There's never been a couple who loved being famous more than Spencer Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag. Since the mid-2000s, these two, dubbed "Speidi," have made multiple reality show appearances, starting with their introduction to audiences on MTV's The Hills back in 2006. Since then, they've appeared on Celebrity Big Brother UK, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, Marriage Boot Camp and The Hills: New Beginnings.

'Speidi' Makes Headlines

In addition to all their reality show appearances, they've never met a red carpet they didn't like, appearing at countless premieres, openings, awards shows and events, always ready to ham it up for the cameras.

But the notorious pair, who were once criticized for their blatant plays for media attention, also appeared in many staged paparazzi photo shoots, the glorious past-time of reality stars and other B-level celebrities, wherein they call tabloid photographers to show up and catch them in their "natural" habitat. Except, the photos were rarely natural and were often over-the-top in nature.

While many called them out for being fame-hungry, twenty-some years later, those staged paparazzi photo shoots remain some of the most talked about of all time, a true time capsule for what fame was like for young celebrities in the mid-2000s.

Shameless or not, these actions kept Speidi's flame burning, off and on arguably, for years to come.

In 2023, podcaster and writer Gibson Johns even named one of Heidi's staged shoots as his favorite celebrity photo shoot of all time, reminding us all of the magical era that was Speidi.

Spencer Posts Throwback Staged Pap Pic

On Dec. 11, Spencer took to Instagram to share photos from the first staged photo shoot he and Heidi did. While he didn't give a year, Heidi's low-rise pants scream mid-aughts. Spencer captioned the snaps, "In honor of 'Blackout' trending - our first time calling the paps together." How sweet.

Spencer followed up his initial post with a couple more throwback staged pap shots, including an album of photos of the pair making out at an ice-skating rink and a video of Spencer kissing Heidi while holding up a sign promoting Heidi's fledgling music career.

The duo have never been shy about owning up to calling the paparazzi on themselves, as Heidi reflected on during an interview on Nick Viall's podcast, The Viall Files, in March of 2024.

"We've always been really transparent about calling paparazzi and being in on it, set-ups, I mean, that's really what we're known for," Heidi said. "I really was doing that."

Speidi's Staged Pics Throughout The Years

From their legendary pumpkin patch photo shoots, which now include sons Gunnar, 6, and Ryker, 15 months, to their Taco Bell promos, Heidi and Spencer have made it far longer than the haters said they would, as they've been (mostly) happily married since 2008.

Over on Reddit, a user made a post asking what other Redditors felt were the all-time best staged paparazzi photo shoots. Not surprisingly, Heidi and Spencer were top of the list, with Heidi's iconic photo shoot showing her looking distraught following negative reviews of her music video for her song "Higher" in 2008. She also held a copy of her album in her hands during this shoot, adding to the obviously staged image.

Reddit commenters agreed that Heidi and Spencer are the king and queen of calling the paps on themselves.

Speidi are sending me over the edge.

Spencer and Heidi used to be unmmatched for staged pap walks. Kids today will never understand.

I’m sorry but Speidi is an absolute icon and will never be outdone. Like just imagine “babe your album is getting shredded—get the chair” hahahahhaha.

Another Reddit post featured a photo of the pair posing with a book, "You Can Profit From A Monetary Crisis," while promoting John McCain and Sarah Palin's failed presidential run in 2008.

And in yet another Reddit post, a gallery of iconic staged paparazzi images is displayed.

The Height Of Speidi Mania

In the mid-aughts, Heidi and Spencer were everywhere, using their reality TV fame to land on the cover of magazines, of course including tabloids, and making appearances at various celebrity events.

In a time before social media, their self-promotion hustle was impressive.

Throughout 2007 and 2008, the couple appeared at various events promoting Taco Bell, even taking a turn handing out food at the drive-thru window. Other shots show them lovingly feeding each other tacos, although the photos were part of a promotion for World Hunger Relief Week. Speidi are always down for a good cause.

In 2009, just a year after their nuptials, which aired on The Hills, Heidi filed for divorce from Spencer, though the divorce filing was later proved to be a publicity stunt. Nonetheless, Heidi and her Hills costar, Jen Bunney, posed and looked distraught for the tabloid cameras. Heidi rocked an extremely of-the-times pink velour sweatsuit, complete with low-rise bottoms, while Jen picked the classic '00s bandage dress for her role in the staged photo shoot.

Also in 2009, after quitting the show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, the pair arrived in Los Angeles from Costa Rica covered in full-length black sheets, seemingly in an attempt to avoid being photographed. Seems to have had the opposite effect, which proves their staged photo shoot shtick actually works.

Here, the couple cozy up on a bed at the store Maxfield in Los Angeles in 2009, giving the paparazzi photographers a treat.

The Pratts Remain Relevant

Though Speidi's fame flame may have dimmed throughout the mid-2010s, they popped back up occasionally to remind us all of their existence.

In 2016, Heid and Spencer celebrated her 30th birthday with a photo shoot at the Sugar Factory American Brasserie in Miami, naturally. The pair playfully fed each other cotton candy and chomped down on burgers during the shoot.

In 2017, E! News posted a gallery of the couples' most "over-the-top" shoots, which included Heidi and Spencer making out at an Easter egg hunt, their infamous "pumpkin head" beach stroll, cheeky photos of them wearing Santa hats while shopping for a Christmas tree, and another beach shoot where they wore face masks (pre-pandemic!) after they renewed their vows.

What Are Heidi And Spencer Up To Now?

In addition to being the parents of two kids, Heidi and Spencer have kept busy since their hey day of fame, appearing on The Hills reboot, hosting multiple podcasts, reviving Heidi's music career and making a splash on social media.

And if you think their attention-grabbing ways have subsided with time, you'd be wrong. In 2022, Heidi was spotted sinking her teeth into a hunk of raw bison meat, reportedly to promote her "raw meat diet." Yum.

As Heidi and Spencer are known as the originators of the "calling paparazzi on ourselves" trend, today, the trend continues, with Speidi perhaps serving as inspiration for current reality stars.

Love them or hate them, Spencer and Heidi have defied the odds and managed to remain in the spotlight to this day.