Reality TV Locations in Los Angeles

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Photo courtesy Michael Voltaggio

American Idol
Top Chef
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
LA Ink
The Hills
Paris Hilton is My New BFF

Not surprisingly, many of today's reality TV locations are in Los Angeles. From American Idol’s finales at Kodak Theatre and NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE, to Top Chef restaurants throughout the city, LA provides the opportunity for fans to live it up like their favorite reality TV stars and check out some of the best Los Angeles restaurants, boutique shops and exclusive nightclubs. Here's what to keep an eye out for.

For American Idol fans, the most coveted ticket in town is the pass to be in the studio audience when a show is taped at CBS Television City. To get a shot at being there, you have to join the waiting list, but you can always check out the locations where some of the show’s biggest episodes have been taped, such as the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown. For several seasons, the finale took place at the Kodak Theatre in the Hollywood & Highland Center. From Season 7 onwards, the finale has taken place at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Downtown, across from STAPLES Center.




Bravo TV’s Top Chef has become one of the most popular reality cooking shows on television. Appearing as a contestant can make or break a young chef’s career, leading to instant stardom—or temporary unemployment. Los Angeles is home to more than a dozen former Top Chef competitors running restaurants and consulting on menus. So instead of salivating over their dishes from your living room, you can finally taste them firsthand straight from the kitchen. Catching Up with LA's Top Chefs >>


Kris Kardashian and her daughters — Khloe, Kim and Kourtney — have drawn in fans from the hit show, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." The family runs the boutiques DASH and Smooch, and it's not uncommon to see the bombshells running the stores with their characterstic flair. Pick up souvenirs, or do some serious designer shopping to style your wardrobe after this famous family.








Visitors often want to know where they can find the tattoo shop from LA Ink, a TLC series that offers a glimpse into the LA tattoo scene through the eyes of tattoo artist Kat Von D. At the LA Ink shop, which operates under the name High Voltage Tattoo, there’s never a lull. Fans of the show pop in regularly, entering the store just to see where the show takes place and to find something to buy. If it’s not a tattoo, it’s merchandise. Calendars and T-shirts fly off the racks, and photos are a must for visitors; there’s always something recognizable from the show in the background.

Cast members of MTV's The Hills, many of them stars in their own right, have been seen at some of the hottest haunts in the city. If they’re not shopping on the show, they’re definitely scouring the racks while on hiatus at Los Angeles shopping areas such as Melrose Avenue and Downtown LA’s Fashion District. In fact, Lauren Conrad — the star of the show — was recently quoted as saying, “during the day, my favorite thing to do is shop.”






Hilton's hit show follows her and her new friends around Los Angeles to some of the hottest A-list haunts such as LAX nightclub, but fans often visit her favorite LA hotspots to see what it's like to walk in the footsteps of LA's infamous socialite. Kitson boutique is a popular stop, as is Intuition, where she went to pick up baby clothes for her friend Nicole Richie's bundle of joy.

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