Ozark, Arkansas: Sonic Seen on TV's "The Simple Life"

While driving through Arkansas the other day we saw the turn-off for Altus. "Why does that name ring a bell?" Being news junkies, we figured it must be due to some media coverage that had occurred locally. A disaster, a scandal, or perhaps some celebrity behaving badly in the Altus area. A quick internet search revealed the event which left the name of Altus in our memory encompassed all three. I am referring to "The Simple Life", that farcical TV show starring "That's Hot" Paris Hilton and BFF (well BF anyway) Nicole Richie.

The girls lived with a poor (poor as in deserving of sympathy) family in Altus. Episode 3 of season 1, called "Sonic Burger Shenanigans", was filmed at the Sonic Drive-In in the neighboring town of Ozark (Heaps more sympathy for the locals justified here).

It's been 8 years now, and you would have expected any establishment to capitalize on their TV fame, even if it was just to mount a plaque proclaiming "Paris and Nicole worked here." But the Sonic Drive-In of "The Simple Life" fame appears to prefer keeping a low profile, no doubt hoping to put the most embarrassing and humiliating day of their existence behind them. [Gary Epperson, 09/17/2011]