The two most essential ingredients to any successful Los Angeles-based reality television show are mammoth multi-million-dollar homes and their sun-soaked, scenic views.

As drama has unfolded over sex tape rumors, divorces and petty arguments about “ugly leather pants,” palatial real estate has served as a glamorous backdrop for several binge-worthy series.

Over eight frothy, bright-skied seasons on Netflix, “Selling Sunset” has staked a claim as one of the most-watched reality television shows in the nation, thanks in large part to how it portrays luxury living in Los Angeles. And the opulent, lavishly decorated mansions featured extensively in Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” are also integral to the show’s success.

But last week’s catastrophic wildfires effectively upended that aspirational component of L.A. reality TV programming. Mountain views were covered by smoke plumes. The twinkling city lights surrounding the iconic Hollywood sign were overshadowed by red flames stretching over acres and destroying 12,000 structures in their path.

Some of the stars of these shows were among the evacuees. A few lost their homes and belongings. The destruction, their grief and their actions have cast some of the most well-known — and even most hated — reality TV stars in a different light.

Spencer Pratt, 41, first became famous in the early 2000s as the supervillain on MTV’s reality show “The Hills,” and is part of “Speidi,” along with his wife, Heidi Montag, 38. He is suddenly likable, with his frequent reports of how his family is faring after their house burned down.