The summer of 2010 was a big year for me. I graduated high school and prepared to start college. Toy Story 3 came out, mirroring my own path into adulthood. A bunch of other, far more important news-based stuff happened. And I began questioning my entire existence when The Hills aired its last episode in July 2010.

The Hills finale is, simply put, a work of art. The final moments of The Hills featured Kristin escaping her problems (aka her ex-boyfriend, Brody) by jetting off to Europe. Lo and Audrina stared off into the distance at their respective LA homes, taking in how far their lives had come (with some cleverly interspersed flashbacks), all while Natasha Bedingfield sang a tortured version of the show's theme, "Unwritten."

In the final seconds, we get Brody, standing in front of the Hollywood sign, looking at the possible love of his life leaving him behind. And that's when it happens, the Hollywood sign is rolled away and we learned that he was just standing on a set. 18 year old me was mindblown.

The ending poked fun at the fact that people claimed The Hills was fake, something the cast has spoken ad nauseam about since the finale. But it was also just so good. The music! The flashback clips! Little Lo! Stephen! It felt final. (Until it wasn't, considering the show rebooted in 2019.)

I'd also be remiss to not mention the alternate ending featuring Lauren Conrad that sent me into a true tailspin.

I bring up this moment in pop culture that so deeply affected me, not because I think about it all the time (though I do), but because when watching Selling Sunset Season 5's ending, I was instantly brought back to July 2010.

We had the haunted version of "Arcade" by Davina Michelle playing while the cast, individually, contemplate what's next in their lives. Vanessa is at the airport preparing for a new adventure, Chrishell is reeling from her breakup, Christine is looking out the window at her vast kingdom but also looks like she is up to something suspicious with the cutaway to Emma's plane, and Mary walks with Romaine while looking bereft.

Now, Selling Sunset's Season 5 ending wasn't the final chapter of the series. We know that the show has been renewed through Season 7, so no one is going anywhere. (Although I do wonder about Vanessa.) But it's hard to ignore the similarities — but perhaps that can all be explained by one man... Adam DiVello.

DiVello created The Hills (and before that Laguna Beach, and after The Hills, The City) and is also the creator of Selling Sunset. Perhaps DiVello took creative inspiration by the ending of The Hills and wanted to bring back some nostalgia to Selling Sunset, just as an Easter egg for superfans. Or perhaps I'm reading into this entirely too much.

Either way, the final moments of Selling Sunset Season 5 certainly leaves us with more questions than answers... What comes next? How do we move on from the usual-prescribed drama the show has been leaning on for five seasons? Who will return? And most importantly... what is Christine's clothing budget?

Images: MTV, Netflix