The Girls Next Door Episode Rating Graph

This week brings another birthday bash, but this one is for Playmate Carmella DeCesare. And it's in Vegas, baby! After waking up at 4:30 a.m. for the trip, the girls (sans Hef) help Sin City live up to its name. They stay at the exclusive Hugh Hefner Suite at the Palms Hotel, flash a window washer, enjoy some cake and cocktails, hang at the pool and engage in a bit of wet 'n' wild group frolicking in the suite's custom shower. But before they know it, the girls' 9 p.m. curfew rolls around, and it's time to get back to the Mansion--even though Kendra's having a wee bit too much fun. The girls eventually get home (a little late) and unwind--each in their own way--which is something they all need after a lengthy, action-packed day.

Put up your dukes, it's Fight Night at the Mansion! And there's a whole lotta action inside--and outside--the ring. Hef's former girlfriend, legendary Playboy cover girl Barbi Benton, delivers a couple of low blows when she shows up at the Mansion to constantly reminisce about the old days and comment on the age of some of Hef's new girls. Ouch! Then there's a territory controversy when Bridget's newly adopted puppy rubs her cat Gizmo the wrong way. During the big boxing celebration, however, all of the beauties shine--especially Kendra--when they work as ring girls. But it's Holly who gets the knockout of the night when Barbi leaves, and she gets to go to bed with Hef. Holly is, after all, quite a fighter.

Take a picture. It'll last longer! That's exactly what happens on this episode when the girls fulfill lifelong dreams and pose for a sexy Playboy pictorial. The photo shoot reflects each girl's individuality: Holly embraces Hollywood glamour, Bridget showcases her flirty girlishness, and sports fan Kendra chooses a baseball cap as her only article of clothing for one setup! Hot stuff, indeed. But Bridget is stressed because she's trying to fit her final exam into the same day. She does it all, but misses a steamy shower scene. So, the girls get all wet again--together--for a reshoot of the shower scene. And after a few days of nervousness, everyone's pleased with the gorgeous pictorial, slated to run in the November 2005 issue of the magazine.

"Lingerie or less," that's the dress code for Playboy's Midsummer Night's Dream, the annual hedonistic ritual that has become one of L.A.'s most anticipated summer events. To prepare for the massive soiree, the girls endure a gauntlet of hair and makeup appointments, bikini waxes and tanning sessions. Bridget's sister, Anastasia (who feels frumpy in comparison and is eager to join the ranks of her older sis), is in the thick of it, too, getting an extra-special makeover for the big night. Even angry kitty Gizmo gets a new coif, which she hates, naturally. On the big night, Holly is sequined in all the right places, Bridget gets a Medusa-inspired look, and Kendra opts for simple pasties and a thong. But Anastasia knocks everyone out with her new look--and all four of them have a blast at the bash!

There's plenty of hot stuff going on this week. First, the girls slip between the sheets for another sizzling photo shoot--and visions of a Playboy cover dancing in their heads. Then Holly not only decides to renovate the Playboy guesthouse (last designed by Hef's former gal-pal Barbi Benton in the '70s) but hones her cooking skills with a barbecue. The pressure of doing both gets her a little hot under the collar--and pretty stressed out. The time-consuming renovation process is a pain, but the barbecue goes off without too many hitches. Things take a turn for the better when (after some snooping around, naturally) the girls finally get to see themselves on the cover of the November issue of Playboy. Hot stuff indeed.

There's something spooky in Bridget's room--and it ain't Gizmo. It's Halloween at the Playboy Mansion! While Holly and Kendra put their wits together to decorate tombstones, Bridget sets out on a full-scale ghost hunt. She contacts a paranormal investigator to get to the bottom of the Mansion's long-running history of spirits--and even puts together a séance. After the Mansion's mysteries have been explored, Hef and the girls relax with a movie in his bedroom. They watch The Fly and a horror classic created by and starring Hugh M. Hefner himself at the tender age of 16. As the lights go out, it becomes apparent that the force pervading the Playboy Mansion is Hef's youthful spirit!

It's road-trip time as the girls head to Bridget's hometown of Lodi, California. After hitting the road superearly (like, at 5 a.m.!), the ladies are on their way to enjoy a day of wine tasting and exploring the local flavor. That includes hanging with Bridget's family and friends (including the newly madeover Anastasia) and a grape-stomping competition between the girls. It's Holly and Bridget versus Kendra and Anastasia, and Kendra and Anastasia take home the win. The girls also catch the eye of Lodi's locals, who follow them to a cigar bar and ask them to autograph the November issue of Playboy. After all the wine, stogies and missing Hef, though, the girls decide that there's no place like home--and eagerly begin the trip back to the Playboy Mansion.

Start the presses! The girls take a bite of the Big Apple when they travel to Manhattan with Hef as part of the promotional tour for Holly, Bridget and Kendra's November cover of Playboy. The group travels to the East Coast in style (a private jet, natch) and are met by an eager press and adoring fans. After a packed magazine signing, the group relaxes with a dinner at Bridget's favorite haunt, the macabre Jekyll & Hyde Restaurant, and a showing of Spamalot. But the good times are interrupted by nerves, as the girls are set to appear on The View the next day. Their fears become reality during a not too friendly on-air interview. But the girls let it roll off their backs and prepare for another big night: one honoring Hef, in which his daughter brings him to tears with a touching speech. Hef and the girls bid their well-wishers goodnight and board their jet, exhausted but delighted by their whirlwind adventures.

Hef, Holly, Bridget and Kendra blow into the Windy City, Hef's birthplace and home of Playboy Enterprises, Inc., to promote the November issue of Playboy. And what a trip it is! After a night's rest at the luxurious Peninsula Hotel, Hef and his brother Keith give the girls a guided tour of their childhood haunts, and they also take in a visit to Playboy HQ--where they walk in on a sexy photo shoot featuring Cyber-Girl Monica Leigh! Sampling Chicago's nightlife, Hef, Keith and the girls dine at trendy eatery Japonais and then spend the morning with Chicago's famed shock jock, Mancow, reading the daily news for his morning radio show. After another evening out, everyone rides the wind (okay, a private jet) back to L.A. for some much needed relaxation.

Whodunit? That's the big question at Bridget's murder-mystery-themed birthday party. But before the big celebration, Holly gets a smashing driving lesson in Hef's beloved 1959 Mercedes, and Kendra shows off her drive on the tennis court for a charity tennis tournament. The spirit of competition is alive and well the night of the party. Everyone is dressed in swanky 1920s attire--and Bridget is the belle of the ball in a glamorous red evening gown. Hef and the girls break into teams and embark on a scavenger hunt for clues that reveal the murderer! The crime is solved with much fanfare, marking the end of a killer birthday.

The girls return to Las Vegas (with Hef this time!) for two very important occasions: to promote the new Playboy Club at the Palms Hotel & Casino and to preview designer Roberto Cavalli's sexy "bunny couture" (an update on the classic bunny costume that will be worn by cocktail servers at the Playboy Club). Both events are hotter than the desert sun. The Palms' new Playboy tower is stunning, housing Playboy-themed casinos, suites and the first official Playboy Club in decades. During their stay, the gang embraces the rest of Sin City, too, checking out a wax replica of Hef at Madame Tussaud's, partying with hotelier George Maloof and playing some B-ball inside a hotel room's full-size basketball court! Then it's off to dinner with Cavalli and a fashion show for the new Playboy Club's bunny costumes--starring Holly! It's the perfect way to usher in a new era of Playboy.