Down the Rabbit Hole - Holly Madison

girl seemed to resent having anything to do with my show—especially since “her show,” GND season
six, had been canceled.
The Shannon twins had since departed the mansion. According to the rumor mill, Karissa and
Kristina were wild and never really good at adhering to the rules. I can’t imagine Crystal was
disappointed to see the magnetic twosome go. In their place was a new girlfriend, a gorgeous, babyfaced
blonde named Anna Sophia Berglund.
Hef’s birthday party eventually moved to Moon Nightclub. When Josh and I arrived back at the
Palms—after doing two performances of Peepshow—we entered the club and situated ourselves in
our designated booth, just a row over from Hef’s table. Immediately, he spotted us and, with a big
smile on his face, waved to us with both arms and the enthusiasm of a little kid.
“It’s like he’s signaling for help,” Josh observed. “He looks bored.”
He did look a little bored and eager for the cameras to make their way over. Crystal was
supposed to have sung “Happy Birthday” for Hef at midnight (something Bridget had done at his party
the previous year), but she didn’t end up performing. Knowing Hef, he clearly was waiting for his oncamera
moment.
After downing a round of drinks, we made our way over to his booth.
Suddenly, one of Hef’s security stopped us.
“Sorry,” the hulking guard said. “The boss wants to leave.”
We couldn’t have been there for more than 15 minutes. What was this guy talking about? I
thought.
And just then bright security flashlights whizzed past us, leading Hef’s entourage out of the club.
Two Playmates—Jen and Kim—walked by us, looking truly embarrassed, and mouthed “sorry.” Next
came an angry-looking Crystal, who avoided any eye contact with us, dragging a dazed and confusedlooking
Hef, who shuffled along behind her.
“What happened?” I asked the guard.
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I just got the word they were leaving.”
It was so unlike Hef to miss even a short chance to be in front of cameras that I was actually
concerned. He lived for that sort of attention. He didn’t look unwell, but I asked the Playboy
publicists about it anyway. They assured me that Hef was perfectly fine and his sudden departure had
nothing to do with his health.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to put the pieces together: Crystal’s neurotic behavior and
canceled performance combined with being forced to participate in my reality show and Hef’s
overzealousness to see us . . . You do the math.
Oh well, I thought. Hef loved any chance to be on TV and he loved Girls Next Door nostalgia.
To me, though, it didn’t matter whether we got the nightclub scene or not. If he didn’t want to film it, it
was his loss. Unlike Hef, I didn’t enjoy living in the past. I was young and living for the present and
future.
I couldn’t help but think of Hef spending the better part of five seasons pounding into Bridget’s,
Kendra’s, and my heads that we were replaceable—that the show would be just as successful in our
absence. With Kendra and Holly’s World pulling in solid ratings and being renewed for additional