On last week’s episode of Kendra on Top, Kendra Wilkinson and hubby Hank Baskett couldn’t seem to get on the same page about how much pleasure she should mix with business while in New York filming a reality show.
Following a tense husband/wife convo to kick things off, Wilkinson heads to the set of the reality TV competition Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition. She chats for a bit with co-star Gregory Bradford, laughing about how she started her day fighting with Baskett about a gay bar and “now I’m talking to Greg Brady about how he did Camp Playboy — this day can’t get any weirder.”
You’re tellin’ us, sistah. We’re still trying to process Greg Brady at the Playboy Mansion.
Wilkinson assumes she’ll be the first cook eliminated, which isn’t entirely surprising. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from watching Kendra on Top each week, it’s that Wilkinson has some deep-seated insecurities. But, lo and behold, judges Rachael Ray and Anne Burrell like her grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup combo. Go Kendra!
Birthday surprises are the best
The following morning, it’s officially Wilkinson’s 30th birthday and she’s feeling bummed out. “I don’t have my family, and it just feels lonely,” she confides in co-star JWoww.
Just as she starts to dwell on the debacle that was her 29th birthday — i.e., the scandal with Baskett breaking — there’s a knock on the door. Ray and Burrell walk in, carrying a huge cake. Um, I bet that cake was ah-mazing.
The cake wasn’t the only surprise they had for Wilkinson, though. “We thought the best present ever would maybe be a little drive-by from these two very handsome fellas,” Ray says as she opens the door to reveal Baskett and Little Hank.
“Kendra was convinced she would spend her birthday alone in New York,” the show’s executive producer (EP) exclusively shared with us. “Eddie had already left by then, and she thought her only contact with her family would be a Skype call. All of us on the production were careful to keep Hank’s surprise a secret from her, and Hank and Little Hank coming to the set was carefully arranged so that Kendra wouldn’t suspect a thing. It worked.”
Aw! It was clear it made Wilkinson’s day seeing her son. Plus, says SheKnows Parenting Expert Lori Pace, the trip was probably equally as therapeutic for Little Hank.
“I absolutely love that Hank did this! Not only do children need to feel like they are part of the daily home life, but special moments like this can be the story on the schoolyard for years to come,” Pace says. “I am all for routine and structure for children — they thrive on it. But the benefits of doing something out of the ordinary and seeing Mommy far outweigh it sometimes.”
In addition, it’s beneficial in that it helps Little Hank understand why Wilkinson is gone in the first place. “It makes ‘Mommy has to work’ more believable and concrete in his eyes,” she elaborates.
The next day, as the family heads home, Wilkinson thanks her hubby again… but with a caveat: “I’m so happy you guys made it out there, even though I hate surprises. Please don’t surprise me again.” Ruh-roh, Shaggy. Remember Baskett picking out a new car for his wife last week as part of her birthday surprise?
At first, Wilkinson is puzzled about who the car belongs to and why it’s at their house. But when she realizes it’s for her? Well, let’s just say this was one surprise Wilkinson most certainly did not hate. She even gave Baskett a kiss — on the lips! Which, naturally, made her incredibly uncomfortable, ha ha.
Which is worse: kissing and telling or, well, kissing?
Which made us wonder: Could Wilkinson really have philemaphobia (aka a fear of kissing)?
Confirmed KoT‘s EP, “Yes, and it was a big surprise to all of us who have been working with her for the past 10 years. We’ve all seen Kendra kiss and hug many times, but it was only when she confided to us her problem with ‘open-mouth kissing’ did we realize her aversion was as strong as it is.”
The truth is that Wilkinson’s philemaphobia suggests an underlying issue.
“She’s never been a big hugger,” continued the EP, “but we’ve also noticed that she’s often more comfortable hugging strangers than those people closest to her — especially Hank. It seems from everything we’ve observed that Kendra isn’t comfortable being intimate with someone who can really hurt her emotionally, someone who she really cares about. I have to imagine that this goes back to Kendra’s feelings of abandonment during childhood. In this regard, therapy has been very helpful for Kendra, and we will be dealing with her intimacy issues in future episodes.”
The next morning, things seem almost back to normal in their house, but the harmonious moment is disrupted when Wilkinson gets a shocking message on her phone: her former Playboy Mansion housemate Holly Madison has written a memoir. In it, she alleges Wilkinson demanded a car, dental work and the biggest room and that she “cultivated” her laugh, among other claims.
So, what gives?
“Although I have been the executive producer for all of Kendra’s reality series going back to The Girls Next Door, I am not Kendra’s spokesperson and cannot put words in her mouth,” the EP says. “That said, it’s safe to say that both Holly and Bridget were always a bit jealous of Hefner’s attention to Kendra and felt that Kendra ‘got away with’ a lot (e.g., staying out late, weekends away, etc.). Nevertheless, all three girls got free cars and were offered free cosmetic surgery, if they wanted it. Kendra’s laugh, on the other hand, was very much her own. Far from ‘cultivating it,’ she tried very hard to hide it.”
Real talk: Wilkinson was blindsided a bit.
“When each left the mansion to go their separate ways — and their separate spin-off reality shows — the relationship for a while got stronger in some ways but, in others, I think, each girl was eager to forge her own identity independent from the other two. Kendra made this clear three years ago when she texted that she and Holly ‘were never friends.’ I know this hurt Holly very much. Nevertheless, Kendra was blindsided when Holly’s book seemed to target not only Kendra but also Hugh Hefner as the subjects of Holly’s wrath,” explains Kendra’s EP.
A girl’s gotta have backup
So, when Baskett shrugs the book off as a desperate ploy for attention, Wilkinson does what any other girl in her shoes would do. She calls her best friend. And that BFF, Jessica Hall, thinks Wilkinson should confront Madison.
The next episode begins with Wilkinson seeking advice from her therapist. “Seven years later, this bitch is talking about shit when I was 18, 19, 20,” Wilkinson fumes. “At the end of the day, all we really did was f*** the same man.” Oh, Wilkinson. How we love your candor!
Unlike Madison, Wilkinson has “zero regrets” about her time at the Mansion with Hef. And, let’s be honest, she says the thing we’re all thinking: Is Madison really complaining about the very lifestyle that made her famous? That she willingly volunteered for? That afforded her private jets, priceless baubles and trips around the world?
I mean, really?!
This seems to be the general consensus on the Mancow Morning Show, a radio show hosted by shock jock “Mancow” Muller. He clearly favors Wilkinson in this situation and, seeing as he spent considerable time at the Mansion, seems to know his stuff.
Of course, after that call, Wilkinson gets fired up. Although Dr. Monica cautioned against it, she and Hall decide to crash Madison’s L.A. book signing — and this week closes with “Let’s go confront this bitch” ringing in our ears.
More on this season of Kendra on Top
Kendra on Top insider explains Kendra Wilkinson’s controversial rape remark
Kendra on Top insider reveals details about Kendra’s digital adultery
Kendra on Top insider reveals the real reason Kendra is so angry at Hank
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