Down the Rabbit Hole - Holly Madison

my loyalty to the brand, though.
As GND went into its fourth season, I finally had the opportunity to take Bridget and Kendra to
my hometown. We visited Bridget’s and Kendra’s respective hometowns in the first two seasons and
I had been lobbying to take the girls to Alaska for quite some time. Needless to say, it was a little
more expensive to get to Alaska than to Lodi or San Diego, so it took a little time for production to
come around. Hef even tried to throw a wrench in the plans when he made it clear that of all the
places he had never wanted to go, Alaska topped the list.
We were finally able to make the trip, along with my mom and dad (Hef stayed home, of course).
I loved taking the girls to Craig, the tiny town I grew up in, and to Ketchikan, the nearest city, where
my family and I used to go when we needed to buy something that Craig couldn’t offer (there were
only a handful of stores in Craig). Bouncing back and forth between islands on the tiny Otter plane
was an adventure in itself. Our plane broke down midair and the pilot had to make an emergency
landing. This was one time Kendra was really afraid of flying. She had to have a few drinks before
getting on our return flight.
Alaska is rugged and not for everyone, so I appreciated that the girls were enthusiastic about the
trip and made the effort to have a good time. The episode turned out to be my favorite of the entire
series. One shot in particular stands out in my mind. The three of us took a moment to quietly swing
on a swing set while the camera shot us from the ground, three dandelions of varying height echoing
our three figures in the foreground. It seemed like such an innocent moment, and the whole episode
captured us as ordinary, real people, not as the “Mansion Mistress” cartoon characters we usually
played on TV.
Later that season, the cameras returned to Studio West with me for an episode titled “Go West
Young Girl.” In the process of finding a Playmate for the upcoming September issue, I invited four
candidates out to test for the slot. There was a brunette named Melanie from San Diego, raven-haired
Valerie Mason from Louisiana, platinum blond Kayla Collins from Pennsylvania, and a quirky 18-
year-old from Las Vegas named Angel Porrino.
Not only was I thrilled to have an episode focus so much on the job I had grown to love, I made
new friends and even found a few Playmates in the process. Valerie Mason, with her classically cute
face, would end up being chosen as Miss September. Kayla, surprisingly, was turned down by Hef
for “looking too much like too many other Playmates.” Hey, at least he was starting to appreciate
variety! Kayla ended up becoming Miss August 2008 after Hef’s friends made a fuss over her when
he screened the GND episode for them.
My favorite candidate was Angel Porrino. She had an electric personality and the most fun sense
of humor. People couldn’t stop laughing when they hung out with her, especially me. I’d never had a
friend I’d laughed so hard with. Along with German Playmate Giuliana Marino, we became an
inseparable trio, hanging out and goofing off whenever I had free time. Hef didn’t end up selecting
Angel as a Playmate and I was very sad to see her go when it was time for her to return home.
My sister’s wedding made up two episodes of season four: “Jamaican Me Crazy” and “Wedding
Belles.” I was surprised when my sister said yes to the idea of The Girls Next Door covering her
wedding, but since she had planned a very small destination wedding in Jamaica, it turned out that she