Jen Bunney
Gossip

After a week absence that tested our patience, The Hills girls returned to bring Season 3's rising, soap-opera style tensions to a new high.

• The subject of this week's drama: Lauren Conrad sex tape rumors.
• The creator of the rumors (or at least the person bringing them up again, months later): Notorious troublemaker Jen Bunney.

Blame it all on the Bunney, indeed.

Lauren Conrad's fair-weather friend returned to The Hills with a vengeance last night, making that annoying ass pouty face and saying "like" and "um" more times than we can count. And blaming Brody Jenner for spreading those LC sex tape rumors that we thought simmered down months ago.

Of course, to any Hills fan, the theory that Brody Jenner spread sex tape rumors about Lauren Conrad sounds crazy. Where's the motive? This is a guy who won't say a harsh word towards anyone. And his alleged involvement in these rumors is a result of hearsay from - guess who - Heidi Montag.

Yes, Jen Bunney tells Lauren Conrad that Heidi Montag said Brody Jenner made up the rumors. Looks like she's just trying to take the heat off Spencer Pratt.

Traveling the way much celebrity gossip does these days - txt msg, omg - LC gets a message at work that Jen Bunney needs to talk to her. Small talk is not a big part of the equation here, as "Buns" is quick to drop the Lauren Conrad sex tape bomb, so to speak. Poor LC. She's just trying to move on and live her life!

Slightly suspicious of Brody Jenner, Lauren confronts the Prince of Malibu and he skirts the issue, reluctant to admit that he knows Spencer did it. But Lauren starts accusing him and finally he relents, stating that he knows "100 percent for a fact" that the loathsome Spencer Pratt is to blame.

Basically, this whole episode confirmed what we've known for months. You have to love The Hills, people, there's really no show like it.

In other news, Whitney Port was adorable (yet far too sparingly used) at the Teen Vogue offices, while Lauren apologized to Audrina Patridge for being judgmental about Justin Brescia (better known as Justin-Bobby) in Las Vegas.

He had a couple of good lines while shooting pool, although they may have to start giving him subtitles, because he mumbles too much to be understood.

The Hills are alive with the sound of drama. That's not new. But what is different than usual is the buzz surrounding a minor player: Jen Bunney.

For those who aren't familiar: Jen (sometimes spelled Jenn Bunney) was the center of controversy last season when she hooked up with Brody Jenner.

Brody had just broken up with Jen's friend, Lauren Conrad.

Jenn and Brody's hookup, of course, was totally encouraged by LC's "best friend" at the time, Heidi Montag, who later told Lauren she wasn't involved. Shady!

Jen Bunney insists she got the shaft. From the producers of The Hills, that is. No word on the full extent of what went on with Brody Jenner that night.

"[The Hills] was edited for dramatic purposes," she told E! Online in March. "Ridiculously. I'm upset, because it's so far from what I felt happened."

Lauren Conrad isn't buying any of that, says Jenn.

"She won't listen to me," Bunney says. "She won't believe anything I have to say. And I just think it's unfair. I wish I had talked things out with her immediately [after they happened], because she wasn't actually mad at first, but then Brody and them all got to her. They [escalated] the drama, because they wanted more drama on the show. And it's like, okay, you're going to believe Brody, who you've known for a few months, but you're not going to believe me, and you've known me for over 10 years."

Other rumors circulating right now about Jen Bunney:

1. That she is the source of the Lauren Conrad sex tape rumors, having sought revenge against her estranged friend.
2. That she recently had plastic surgery, following in the footsteps of her pretty plastic pal, Heidi Montag.

Blame it on the Bunney? Who knows the extent of Jen Bunney's involvement... or surgery. We'll we sure pass along any new gossip we hear about this Hills star, however. Drop us a line if you know anything else!

If you're Brody Jenner's physical therapist, you don't have to try hard to keep tabs on your patient and whether he's doing as you instruct.

All you have to do is read celebrity gossip sites!

Brody's ex-girlfriend and current pal, Lauren Conrad, revealed on The Hills after-show on MTV Overdrive this week that Jenner's doc has been checking out TMZ to make sure the party boy has been wearing the cast on his hand.

That's dedication! Jenner, as shown on The Hills, broke his finger back in July while playing beach football with LC, Frankie Delgado and other buds.

Meanwhile, it's common knowledge that Heidi Montag got some plastic surgery in the form of an unnecessary boob job and nose job, but The Hills rumor mill is currently abuzz with people saying her pal, Jen Bunney, followed suit.

One of the best exchanges of this season was when Heidi met up with Jen Bunney, and the first thing out of Heidi's mouth was, "Wow, you look so different." Clearly, this Bunney and her plastic surgeon did a little working together in the off-season.

Way to go Jen. Or is it Jenn? We have no idea.