Whatever Happened To . . ?

Casey Reinhardt—the name may ring a bell from her stint on season two of MTV’s Laguna Beach She was the rich, misunderstood new girl that most of the other girls (including queen bee Kristen Cavallari) were not so nice to. “Doing Laguna Beach was hard because I was the new girl. I always lived in Laguna Beach but always went to private school so that’s why I didn’t know any of the kids,” Casey explained to us while on a mini vacation on Miami’s South Beach. “They edited me to look like a ditzy, blonde with no brain but I got into college and have my charity foundation. They filmed all that but chose not to show it.  I don’t regret doing the show though because it opened so many doors for me.”

Casey’s older brother Doug was originally supposed to join her on Laguna Beach but he was had the opportunity to play professional baseball for the Angels instead. Fast forward a few years later and you may recognize him as one of Lauren Conrad’s many suitors on The Hills. “I was supposed have more of a role on The Hills too but relationships and storylines changed,” Casey explains. Doug and Lauren’s relationship was short-lived but Casey is still in touch with both Lauren and her best friend Lo. Doug recently ended a relationship with Paris Hilton.

Since her reality TV days, Casey has gone on to major in Psychology at Pepperdine University, runs the Casey Foundation that focuses on raising awareness for children’s issues and kicked off an acting career. She just filmed a role in a thriller/horror flick called Lure that’s currently looking for distribution. “We filmed all night long while I was taking classes. I would be on set at 5pm, wrap at 6am, sleep for two hours, go to class and then head back to set,” Casey says. “The cast is all upcoming actors so hopefully someone will have a breakout role from it—like me!”

While Casey explores new TV and film roles, she’s also a big workout fanatic with tips on how to live a healthy lifestyle no matter what your schedule. She suggests doing at least 30 minutes of cardio a day and getting creative if you do not belong to a gym. “I live in Santa Monica right by the Santa Monica stairs so I run up and down them every day,” she explains. “It’s free and easy. I just put on sunscreen and go because I love being outside with the fresh air and sun.” As for eating healthy, Casey recommends buying things like fresh fruit and produce in small quantities. “I go to the grocery store or farmers market and just buy what I need for a few days,” she says. “If I get smaller quantities, then things don’t go bad.” Being on TV hasn’t wrecked Casey’s self image even with the pressure to be thin. “I’m really comfortable with who I am,” she says. “I have strong support system and my parents have always pumped me up and said, ‘Love who you are no matter what size. This is your body and this is who you are so own it.’” Her Hollywood role model is Cameron Diaz. “She is like me – athletic and goofy and it seems like Hollywood didn’t get to her head,” Casey explains. “She’s so fun and loves to workout and have good time. She just is who she is and surfs and is just amazing that way.”

(Photo:J-Squared Photography)