He began the year by publishing a memoir entitled, The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain.
So it seemed something of an odd choice when self-confessed hate figure Spencer Pratt decided to enter the realm of politics, a world where charm is often more influential than policy.
Yet never one to let doubt stop him, reality star Spencer gallantly put himself up for the challenge when he announced his intent to run for mayor of Los Angeles as a member of the Republican party.
Not only lacking any political experience, Spencer was also running in a city that hasn’t had a Republican mayor since 1997, so the odds were stacked.
Yet there was a personal tale at the heart of his campaign, with Spencer inspired to run after his house was one of thousands destroyed in the Palisades Fire last year.
He’s also no stranger to defying the odds as an underdog, having carved out a two-decade career in the public eye despite first appearing on screen in the short-lived and critically-panned reality series, The Princes Of Malibu.
The rise and fall of Spencer Pratt as TV bad boy-turned-aspiring politician crashes out of LA mayor race (pictured with wife Heidi Montag in 2008 at the height of their fame on The Hills)
Spencer was an executive producer of the six-episode Fox show that followed himself and his hijinks with pals Brandon and Brody Jenner.
The series aired in 2005 – two years before the Jenners’ stepsiblings the Kardashians launched their hit reality show.
Yet despite his series quickly being scrapped, Spencer bounced back and landed a role on reality series The Hills after he started dating one of the show’s stars Heidi Montag.
During the show’s third season, Spencer found himself at the centre of scandal when he was accused of spreading rumours about a sex tape involving Heidi’s friend Lauren Conrad.
The feud between the pair ultimately became the main storyline of the show and earned Spencer his reality TV villain title.
Spencer and Heidi, who had by now earned the nickname Speidi, went on to star in the American version of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
They withdrew after Heidi was hospitalised with a gastric ulcer yet caused ire among TV execs when they went on to claim they’d been ‘tortured’ during the process.
Later in 2009 the couple tied the knot but raised eyebrows when Heidi filed for divorce the following year – an action she later cancelled admitting it had been a publicity stunt.
Speidi quickly became known for their headline-grabbing antics, with an executive producer at NBC going as far to describe them as ‘everything that’s wrong with America’.
Yet it was a tactic that paid off, with the pair staying in the public eye and landing themselves Channel 5 documentary, Speidi: Scandal, Secrets & Surgery! and E! special After Shock: Heidi & Spencer.
The couple also made a name for themselves in the UK when they appeared on Celebrity Big Brother 11 and clashed with eventual winner Rylan Clark.
They returned to the house for Celebrity Big Brother 19.
In recent years, Speidi had maintained somewhat of a lower profile as they focused on raising their sons Gunner, eight, and Ryker, three.
Yet last year the family were dealt a devastating blow when their home was one of the thousands destroyed by Los Angeles’ most destructive fire in history.
Enraged by the government’s response to the natural disaster, Spencer announced his plan to run for mayor on the one-year anniversary of the fires.
Spencer first on screen in the short-lived and critically-panned show, The Princes Of Malibu, a reality series with Brandon and Brody Jenner (pictured together in 2006)
The couple made a name for themselves in the UK when they appeared on Celebrity Big Brother 11 and clashed with eventual winner Rylan Clark
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Spencer Pratt’s LA mayor bid has inspired another reality star to consider political career
‘The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling, it’s fundamentally broken,’ Spencer argued, as he vowed to take on incumbent Democrat Karen Bass and insurgent leftist Nithya Raman in the primary
‘It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash.
‘Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action.
‘That’s why I am running for mayor. And let me be clear, this just isn’t a campaign, this is a mission, and we’re gonna expose the system.
‘They intentionally let us burn before, during and after. There was no accountability. It was gross negligence. They let this happen.
‘It wasn’t a natural disaster or something that was unavoidable. It was their fault, and we need the accountability we deserve.’
Spencer later filmed a campaign video standing in front of a trailer parked on the ruins of his property as he declared: ‘This is where I live.
‘They let my home burn down. I know what the consequences of failed leadership are.’
It later transpired that Spencer didn’t actually live in the trailer and was in fact staying in the luxurious Hotel Bel-Air.
Spencer was also dealt a blow when his sister and Made In Chelsea star Stephanie Pratt tore into his campaign on X/Twitter, calling a ballot cast for him a ‘vote for stupidity.’
The duo have had a strained relationship for years, and in 2019 Stephanie said she was no longer on speaking terms with her brother and sister-in-law.
‘Spencer has done great work for the palisades. But LA does not need another unqualified and inexperienced mayor. A vote for him is a vote for stupidity,’ she tweeted.
Meanwhile, respected journalist Jim Newton labelled him a patently absurd candidate to run the place’.
Yet despite the naysayers, Spencer managed to drum up plenty of celebrity support – even getting endorsement from President Trump himself.
Frasier’s Kelsey Grammer was among the Hollywood supporters, telling Fox News Digital: ‘He’s the only guy that’s a real option’.
Dennis Quaid echoed his sentiments, as when asked why he was supporting Spencer, he told Fox: ‘Why? What are you talking about? Why? Just look around, man.’
Katharine McPhee and David Foster helped Spencer raise funds for his race, throwing him a fundraiser earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Selma Blair assured Spencer he had her vote, commenting ‘voted’ under his post, while Paris Hilton penned a supportive ‘LFG’ and Diplo wrote ‘please.’
Stephen Baldwin – who baptised Spencer when they appeared in the I’m A Celeb jungle together – showed support by penning: ‘Nothing better than a comeback homie. The city of Lost Angels is now about to be found once again.’
Spencer filmed a campaign video standing in front of a trailer parked on the ruins of his property as he declared: ‘This is where I live. They let my home burn down’
Spencer was dealt a blow when his sister and Made In Chelsea star Stephanie Pratt called a ballot cast for him a ‘vote for stupidity’ (the siblings are pictured with Heidi in 2015)
On Monday, it was announced he had officially lost the LA Mayor’s race. In response, President Trump claimed the Los Angeles’ mayoral primary election had been ‘rigged’
Despite endorsements from some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, it wasn’t enough to secure Spencer a win and on Monday it was announced he had officially lost the LA Mayor’s race.
The Associated Press made the race call at 7:55 pm ET that progressive challenger Nithya Raman will advance to a runoff against incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass.
Spencer had remained in second place until Sunday, when Nithya pulled ahead as California officials counted mail-in ballots, which were allowed to be sent up until 8 p.m. on Election Day and generally lean more liberal and Democratic.
In response, President Trump renewed his criticisms of Los Angeles’ mayoral primary election in a Truth Social post.
‘Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had. 3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections!’ Trump wrote.
‘Now they’ll be working on great guy Steve Hilton. Won’t have results for, possibly, TWO WEEKS, according to officials. President DJT.’
