Hilton and Richie Anger New Jersey Residents  2/21/05

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have outraged residents of Wood Ridge, New Jersey, after an episode of their reality show The Simple Life showed them working at a funeral home. 

The pair drove a hearse, filled in a grave and held a mock funeral during an episode of the series, which aired in America on Wednesday (16FEB05). They also spilled what appeared to be human ashes onto a carpet, then used a vacuum cleaner to clean them up. 

The ashes were actually a mixture of cat litter and cement, according to John Podesta, the owner of Kohler Funderal Home. 

A disclaimer at the end of the show said no human bodies were used in any of the scenes, but that failed to appease some viewers. 

Resident Amy Van Dalinda blasts, "It was totally tacky," adding that the mock funeral was in the same room where her late father had been laid out "which was really horrible to me". 

Podesta insists he has received few complaints and would not have participated if he thought the episode would hurt the funeral home's reputation. He says the funeral home was not compensated for hosting the show's taping. The series, now in its third season, features the duo working in a series of jobs as they travel the northeastern region of the US.