Kristin Cavallari Admits She and Her Father Have 'Kind of Grown Apart' Since Her Brother's Death

Kristin Cavallari is trying to learn a little more about where she came from -- and that means getting closer to her father, Dennis, from whom she's grown apart over the past few years.

On Thursday's episode of "Very Cavallari," the reality star opened up about "not carrying on the Cavallari name" after marrying Jay Cutler. While she still uses Cavallari professionally, her children are all Cutlers.

"With my brother being gone, there's no else on my side of the family that's going to carry on the Cavallari now," she said while speaking with her husband, "My brother was the last Cavallari."

Kristin's brother Mike died of hypothermia after getting lost in the Utah desert in 2015.

"Over the years, my dad and I have grown apart a little bit," Cavallari admitted in a confessional, before explaining why she's hoping to dig into her family's genealogy. "I just want my kids to have a really good understanding of where they come from."

While in Los Angeles to film with E! for the Emmys, Kristin met up with her dad, who lives in Denver but often works out of California. "We try and see each other as much as we can," said Cavallari. "Unfortunately, my dad and I have kind of grown apart over the last few years. My brother's passing has obviously been extremely difficult on my dad. I'm hoping that just being face to face will help us reconnect."

"My dad any my brother were close and because of that, I think our relationship is very surface," she continued. "We touch on a lot of things, but we don't really delve in and get deep about anything. It puts a little bit of a void between us. I'm hoping with this family tree and tracing the roots, I don't know, it gives us something to bond over and he'll open up more."

After giving her father an update on her children, he showed her some old family photos and opened up to her about the Cavallari family coming over to America from Italy in 1903. Kristin got some much-needed intel about her great-grandparents, before deciding to also hire a private researcher/genealogist in Italy to help flesh out the family tree.

"Seeing my dad and researching the Cavallari name, it's been really fulfilling," Kristin said at the end of the episode, "and I feel like it's one step closer to making our relationship better."

"Very Cavallari" airs Thursdays on E!