The cancellation doesn't come as much of a surprise since E! Networks President and CEO Ted Harbert recently expressed his doubts about the series continuing. Harbert pointed to Hilton's recent legal troubles as the cause of the series' decline in viewership saying, "We all thought the publicity would help the show. We were wrong. It's not doing well."
An unnamed source at E! agreed and told US Magazine. "We felt like the real life drama of their lives overshadowed anything happening on the show. Viewers would see Paris all day long on the news about her going to jail, so they didn't care about seeing her camping with kids. It just was too played out."
The source also said that Richie had become increasingly difficult to work with even though "Paris carried the show. She was the one willing to do anything. Nicole was the diva."
This fifth season of Simple Life has reunited Hilton and Richie as drama camp counselors after a feud that caused the two to film their parts separately last year. The final episode sounds like it will be a fitting one as Hilton and Richie write their own play in tribute to their decades-long friendship.
The Simple Life could survive if another network decided to pick it up for another year. There's been no word of any interest thus far but, considering Hilton's & Richie's recent troubles, perhaps Court TV might be interested?
