MORE Girls Next Door
MORE Girls Next Door is the podcast where we recap, review, and rehash the iconic Y2K reality series The Girls Next Door.
Each episode revisits life inside the gates of the Playboy Mansion as Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson navigate fame, friendship, and the surreal world surrounding Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.
But this isn’t just a nostalgic rewatch. From Playmates with rap sheets to behind-the-scenes disagreements the cameras never explained, MORE Girls Next Door digs deeper into the reality behind the reality show—examining the media narratives, public perceptions, and cultural moment that shaped one of the most recognizable series of the 2000s.
Along the way, we revisit forgotten Y2K pop-culture references, explore the mythology of the Playboy Mansion, and unpack what was really happening behind the glossy television fantasy.
Whether you watched The Girls Next Door when it first aired on E! in 2005 or are discovering the series for the first time, MORE Girls Next Door is your backstage pass to the stories, context, and cultural impact behind the show that defined a reality-TV era.
MORE Girls Next Door
S1E8.2: How I Met Bridget Marquardt (And Why It Stuck With Me)
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Before the podcast, before the deep dives—there was a moment. In this bonus episode, Megan shares the real story of meeting Bridget Marquardt, what she was actually like off-camera, and why that interaction still shapes how she sees The Girls Next Door today. It’s part fangirl, part analysis, and all the little details you won’t hear anywhere else.
What's up everyone? It's your more Girls Next Door host, Megan. And I was just remembering that in one of the early episodes, I had teased the story of how I met Bridget Marcourt from The Girls Next Door. So I wanted to take a quick beat and give up the goods for those interested. It was probably 2006, 2007, and I was in Las Vegas with my then boyfriend, and coincidentally, Hef was having a birthday party that weekend at one of the Vegas nightclubs. That's not why we were there, but I had seen all these advertisements and marquees saying, happy birthday, Hugh Hefner, and come celebrate with us at blah blah and stuff like that. So we were eating lunch in the forum at Caesar's Palace, and we were seated on the outside of the restaurant, which was actually the inside of the forum mall thing. So you could see shops and people walking around. I don't know if we were hungover or what, but I was wearing this matchy green cotton shorts and camisole set, flip-flops, and my hair was all curly and wild from the night before. But whatever, it's Vegas, right? We're on the second or third story of this mall, and I see across the way on the other side of the forum, two women walking. And they're not super close. My boyfriend was amazed that I even recognized her, but I did. So one of the women or girls was really tan. She was wearing this little denim short romper heels and had this big blonde hair. And I said to my boyfriend, That looks like Bridget from The Girls Next Door. And he knew what The Girls Next Door was because I watched it all the time. So the two girls walk into La Perla, which was this upscale lingerie boutique right across the forum from where we were eating. And I say again to my boyfriend, man, that really looked like her. And he's like, Well, go over there and see. And I'm like, No, I'm a mess. They probably won't even let me into La Perla. And he's like, Oh, nonsense. Maybe it's her. When else are you gonna get the chance to meet somebody like that? I don't know, guys. I think it was how excited he was for me to possibly meet a celebrity, but I got up and walked around the elevators to the other side and sauntered right into La Perla, which was a really small shop. And I make a beeline straight to the back of the store, and I'm like crouching behind a rack of teddies. I realized right away that it was Bridget because I could hear her voice talking to her friend, and the freaking so embarrassing. The sales girl comes up to me, she's all bubbly, and she's like, What can I help you with today? And I'm like, Shh, no, no, nothing. Just just looking, just looking. Guys, I didn't even have a purse with me. It looks like I'm wearing pajamas, but I've been made now, right? So I pop out from behind these racks and I say, Bridget? And she looks up and she says, Yeah. And this is where I became completely starstruck. I mean, I've never been a more bumbling idiot in my entire life, before and since this moment. I walk right up to her and I have my hand out in front of me to shake her hand. And I say, Hi, I'm Meg. I was just eating lunch over there, and I saw you walking over here, and I told my boyfriend, hmm, that looks like Bridget Marcourt. And he was like, No way. And I was like, Yeah, and he was like, Well, go meet her. And I was like, no, and he was like, Yeah. And I was like, no, I look terrible. But he knows, you know, that like I'm a big fan, so he says, Yeah, go. What do you have to lose? So I just had to come over and tell you I'm a big fan of the show. And so, you know, you here for the party? And y'all, she smiles and says, Yep, and she shakes my hand. I remember she seemed to have the tiniest hands, and she was much smaller in person than I had imagined. I then say to her, Well, have fun. And she says, Thanks. And that was it. Trust me, completely forgettable in Bridget's world, but I'll always remember how gracious she was with what must have appeared to be a psycho fan. I think I literally startled her into submission. So that was my celeb run-in with Bridget Marquart, and I want to thank you for tuning in. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast. We've got many more episodes to drop, and I can't wait to chat more girls next door with you. Thanks, guys. See you soon. On the breaks.