, a lot of them came out and said they were suffering from drug addiction and low self-esteem and didn't feel like they really fit in, but that's not how they portrayed themselves to the world.

Remi 1:08:15

The Bling Ring did manage to win one award at Cannes, although probably not the one anybody involved expected. The dogs appearing in the movie received the Palm Dog Jury Prize, which is an actual award given every year at Cannes for the best canine performance. As for what the actual Bling Ring thought of the movie, Alexis Nyers was probably the most vocal about it. After seeing the trailer, she called the movie trashy and inaccurate, and said she had no intention of watching it. And apparently she stuck to that because as of 2026, she still says she has never actually watched the film. Nick Prugo was much quieter when the movie came out, but years later, he said he wasn't particularly happy with Israel Broussard playing him, and joked he would have preferred someone like a young Tom Cruise. Rachel Lee stayed almost completely out of the public eye for years, and didn't publicly tell her version of the story until the 2023 documentary, The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring. Emma Watson went on to have a pretty successful career after the Bling Ring, appearing in movies like Noah, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Women, but after Little Women, she quietly stepped away from acting and hasn't appeared in a movie since. Though Watson hasn't officially retired and said in 2025 that she still profoundly misses acting, she described the constant pressure of having to promote and sell her work as quite soul-destroying. She has since focused on other things, including studying creative writing at Oxford, and says she's happier and healthier than she was before.

Ashley 1:10:18

Yeah, she's a smart little cookie.

Remi 1:10:20

Alright, Ashley, I think Paris Hilton has been robbed enough for one movie. So let's leave her key under the doormat, open up the police files, and find out how a bunch of teenagers managed to turn Google, TMZ, and a complete lack of home security into a multi-million dollar crime spree.

Ashley 1:10:43

Hop into my porch and let's rob. The Bling Ring, also known as the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, was a group of seven teenagers and young adults who largely grew up in middle-class families in and around Calabasas, California, which is where the Kardashians used to live, I might add. Rachel Lee, aka Rebecca in the film, was born to North Korean immigrants, Vicki Kwan and David Lee. After her parents divorced when Rachel was young, her father moved to Las Vegas while she and her older sister Candace stayed in California with their mother. Vicki eventually acquired several franchises of Cumin and after school math and reading tutoring company. After Vicky married a man named Phil, who had children of his own, tensions arose in the household. In the ninth grade, Rachel was expelled from Calabasas High School for disciplinary problems and enrolled at an alternative school called Indian Hills. From a young age, Rachel was obsessed with fashion. She dreamed of having her own clothing line and going to Fit'em, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. In high school, she was voted best dressed and was granted a creative arts scholarship after graduating in 2008. Through her enrollment at Indian Hills, Rachel met Nick Prugo, aka Mark. They became fast friends, bonding over their interest in fashion and social media. Nick was raised by Melville Lynn, who ran a dog walking service at the time of his arrest, and Frank, senior vice president at IM Global, a film and production company founded in 2007. As a child, Nick performed in school plays but never really had any friends. In 2003, he appeared in a reenactment scene for Little Lost Souls, Children Possessed, a made-for-TV quasi-documentary about parents who believed their kids needed exorcisms.

Remi 1:13:09

Why does that seem oddly appropriate?

Ashley 1:13:12

When he was 14, Nick became increasingly self-conscious, anxious, and depressed. His parents spent a year in Idaho in hopes a fresh start would be good for him. After being expelled from Calabasas High School for excessive absences in the ninth grade, Nick transferred to Indian Hills, which is where he met Rachel, the first person who really befriended him. He dropped out of Indian Hills sometime before graduation, but did obtain his GED in 2008. After being accepted into Rachel's inner circle, he was introduced to a whole new world of constant partying, nightclubs, and cocaine. Before long, he was stealing from his parents to support his addiction. In the summer of 2007, which would have been in between their junior and senior year, Rachel casually mentioned that she had broken into the home of an acquaintance while they were out of town and stole some money. Did Nick know anyone who was out of town by chance? It just so happened that he did. Another teenager named Evan, who he met on MySpace and was starting to build a friendship with.

Remi 1:14:24

So Rachel was just casually like, hey, I just robbed somebody's house not too long ago.

Ashley 1:14:30

You know anybody else who's out of town around here? That pretty much sums it up. The duo parked on the street, rang the doorbell, and walked right in when no one answered. Per Nick's account, he immediately wanted to leave, but Rachel strolled around like she owned the place. They spent the $8,000 they found in a box under the bed during a Rodeo Drive shopping spree. And I do want to point out here that in the movie, they also said that they took Evan's Porsche on a joyride. That wasn't mentioned in the article or other source material that I use for this, but I have a theory as to why. Nick participated in the Vanity Fair article, and he does come across as much more sympathetic than the others. So I don't doubt that they did this. Perhaps the author just left it out because he would have potentially been charged with grand theft auto.

Remi 1:15:32

I have zero doubt in my mind that if these two were heading out the door and found some keys belonging to a Porsche outside, they would have definitely taken it for a little cruise on Rodeo Drive, but returned it afterwards.

Ashley 1:15:46

Beginning in their senior year, Nick and Rachel found a new hobby: car prowling. In their free time, they drove around Calabasas checking unlocked vehicles for valuables, using the stolen money and credit cards for expensive purchases.

Remi 1:16:02

Lock your cars and homes, people.

Ashley 1:16:05

They also continued to burglarize the homes of Rachel's old friends when they were out of town. From October 2008 to August 2009, the Bling Ring committed a string of celebrity robberies, stealing an estimated $3 million in cash and luxury products, much of which belonged to Paris Hilton. In some cases, they stole intimate items like makeup, lingerie, and family heirlooms. Robberies became their form of quote, going shopping. Over time, the Bling Ring gained additional members who all introduce as they become involved. The victims were mostly selected by Rachel based on their styles. When Nick was arrested, law enforcement found a gallery of photos of celebrities in designer clothes on a stolen laptop.

Remi 1:17:01

Even the laptop was stolen.

Ashley 1:17:04

Once Rachel selected her target, it was Nick's job to do the research. He found the locations through Celebrity Address Aerial, a website dedicated to divulging celebrity addresses and pictures of their residences for the low fee of $19.99 a month or $99.99 annually. And yes, I checked, this website is still up and running.

Remi 1:17:30

How is this legal?

Ashley 1:17:32

I don't know. I think it's pretty fucked up. I don't think this type of website should exist. I get that they're celebrities, but having a site where someone can just pay $20 a month or even a one-time fee and get your address? That's wrong. Next, Nick used Google Earth to find entry points into the gated residences or communities. Step three involved figuring out the perfect time to attack. Sometimes Nick just sat and watched the homes with binoculars. But most of the time, he monitored the celebrities' comings and goings through TNZ and Google News.

Remi 1:18:13

And as the one who's responsible for the show's Twitter profile, I can attest to the fact that on Twitter, which is kind of a cesspool and not something I fully support, but have to do because come on, we need to get the word out. They are constantly posting updates of exactly where celebrities are. So-and-so is at Cannes, so-and-so is on the beach in Tuscany, so-and-so is here. It would be very, very, very easy to find out when any of these people were not at their homes.

Ashley 1:18:47

Well, like relatedly, I think it was last year or maybe the year before that Bravo hosts something called BravoCon every year in Vegas, where all the big people from their reality shows all come and do panels and stuff. And during one of the BravoCons, multiple

Hilton Heists And New Crew Members

Ashley 1:19:05

housewives from the real housewives of Beverly Hills were robbed as they were at the convention. Including, funnily enough, Paris Hilton's mom, Kathy. She was on the Housewives? Her sisters, Kyle and Kim Richards, were, so she appears as a guest. Pretty often, though. But yeah, she's prominently featured.

Remi 1:19:27

That is so random.

Ashley 1:19:30

Well, as much as I love talking about Bravo, let's get back to the bling ring. On the night of a burglary, they would ring the doorbell to see if anyone was home. If someone happened to answer, they planned to just be silly little teenagers in search of a party.

Remi 1:19:47

That's pretty smart.

Ashley 1:19:50

In October 2008, Rachel and Nick selected their first target, Paris Hilton. That's hot. Nick claimed she was chosen because they thought she was dumb enough to leave her door unlocked and have a bunch of cash lying around. From his research, he spotted an area behind the house that looked accessible via a steep hill. They scaled it and entered using a key hidden underneath the front doormat.

Remi 1:20:18

That is bonkers that Paris Hilton just had a spare key under her mat.

Ashley 1:20:25

Inside, they marveled at the pink interior and artwork depicting the Harris herself. Nick claimed he wanted to bolt immediately, but before he could say anything, Rachel bounded up the stairs. He served as lookout at the top while Rachel rummaged through everything. As Hilton's two little dogs scurried at her feet, they left with a bunch of clothes and about $3,600. From October to December 2008, Hilton was robbed four times. The missing key, which Rachel reportedly put on her keychain, was simply replaced with a new one. In the beginning, Hilton didn't notice anything was missing because they only took a few items at a time. But as the weeks progressed, Rachel became bolder. They spent exceedingly longer amounts of time in her home, hung out in her nightclub room, smoked cigarettes, and rolled around in her bed, which is such a violation. During one robbery, they even stole a stack of naked photos of Hilton they found in an unlocked safe. Whenever Nick voiced concerns, Rachel assured him there was nothing to worry about. During the second Hilton burglary, the duo brought along 19-year-old Diana Tamayo and her then boyfriend. Diana's parents immigrated from Mexico when she was just six years old. Both her brothers were born in the United States, but Diana and her parents weren't citizens.

Remi 1:22:02

And this was the girl that is excluded from the film.

Ashley 1:22:07

Diana met Rachel at Indian Hills. She was class president and voted best smile and cutest couple with her then boyfriend Bobby Sanchez. She was described as a spectacular student and was even awarded a $1,500 Future Teacher Scholarship after she graduated in 2008. During the third Hilton burglary, Rachel then brought along 18-year-old Courtney Ames, stepdaughter of former U.S. amateur, light, welterweight boxer Randy Shields. Courtney met Rachel in the seventh grade, and although she went to Calabasas High School, she often skipped class to smoke weed with Nick and Rachel. At the time of the burglaries, she was on probation for a charge of disturbing the peace related to a fight with a former coworker. After coming along on her first burglary, Courtney told 27-year-old Roy Lopez Jr. about the crew's exploits. Courtney had met Roy while working at a bar and restaurant in Calabasas called Sagebrush. It became a popular spot for the Bling Ring since Roy made sure the crew got a free drink or two.

Remi 1:23:22

Was he a doorman or a bartender?

Ashley 1:23:26

He was a doorman, a bouncer.

Remi 1:23:28

Oh, so just gave them some drink tickets or something.

Ashley 1:23:32

From my experience of knowing bartenders who have relationships with the door crew at nightclubs, he probably just would go up and ask the bartender to give his friends a couple free drinks.

Remi 1:23:45

And we actually have a friend who is one of those people who literally knows like every door man in town and can get us into any club, literally no questions asked.

Ashley 1:23:56

And she used to be a bartender at a lot of these clubs. So it's kind of like a quid pro quo type thing because they are friends. They are close, and you're working with these people at late night hours, and you just gotta kind of band together. Roy's lifestyle was different from the rest of the bling ring. He was significantly older, a Panoy boys gang member, and homeless. After learning about the heist, Roy proposed a bigger one, offered to sell whatever was stolen, and said he would cut Nick in on the profits. After several meetings, Nick, Courtney, and Roy went to Hilton's for the fourth and final time on December 12th, 2008. They filled Hilton's bags with jewelry, some of which were priceless pieces that had been in her family for generations, most of which was found hidden behind a secret door in the wall of her closet. They stole an estimated $2 million worth of stuff. Hilton arrived home that night to dirty shoe marks leading up the stairs into a completely ransacked bedroom. She called police the next day and turned over surveillance footage, which showed, in part, a male in a black hoodie coming in and out of her home carrying multiple Louis Vuitton bags. When Nick contacted Roy to receive his cut, he said half of what they took was worthless costume jewelry. Which bullshit. Paris Hilton does not own worthless costume jewelry.

Remi 1:25:36

Yeah, I guarantee you all of that stuff was very, very valuable.

Ashley 1:25:42

And for the other half of the stuff, that was the problem. Roy couldn't hawk it, so it was being held in Arizona.

Remi 1:25:51

What do you mean it was being held in Arizona? Like he had a place that he was dashing this stuff?

Ashley 1:25:58

Yeah, he just said it was held at an undisclosed location in Arizona until he could maybe continue trying to sell it. The next burglary was far less extreme. In January 2009, Rachel and Nick noticed a house that appeared to be empty. It belonged to Nick DeLeo, an Encino builder and developer. They gained entry into a guest house and stole two IMAX. In February, Nick was arrested for cocaine possession and started an 18-month deferred judgment program, which meant the charge would be dismissed if he successfully completed probation. Instead of, you know, laying low, he and Rachel chose their next target, the Hill Star Audrina Patridge.

Alexis Neiers 1:26:46

Like I just go on vibes and tension and energy people give off. And now I'm to the point where it's like I don't care about really, really overly trying anymore.

Ashley 1:26:56

February 22nd, 2009, was chosen, reportedly because Nick saw a Google News alert about Patridge's Oscar night plans. They arrived at her home around 11 p.m. and entered through an unlocked sliding glass door. The alarm wasn't set, but the robotic front door alert sent them scurrying into the bushes. After nothing happened for several minutes, they assumed the coast was clear. Over the next two and a half hours, they made two trips to their car, taking an estimated forty-three thousand six hundred and eighty-two dollars worth of clothes, jewelry, sunglasses, and shoes. They even took Patridge's laptop and passport. She came home from a friend's house around 2 a.m., just 20 minutes after Nick and Rachel left. Patridge first noticed that an unpacked suitcase from a recent trip was gone. It was her ransacked Room that alerted her to the fact that it was stolen.

Remi 1:28:09

And I want to point out that this is a reality TV show star. It's not on the same level as someone like Paris Hilton. I mean, she's gonna come home and notice that shit is missing.

Ashley 1:28:24

The next day, she posted the surveillance footage of the robbers

Audrina Patridge And Rachel Bilson Runs

Ashley 1:28:28

on her website, hoping someone would recognize the grainy faces of the criminals. TMZ uploaded the footage to their website two days later, which just so happened to be my 30th birthday. The story also made its way to the local news, which is how Nick saw it. Despite Nick reportedly being completely freaked out, he agreed to go with Rachel and Diana on their next mission. Rachel Bilson, best known for her role as Summer on the OC.

The Bling Ring (clip) 1:29:04

Sweet! Do we have to pay extra for the pubes?

Ashley 1:29:09

During the first two weeks of May 2009, two weeks, Bilson was robbed five times while she was in New York with her then fiance, Hayden Christensen.

The Bling Ring (clip) 1:29:23

I don't like sound. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere.

Ashley 1:29:32

As soon as paparazzi photos of her at the airport hit the interwebs, the bling ring began to strike. Each time they entered through an unlocked door, taking an estimated $128,000 in clothes, bags, makeup, perfume, jewelry, lingerie, electronics, and DVDs. They even took her size five shoes, even though they were too small to fit anyone in the group. Rachel and Diana weren't there for the fifth and final burglary. Instead, Nick brought along 19-year-old Tess Taylor. Tess was raised by Tracy and Frank Adler. After her parents' divorce, she bounced around between both parents until she essentially moved in with Alexis Nyers. Alexis was primarily raised by 1980s Playboy model Andrea Arlington. Her father, Michael, was a cinematographer for friends in Spin City. He reportedly left his wife for another woman when Alexis was three, which is around the time her sister Gabby was born. Sometime later, Andrea married Jerry Dunn, the production designer who worked on Hannah Montana and The Sweet Life of Zach and Cody. This marriage also didn't last. In the years after the Bling Ring scandal, Alexis said she started drinking when she was 12 years old. By mid-adolescence, she was a heavy user of heroin, cocaine, Valium, Adderall, and Oxycontin. Alexis was homeschooled for a good chunk of her childhood, but Tess was always her best friend. They knew each other for pretty much their whole lives. When the girls were two and three years old, their moms took them to ballet and church services at the Westlake Church of Religious Science. Even after their moms grew apart, Tess and Alexis's bond was unshakable. By the time Alexis was 16, she dropped out of Indian Hills High School to pursue a career in Hollywood and obtained her GED.

Remi 1:31:45

To any kids out there listening, do not do this.

Ashley 1:31:49

Not long after, Tess essentially became a member of the family. They even pretended to be sisters, at times lying about Andrea adopting her, which is how it was portrayed in the show Pretty Wild. When Alexis was 17, she danced nude behind a sheet in Marilyn Manson's music video, Arm a Goddamn Motherfucking Geddin, though you can't see her face.net. In July 2009, Tess became a Playboy Cybergirl. That same month, she was named Cybergirl of the Week, followed by Cybergirl of the Month in November, and even Cybergirl of the Year for 2010.

Remi 1:32:55

Hey, she did it.

Ashley 1:32:56

That same year, Tess and Alexis both acted in the straight to DVD movie Frat Party, also starring Dan Levy, the hilarious David Rose from Schits Creek.

Dan Levy (David Rose) 1:33:09

My heart is not rested in a long time. My immune system is very low. I have not been able to find Kale anywhere here.

Remi 1:33:16

As someone who lived and worked in LA for a long time, this seems pretty typical. Like everyone that I knew would always end up working on these random projects and these random things. And it was just kind of work, really.

Ashley 1:33:34

Not long after, Levy approached Chelsea Handler with an idea. A reality show following Alexis and Tess. Two girls he knew had a growing presence in the underage Hollywood nightclub scene. Hanler immediately pitched the idea of Pretty Wild to E. And Alexis seemed like reality TV gold. At the time, she was a part-time pole dancing, hip-hop, and Pilates instructor at a studio in Westlake Village. Her and her mother lived by the spiritual philosophy from The Secret, a 2006 self-help book, which posits that wealth, health, happiness, and weight loss are achievable through positive thinking.

Remi 1:34:19

And a vision board.

Ashley 1:34:21

And lastly, she and Tess were attractive, young, emerging socialites who seemed to have the world at their fingertips. But before Pretty Wild was in development, Tess went with Nick and Diana for the final robbery at Rachel Bilson's house in May 2009.

Remi 1:34:40

It is mind-boggling to me that Alexis had a reality show in development about her life before news of the robberies even broke.

Ashley 1:34:52

Oh, I get into all of that very, very shortly. During the last robbery at Bilson's house, the group stole about 30 designer purses, which they sold for 50 bucks a pop to tourists on the Venice Beach boardwalk. Sometime after, Bilson got a phone call alerting her that she was robbed and reported it to police. In the spring of 2009, the bling ring hit Hollywood nightclubs wearing their stolen clothes. They often bragged about their robberies, though most just assumed they were kidding. They even started showing people Paris Hilton's nudes. At some point, Courtney told Nick that her new boyfriend, 27-year-old Johnny Ajar, aka Johnny Dangerous, was interested in selling stolen goods from their next robbery. Johnny was raised in the housing projects around Resita, California. His mom worked as a grocery store clerk and raised her three kids alone since Johnny was just two years old. When he was 22, he was sentenced to two years in federal prison for drug trafficking. Johnny first met Courtney and her friends at a nightclub called The Green Door, which by the way, Johnny is Gavin Rosdale's character.

Remi 1:36:12

I figured as much.

Ashley 1:36:14

Even though Courtney and her friends were underage, he waved them right on through. He and Courtney started dating soon after. At the time of the robberies, he worked in the file room of a now-defunct LA law firm by day and as a promoter for the club Les Dois Café by night. In July 2009, Alexis was staying with Nick for two weeks after her mom kicked her out, purportedly because she disliked Alexis' drug-dealing boyfriend and wanted her daughter to take her modeling and Hollywood dreams more seriously. At the same time, the Bling Ring was planning their next robbery.

Alexis Nyers And Pretty Wild Collision

Ashley 1:36:55

The home of Orlando Bloom and his then girlfriend, Victoria's secret model, Miranda Kerr.

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) 1:37:05

Blood has been spilled this night.

Ashley 1:37:08

On July 13th, 2009, Nick, Rachel, Diana, and Alexis, knowing Bloom was out of town filming a movie, put on hooded sweatshirts and gloves, walked backwards towards the house to avoid their faces being caught on security cameras, and formed an opening through the fence. They gained entry into Bloom's bedroom through an unlocked door near the pool. Once inside, they completely ransacked the place and found his massive Rolex collection behind a trick door in a wall. For the next several hours, they went in and out of the house three or four times, filling Louis Vuitton luggage with the watches, clothes, and Kerr's lingerie. Rachel also took expensive artwork to decorate her new bedroom in Vegas.

Remi 1:38:01

Which the character Rebecca does mention when she's walking out with the art piece in the movie. She needs to redecorate.

Ashley 1:38:09

It was the first time Nick heard she was moving in with her dad. After the robbery, which was reported to police two days later, Nick gave the watches to Johnny Dangerous to sell. He reportedly received about $5,000 for 10 of them.

Remi 1:38:26

$5,000? One of those watches is worth 10.

Ashley 1:38:31

In the interview that he gave where I got this from, he did say, like, you know, in hindsight, I think they were a little bit undervalued. Yeah, you think? Shortly after, Nick threw Rachel a going-away party at Le Dois Cafe and helped her move to Vegas. With Rachel gone, he spent more and more time with Courtney, Alexis, and Tess. During this time, Courtney was arrested for DUI after crashing her car and breaking her collarbone. She ended up getting away with just community service? Possibly because it was her first offense. Luckily, Nick, who was also arrested for the same charge a few weeks later, and the four others crammed in the backseat weren't injured. Rachel returned to LA on August 20th, 2009, for a hearing related to shoplifting at Sephora a month prior. She and Diana were sentenced to one year of probation. While there, she announced she wanted to rob her ultimate fashion icon and quintessential mean girl, Lindsay Lohan. On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was. It's October 3rd. On August 23rd, 2009, Rachel, Nick, and Diana used a screwdriver to Jimmy open a window, which one of the girls crawled through. So kudos to Lindsay Lohan for actually locking up all of her shit.

Remi 1:40:04

A pretty basic security protocol. I mean, we lock our doors every time we leave the house, and we don't have millions of dollars worth of stuff lying around.

Ashley 1:40:14

The Bling Ring stole an estimated $128,000 of goods. The next morning, Nick drove Rachel to the airport. She strolled through security wearing Lohan's clothes, carrying her purse, and wheeling her suitcase. On August 26th, the LAPD, with Lohan's permission, released the surveillance footage to TMZ.

Remi 1:40:41

Props to Lohan for seemingly being the one person who was like, wait a minute, I was robbed. I locked my house up and there is shit moved around.

Ashley 1:40:52

Well, and actually, everyone really realized they were robbed, except for Hilton, until she found dirty shoe marks and her house was ransacked. And then the next people were gonna talk about. Which is the last robbery of the Bling Ring that took place just a few days later. It was of Beverly Hills 90210 star Brian Austin Green and his then girlfriend Megan Fox. My skin is breaking out and my hair is dull and lifeless.

Pretty Wild (promo) 1:41:26

It's like I'm one of the normal girls.

Remi 1:41:29

That is a clip from Jennifer's Body, which I just want to point out is Megan Fox's best performance and really, really underappreciated.

Ashley 1:41:41

And also starring Lohan's mean girls co-star, Amanda Sybreed. For this robbery, Nick and Courtney brought along a friend who was small enough to crawl through the donkey door. With Rachel out of the picture, Nick reverted back to his preferred style, remained conspicuous, but still enough to make it worth his time. In addition to jewelry, he took a lockbox he found underneath the bed, thinking it contained cash or just more jewels. When he discovered the pistol inside, Courtney suggested selling it to Johnny Dangerous for $300. Nick and Diana went back to Green's house with another accomplice a few days later. The robbery wasn't reported for two and a half weeks, which is when Brian Austin Green went to put on a piece of jewelry, discovered it was missing, realized he was robbed. By the time the crew was arrested, remaining potential targets included Hillary and Spencer Pratt, also from the Hills, Miley Cyrus, Zach Efron, Hilary Duff, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale. Rachel and Diana actually did try to rob Tisdale in July 2009, but they fled after encountering her housekeeper. On September 1st, 2009, the LAPD received a call from a CNN security manager and former cop. He told them a staff member's friend overheard Nick and Rachel talking about the burglaries of Patridge and Lohan. This woman also emailed links to the teen's Facebook pages. Coincidentally, another anonymous tip pointed the finger at the same culprits. Until now, the LAPD didn't even have any firm leads or even

Orlando Bloom And Lindsay Lohan Robbery

Ashley 1:43:35

connect all the burglaries together. They certainly didn't think they were the acts of an organized adolescent crew. There was also very little physical evidence, just a few fingerprints, some grainy footage, and unknown DNA taken from cigarettes found on Lohan's balcony. The DNA was later matched to Nick Prugo.

Remi 1:44:00

Oh, so they take DNA for celebrity burglaries.

Ashley 1:44:04

So true. If this was just your mid-class residential burglary, police would not be swabbing DNA from fingerprints found on the balcony. Ain't no way ain't no how. On September 17th, 2009, the police raided Nick's home and found several designer pairs of sunglasses, luggage, and clothing. There actually really wasn't much to find since he had already moved most of the stolen merchandise to his grandma's house. A search was also conducted at Rachel's mom's home, but since she was living in Vegas with her dad, nothing was found. The LAPD decided not to move forward with her for the time being, thinking they didn't have enough probable cause to issue an out-of-state warrant. Nick was at the police station for hours and denied any involvement in the burglaries. In his mugshot, he was wearing a black and white striped t-shirt belonging to Orlando Bloom.

Remi 1:45:08

That is ironic on so many levels.

Ashley 1:45:12

He called Rachel as soon as he was released around 11 p.m. She already knew about the arrest and told him not to worry. Everything would blow over. She also said she sent TMZ several emails suggesting Lohan was complicit in the robbery of her home, reportedly to throw police off Nick sent. After his arrest, Nick couldn't sleep, was worried all the time, and lost a ton of weight. At a nightclub one night, he met and confided in attorney Sean Erinstoft. Per Nick's account, Erinstoft encouraged him to come clean to clear his conscience. Aaron Stoft denies giving such advice.

Remi 1:45:55

So he just like met a lawyer while he was out and about and asked for some theoretical legal advice?

Ashley 1:46:02

And whatever the case may be, Airin Stoft arranged a meeting with several detectives at his office on October 6, 2009. They told Nick they would relay his cooperation to the district attorney's office, but made no promises of immunity or a favorable outcome. Nick gave a full confession, describing in detail how he and his friends robbed the homes of multiple celebrities. He gave names, dates, and brought pictures of his friends wearing stolen clothing. He even confessed to crimes they didn't even know about. For example, he and some others outside of the Bling Ring robbed the home of Hollywood architect Richard Altoona after mistaking it for DJ Paul Oakenfolds. They took a camera and about $5,000. He also gave them a bag of stolen belongings, something he would do at least once more at the end of the month. They wanted the searches to be done simultaneously so no suspect could alert the others. As long as they found at least one item that matched the description of what was stolen, an arrest could be made. During the search of Rachel's dad's house in Vegas, police seized several pairs of designer jeans. She claimed she had receipts for them, but never produced them. They also found two naked pictures of Paris Hilton in a trash can, a hat resembling what one of the female burglars wore during the robbery of Audrina Patridge, and $20,000, which she said belonged to her dad. Law enforcement also spoke to Rachel's neighbors, one of which said they noticed several men in recent days coming in and out of the house, moving box after box into their trucks. At the station, Rachel denied involvement but asked questions like, hypothetically, if I know where the property was, would that help me out? And if I tell you where the stuff is, will you let me go?

Remi 1:48:51

This is depicted in the movie.

Ashley 1:48:54

She was released after a few hours, but was rearrested the next day after police returned to her home to retrieve a custom-made mink coat Lohan had identified as hers. Rachel seemed disappointed when told Lohan hadn't asked about her, and when she realized there was no media outside waiting to snap a photo. She was initially charged with burglarizing the homes of Hilton, Patridge, and Lohan. The raid of Alexis Nyer's house just so happened to be on the first day of filming for the reality show Pretty Wild.

Remi 1:49:33

Well, that is pretty wild.

Ashley 1:49:36

There, police seized a Chanel necklace belonging to Lindsay Lohan and a Marc Jacobs purse owned by Rachel Bilson. She also claimed to have receipts for these items, but never turned them over. She was taken into custody wearing the same icy blue juicy sweatpants shown on footage from the robbery of Orlando Bloom.

Remi 1:49:59

She wore icy blue juicy sweatpants to a robbery? That is very. Identifiable.

Ashley 1:50:07

Juicy sweatpants were a really big thing at the time. At first, Alexis denied knowing anything about the robberies, but then pointed the finger at Nick, Rachel, and Diana. She was released the next day. Against her attorney's advice, she spoke to TMZ. In her interview, she said Nick, Rachel, and Diana were responsible for the burglaries, adding that some of the items were given to Roy Lopez to sell. She also claimed that Nick told her he was a stylist, which is how he had access to all of this expensive clothing. Alexis did acknowledge being with Nick and Rachel during the Orlando Bloom robbery, but severely minimized her involvement. She claimed she was just out partying with Nick when he got a call from Rachel and went to the house having no idea what the plan was. On October 28th, she was charged with one count of residential burglary. Tess Taylor was never charged, even though there were photos of her wearing a vest belonging to Rachel Bilson on TMZ. After four days in custody, Diana Temayo was moved to an ICE facility after police learned she was an undocumented immigrant. On October 29th, she agreed to be interviewed and transferred back to the LA police department. She was told the ice hold would be dropped if she cooperated, which would save her and her parents from deportation. She admitted to being with Nick and Rachel when they robbed Lindsay Lohan and told them about the attempted burglary at Ashley Tisdale's. Her lawyer would later try to get her charges dismissed, arguing that police officers used her immigration status against her to intimidate her to cooperate. Courtney Ames told police Nick gave her stuff belonging to Lindsay Lohan, but denied involvement. She was bailed out the next day and later charged with burglarizing Paris Hilton. Roy Lopez was arrested at a stoplight and denied all involvement. While in a holding cell, he waved an officer over and said he could get some of Paris Hilton's stuff back if he could make a phone call. Forty-five minutes later, a younger man dropped off a bag of jewelry.

Remi 1:52:35

Wait, so he wasn't bullshitting there?

Ashley 1:52:38

No. He basically said, I'm willing to copy what my involvement is, but I'm not gonna rot anyone out. Lastly, during a raid of Johnny Dangerous' residence, police seized a bunch of prescription pills, stolen property, and the pistol registered to Brian Austin Green. What they didn't find was their culprit.

Police Breakthrough And Confessions

Ashley 1:53:01

Nick stayed in a hotel while Johnny Dangerous was on the run. He was reportedly fearful of his safety, stating Johnny threatened to torture and kill him and his family if he ever told police about him. For the next several months, a parade of celebrities went to the police station to collect and identify their stolen goods. They also pointed out their items worn in pictures of the bling ring. At the subsequent grand jury proceedings, all said they only got back a fraction of what was stolen. In November 2009, Nick was formally charged with eight counts of residential burglary. Johnny Dangerous turned himself in with encouragement from his mom after a writer for Maxim tracked him down at her house in Las Vegas. Which the police couldn't do that. He said he bought the pistol from Nick, offered to return Orlando Bloom's last unsold Rolex, and gave back a computer belonging to Audrina Patridge. He was charged with 12 felonies, including possession of drugs for sale, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and receiving stolen property. Alexis's lawyer put out a press release saying his client was, quote, in the wrong place at the wrong time. A few days later, the Pretty Wild filming crew accompanied her to her arraignment, where she was charged with one count of residential burglary.

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) 1:54:35

The um Marc Jacobs bag that was found. Yes. It didn't have any kind of serial number or numbering to get it.

Speaker 11 1:54:41

None of the property recovered from the nine's residence was materialized. Was the bag distinguishable in any other way other than it was a Marc Jacobs brown bag? Not to me, but it wasn't mine. It was distinguishable for the victim who picked it out. How? She looked at it and said, That's mine.

Ashley 1:54:57

It was phone from at Courtney Ames and Raymond on December 2nd, courthouse staff removed a necklace belonging to Lindsay Lohan from her neck. She wore it to court? That same day, Nick pled not guilty to all his charges, despite already confessing. Rachel moved back to LA and turned herself in on January 13, 2010. She was charged with three counts of residential burglary for those of Hilton, Patridge, and Lohan. She apparently wasn't charged sooner because she continued to dangle the prospect of returning what she stole. Unlike her accomplices, she didn't speak to police or the media. Alexis, on the other hand, fully participated in a Vanity Fair article, along with Nick, titled The Suspects War Louis Vuittons. After it was published in March 2010, she left Nancy Joe Sales several voicemails expressing how upset she was with her portrayal. This scene was shown during an episode of Pretty Wild, titled Vanity Fair, which premiered in March 2010. It wasn't well received, nor was it renewed for a second season.

Pretty Wild (promo) 1:56:19

It's gonna be okay, I'm calling Jeff. She said I was wet! Six-inch Louis Batons to corner with my tweet outfit! Jeff, did you read the Vanity Fair article? I wasn't wearing Louis Batons, I was wearing little brown kidney all fit.

Remi 1:56:34

Okay, I have a lot of things to say, but I'll keep it brief here. First, the Louis Batons thing is in the movie. It shows that she has those six-inch Louis Batons. And second, she was caught robbing Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan, all these people's homes in the midst of her reality show, and it still didn't get picked up for a second season.

Ashley 1:57:02

It didn't get picked up for a second season because all reviews basically said these characters were insufferable and essentially unwatchable. And the scenes I watch, I completely agree. This is an awful, awful, awful show. But if you're interested, you can find each 20-minute episode on YouTube.

Remi 1:57:25

Pass.

Ashley 1:57:26

While awaiting trial, Nick lived at home, enrolled in online classes at the University of Phoenix, went to counseling every week, and attended AA. He gave interviews to GMA in February 2010 and to 2020 in March. Around that time, his new lawyer filed a motion to suppress his confession based on Sean Arenstoff's failure to adequately represent his client by encouraging him to talk to police. The motion was denied. While his lawyer also tried to have his charges dismissed in May, claiming police and prosecutors didn't follow an implied contract, instead charging him with additional crimes based on his confession. This too was unsuccessful. Later that year, Sean Arenstoft was issued a lifetime ban from practicing law after pleading no contest to attempting to dissuade a witness. The case was related to him threatening to file a civil suit against a victim in a domestic violence case to scare her away from testifying against his client.

Remi 1:58:44

That's pretty bad.

Ashley 1:58:46

On March 13th, 2009, Johnny Dangerous pled no contest to possession of cocaine for sale, felon in possession of a firearm, and receiving stolen property. He was sentenced to three years in prison and paroled after one year. He was back in jail on different charges by May 2013. Alexis pled no contest

Pleas Sentences And Where They End Up

Ashley 1:59:11

to one count of burglary on May 10th, 2010. She was sentenced to six months in jail and three years of probation. She was also ordered to pay $600,000 in restitution to Orlando Bloom and ordered to stay away from him and his residence. She would only serve 29 days of her sentence, starting on July 24th, 2010. In a stroke of irony, Lindsay Lohan was briefly held in the cell next to her after she was arrested for a probation violation.

Alexis Neiers 1:59:47

It's petrifying. Really is.

Remi 1:59:49

To say the least.

Alexis Neiers 1:59:50

Yeah. Kind of get the feeling like these girls are actually like excited and I mean they're screaming, I love you, Lindsay, and I want to be your girlfriend, and all of a sudden. Yeah, yeah. Really? Yeah, the expression on your face. I know.

Remi 2:00:05

And we had heard that there were all kinds of uh that she was verbally abused, a lot of cat comments.

Alexis Neiers 2:00:10

Oh, I'm sure. Just as I was.

Remi 2:00:11

Did you witness any of that?

Alexis Neiers 2:00:12

I didn't witness any of that.

Remi 2:00:14

Emma Watson did do a very good job of imitating Alexis's Calabasas accent there. There were a few times where she slipped up a bit, but overall, she really captured who this girl was.

Ashley 2:00:31

Rachel pled no contest to one count of burglary on September 24th, 2011. She was sentenced to four years in prison. Before starting her sentence on October 21st, she received coaching from Wendy Feldman, a celebrity prison consultant who has given interviews on today, Nancy Grace, among others.

Remi 2:00:57

What the hell is a prison consultant?

Ashley 2:01:02

So it's basically someone celebrities hire to describe to them what prison is like. Nick pled no contest to two counts of first-degree burglary on March 2nd, 2012. He would go on to serve just one year of his sentence beginning on April 15th. Around this time, lead investigating officer Brett Goodkin agreed to be a consultant and actor for the scene in which Nikki was arrested in Coppola's film.

Remi 2:01:33

I knew I recognized that guy when you were showing me the court clip. That is the same guy in the scene. I knew I recognized him, the guy with the shaved head.

Ashley 2:01:44

Well, he failed to tell the DA that he was going to be involved in the production, and he didn't get approval from his superiors. The lawyers for the defendants who were yet to be sentenced used this to discredit him as a witness. Gooden's decision and the subsequent internal investigation would result in the three remaining defendants receiving exceptionally good plea deals. On October 2019, Diana pled no contest to one count of burglary. She was sentenced to three years of probation and two months of community service. Courtney got the same deal on December 14th. Lastly, Roy Lopez Jr. pled no contest to one count of receiving stolen property on November 11th. He was sentenced to three years of probation and moved to Texas once he completed his requirements. Most of the Bling Ring elected to stay out of the limelight after their arrests and convictions. Diana Timeo reportedly pursued a career in fitness and nutrition. As of 2019, she was a personal trainer and happily married. Courtney Ames enrolled at Pierce College, studying psychology, speech, and child development. She appears to have changed her name in 2016. Tess Taylor was arrested for drug possession in January 2012 and checked herself into rehab sometime later. She fell out with Alexis in 2010, but the two reconnected when she appeared on Alexis's podcast, Recovering from Reality, in 2019. Speaking of Alexis, she maintained her innocence for a good portion of time after her conviction and then was arrested for possession of black tar heroin on December 1st, 2010. She escaped jail time by agreeing to go to the SOBA Recovery Center in Malibu. And this actually does seem to be when she turned her life around. She used her platform to help others with drug problems, including becoming a consultant for vice. She married her husband, who she reportedly met in AA, in April 2012. They had two daughters but divorced in 2022. That same year, she and Nick participated in a three-part Netflix series titled The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist. In January 2026, she announced she was expecting another child with fiancé Chris Howard. Rachel Lee participated in a disaster relief training program at the California Institution for Women. She served 16 months of her four-year sentence and was released in March 2013. By happenstance, she ran into Emma Watson at a bar during the 2017 Super Bowl and introduced herself. Watson reportedly said, nice to meet you.

Remi 2:04:55

She's so polite.

Ashley 2:04:57

Rachel gave her first print interview in 2018. She said she graduated cosmetology school for hairstyling and called her prison sentence a blessing in disguise. In 2023, she was the subject of the HBO documentary, The Ringleader, the case of the bling ring.

The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring 2:05:18

Most people, if they saw me on the street, they'd be like, oh, she's just a normal person. But there's always the anxiety. What if they realize who I am and what I did with the bling ring?

Ashley 2:05:35

And finally, Nick Prugo. In the spring of 2011, Lifetime announced they were making a film, also called The Bling Ring. Nick told TMZ he had no knowledge of or involvement in the production and wanted to sue. The movie aired on September 26th. Prugo was played by Austin Butler, who I also had no idea was in a season of Nickelodeon Zoe 101. Dirty dancing star Jennifer Gray played his mom. Pruga made headlines once again in September 2015 when he was arrested on charges of stalking and soliciting the rape of West Hollywood esthetician Don DeLuise. If you want to hear more about that wild case, come back in two weeks for our episode on 2024's Skincare, starring Elizabeth Banks and Lewis Pullman. Nick currently lives in LA and runs some sort of online business out of his home with his husband. And that is the true story of Sophia Coppola's The Bling Ring. What are some of your thoughts, Remy?

Remi 2:06:48

Wow. This has been a welcome change of pace from what we have been doing the last couple of weeks. I mean, this is probably the most fun I've had recording an episode with you, Ashley. This was about dumb teenagers and rich pop culture celebrities. And I don't know, this was just fun to talk about overall.

Why Robbery Feels So Violating

Ashley 2:07:16

I totally agree. And that was by design. It just turns out this episode happened to be more fun than we were even anticipating. One thing I do want to highlight that I don't think is really discussed in either of our portions is after the news of the Bling Ring made it to headlines, there was a lot of pushback. A lot of people said, why do we care about this? These are celebrities being robbed. They can just buy more shit. Which, yes, they can. But as someone who's been robbed not once but twice, there is a certain amount of personal invasion that you feel. You don't feel safe in your house because you know there is someone that you do not know who was going through your shit. In the first robbery that I went through, this guy stole everything from me. He used my bedspread to like carry out all of my clothes, including all of my underwear and bras when I was a 19, 20-year-old college student. So even though the victims of these cases were rich people, the real suffering they experienced was their sense of safety. Several of them said they couldn't even imagine going back and continuing to live in their houses.

Remi 2:08:40

I do get that just because these people were rich doesn't make the crimes against them any less violating. I mean, these teenagers broke into their homes and basically made themselves at home, stealing their shit, hanging out, and as someone who's been robbed myself as well, as I'm sure a lot of our listeners have been, it is very intense to realize that someone has come into your home and done things without your permission or knowledge.

Ashley 2:09:13

Just walked through areas you frequent every day, opened up all of your drawers, rifled through your belongings, possibly finding personal things that you wouldn't want people to find.

Remi 2:09:27

That's why I think the key takeaway here should be that these people were robbed. It doesn't matter if they were rich or poor or middle class, someone broke into their homes and stole their personal belongings. And that is extremely fucked up no matter what class of wealth you come from.

Ashley 2:09:50

I totally agree. We've clearly been taking this episode a bit more lightheartedly than we have in other episodes, given all the clips we've played. But we don't want to minimize that robberies suck and they should be prosecuted. And with that, Remy, let's just stroll on into our objection of

Objection Of The Week

Ashley 2:10:12

the week.

Pretty Wild (promo) 2:10:13

Your Honor, I object! And why is that, Mr. Eed? Because it's devastating to my case! Overrule. Good call!

Remi 2:10:21

I will start things off this week with my objection, which for any new listeners, it's the most unnecessarily superfluous change from the real story to the film version. And honestly, I didn't have a lot for this one. All the ones I have are pretty nitpicky, like Rebecca or Rachel moved to Vegas earlier in the true story than she does in the film. But on the flip side of that, I read the script for this, and in the script that's actually portrayed accurately, and they switched it around for the movie for whatever reason. So I'm gonna go with the charges. In real life, Nick was charged with eight counts of residential burglary, which was eventually argued down to two counts. But in the film, it says he is guilty of four counts of residential burglary. And I'm assuming they combined a lot of these sentences. So Nick and Rachel, aka Mark and Rebecca, have the same sentences, and then all the people below them have the same sentences. It's just kind of cleaner storytelling. But those were not the exact sentences that were handed down. And other than that, I really don't have much. They did a pretty decent job on this one. What do you think, Ashley? What's your objection this week?

Ashley 2:11:56

I also had the whole sentencing debacle at the end of the movie written down. It's not something I considered in an objection, it's something I considered for my verdict. I'm just so confused how they would end this movie completely lying about all the sentences these people have gotten. I get that they're like combining characters and stuff, but Sophia Coppola could have also said, Mark got this sentence, Rebecca got this sentence, everyone else got zero gel time, and ended at that.

Remi 2:12:31

And I just want to point out that this film is one of the few that doesn't have that little end title card that gives you a rundown of what happens to everyone at the end. All of this is conveyed through the voiceover of the judge who is handing down the sentences. So other than that, it's not really visualized.

Ashley 2:12:51

Well, my objection is much, much smaller than yours, Remy. In your retelling of the movie, after Mark and Rebecca, aka Nick and Rachel robbed Paris Hilton for the first time, they went on a shopping spree on Robertson Boulevard. In reality, they went to Rodeo Drive, which I don't know why you would change that. Rodeo Drive is a much more recognizable area.

Remi 2:13:20

I did read the script for this film, and that is something that I may have inadvertently taken from the script and not from the film. And Rodeo Drive and Robertson are very, very close together. I used to work off of Robertson Boulevard, but because that is my bad if I accidentally added that from the script and not from the film, I must concede and say that is the smallest change in the adaptation. I could be wrong on this one, and listeners, please help me out on this. This was a very busy week, and I was reading the script and watching the movie at the same time, trying to like do everything at once. So if I am wrong in this, let us know. But until then, Ashley, I think you've got the objection for this week.

Ashley 2:14:11

Listeners, if Remy is wrong, just keep it to yourself so I can maintain my crown. But that leads us to our verdict.

Verdict And Skincare Tease

verdict 2:14:20

At the conclusion of each episode, our hosts will deliver a verdict based on the film's accuracy. If the film is an honest portrayal of the events, then it will earn a not guilty verdict. If the adaptation is mostly factual, but creative liberties were taken for the sake of entertainment, the film will be declared a mistrial. But if the film ultimately strays too far from the truth, then it will be condemned as guilty and sentenced to a life behind bars.

Ashley 2:14:48

Well, Remy, since you kicked off with our objection, I'll start with our verdict. We have been casually talking to each other about this movie and story throughout the week, which we do try not to do, but sometimes we just get so excited that we just can't hold it in. And from the little teasers that you had dropped, I was shocked that you would say something and I'd be like, holy shit, that's in the story. That's a little tiny piece of the story. And as you were recounting the film, my suspicions that this was a not guilty were confirmed. Everything I had written down of the changes that were made from the true story into the movie were relatively minor. The biggest difference is that there were some mixing up of characters. I think the biggest one is that Ron and Ricky, aka Johnny Dangerous and Roy Lopez Jr., it sounds like those characters were completely swapped. There was an omission of Diana, and then there were differences of who was in what robbery. But this was kind of made up for the fact that Sophia Coppola herself announced that while each person of the Bling Ring did have their own character, there are some instances when they're mixed. And even despite the confusion of characters and minor other inconsistencies, it's still like remarkably similar to the true story. I'm shocked, so not guilty. Sophia Coppola, not guilty. Remy, what's your verdict?

Remi 2:16:30

Yeah, I totally agree. Sophia Coppola clearly did her homework here. She was given extra stuff from the Vanity Fair article, which she clearly took into the script. And her style has always been extremely realistic, which is exactly what this film is. I mean, they got so many random little details right, from the kitten heels that Nikki slash Alexis was wearing to the trial to selling the stuff on Venice boardwalk for $50. They really did have all the details laid out for this film. They did omit one of the Bling Ring members, but in the grand scheme of things, I think this story is told very accurately. This is a film about characters that are not particularly likable. And I feel like that's why the critics and audiences really didn't gravitate towards this. So yeah, not guilty all around on this one. Who would have thought?

Ashley 2:17:38

Well, as I teased at the end of my section, the reason this is a two-part finale is because Nick Prugo makes headlines once again for a pretty significant crime against an esthetician. And this case was made into a movie called Skincare just two years ago, starring Elizabeth Banks. We have both seen this movie, and just by happenstance, as we were watching it, I Googled it, thinking to myself, this has to be real. This doesn't strike me as something that is completely fake. And we found out not only was it real, but Nick Prugo is one of the suspects. So that is why in two weeks we will be covering skincare.

Remi 2:18:27

Yes, the saga of Nick Prugo continues. And hopefully, our next episode will be as much fun as this week's was. But regardless, thank you all for listening. I've had a great time tonight. I mean, we started recording this at 2:30 in the afternoon, and it's nearly 8 p.m. And yeah, this has been a great first part of our season finale so far. And I really hope you all join us two weeks from now.

Subscribe Review And Court Adjourned

Ashley 2:18:58

And until then, if you have a free second, please give us a like, subscribe, or even a review. And here is a little clip of the trailer from skincare.

Remi 2:19:10

And as always, court is adjourned.

Pretty Wild (promo) 2:19:17

Joining us in the studio today is the skincare queen Hope Goldwyn. You really are the American dream.

Ashley 2:19:24

Reputation is everything in this business.

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) 2:19:28

Your career is legendary, and your story is inspiring itself.

Ashley 2:19:35

Beauty is a God through business.

Emma Watson 2:19:49

Maybe you should worry more about why you told me you would fit red on top. Things are about to blow up.