TV.com

Kendra Wilkinson exemplifies the image of a down-to-earth tomgirl who found herself in the right place at the right time, and is now living the dream of many American girls.

Wilkinson, grew up in San Diego, Calif. and attended Clairemont High School, located five miles north of metropolitan San Diego. The future Playmate was working as a dental assistant in her hometown when Playboy founder Hugh Hefner happened to stumble upon a photograph of her that had been sent to his mansion. Wilkinson had been asked by a friend to attend Hefner's 78th birthday party as a body-painted party girl, and when Hefner saw her photograph, he knew he had seen something special.

The Playboy mogul and the sports-loving tom girl met for the first time at his birthday party, and Wilkinson moved into the mansion as one of Hefner's girlfriends shortly after. Wilkinson soon became a star of "The Girls Next Door," a reality television series which premiered in August of 2005 on E! (Entertainment Television). The series, which is the brainchild of executive producer Kevin Burns and Hugh Hefner himself, focuses on the lives of Hefner's three girlfriends who live with him at the Playboy Mansion. To celebrate the enormous success of the television series, Playboy published a special nude pictorial of Holly, Bridget, and Kendra in their November 2005 issue. The original eight-episode run of the series was expanded into a 15 episode series due to the positive audience reaction. A second season has been confirmed to begin airing in August, and will feature exciting events in the lives of the Playmates such as the celebration of Kendra's 21st birthday and a trip to San Diego. The DVD of the first season of the show will soon be released as well.

In addition to starting in a hit television series, Wilkinson has also made many television show guest appearances on programs such as "The Tyra Banks Show" and "The Late Night Show with Craig Ferguson." She even appeared in the smash parody film "Scary Movie 4." Massage school has been consuming much of Wilkinson's time lately, and she hopes to soon fulfill her dream of becoming a sports massage therapist or a sports announcer. The entertainment world has just begun to experience Kendra Wilkinson, for much more is sure to come of this beautiful Playmate.