‘ ‘ ‘ Searching for an idea for a Halloween costume? ‘ ‘ ‘ TV personality Bridget Marquardt… ‘ ‘ ‘ Searching for an idea for a Halloween costume? ‘ ‘ ‘ TV personality Bridget Marquardt has a few suggestions. ‘ ‘ ‘ A sexy, deranged clown. A mermaid bitten by a shark. A spacegirl. Or Lily Munster in a short, hemmed dress. ‘ ‘ ‘ Marquardt, 35, a cast member in the reality television show ‘The Girls Next Door,’ spoke in the William Pitt Union last night in an event hosted by the Pitt Program Council. Justin Jacobs of the Pitt News led the conversation with Marquardt. ‘ ‘ ‘ As a little girl, Marquardt said she used to sneak peeks at her dad’s Playboy magazines. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I would think, ‘Those girls are so beautiful,’ and that’s how I formed my standard of beauty,’ said Marquardt, who was visiting a college campus as a guest speaker for the first time. ‘ ‘ ‘ When she was 17, Marquardt wrote a letter to Playboy to inquire as to how to become a Bunny. ‘ ‘ ‘ The letter was returned to sender. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Maybe I was underage,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Marquardt, originally from the town of Lodi, Calif., received a bachelor’s in communications from California State University, Sacramento, and worked as a medical assistant. ‘ ‘ ‘ Her favorite college memory, she said, revolves around one particular course in public relations. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I hit it off with one of my professors, and he inspired me to get a graduate degree,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ But one day, she received an issue of Playboy in the mail as a joke from one of her friends. ‘ ‘ ‘ Coincidentally, perhaps, she came across a casting call to test for the Millennium Playmate. ‘ ‘ ‘ She grabbed her swimsuit and heels and headed to San Francisco for a Polaroid shoot. ‘ ‘ ‘ While she was waiting to begin the shoot, a photographer informed her that he would ask her to take her top off. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It never occurred to me,’ Marquardt said. ‘ ‘ ‘ But she went through with it. And her shoot was a success. ‘ ‘ ‘ She received a call at the medical office. ‘ ‘ ‘ The magazine had invited her to stay at the Playboy Mansion for three days. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I was nervous and excited,’ she said. ‘It was so much fun.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Marquardt waited for 18 months, however, before finding out that she wasn’t selected as the Millennium Playmate. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I was devastated,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Marquardt went on to finish her education and graduate from the University of the Pacific with a master’s in communication. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘When I graduated, I had to make a decision,’ she said. ‘I could either give [being a Playmate] a second try or get a real job and a career.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ She went with the second try. ‘ ‘ ‘ Marquardt took her savings and moved to Los Angeles to purse her dream of becoming a Playmate. ‘ ‘ ‘ She went to Fun in the Sun on Sundays, dinner and movies on the weekends and parties at the Playboy Mansion until one day, when the magazine’s editor-in-chief Hugh Hefner, 82, called to ask her to go on a date with him and the girls. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Hef is a gentleman and very traditional,’ said Marquardt. ‘ ‘ ‘ She turned down his invitation. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I just wanted to be a Playmate,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ A couple of months later, she gave in and went out with Hefner and his 12 girlfriends. ‘ ‘ ‘ Shortly thereafter, she moved into the Playboy Mansion. ‘ ‘ ‘ That was seven years ago. A call from a friend ‘ ‘ ‘ Marquardt called Hefner on speakerphone at 9 p.m., which was 6 p.m. on the West Coast, right before his cup of soup. ‘ ‘ ‘ After the two briefly caught up, they said their goodbyes. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I love you, baby,’ said Heffner. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Now you can all say that you were on the phone with Hugh Heffner,’ said Marquardt. The boob tube ‘ ‘ ‘ The ten other girlfriends left the mansion and the characters on the show ‘mdash; Hefner, Marquardt, Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson ‘mdash; formed a family. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We were thrown into the press, into celebrityism,’ said Marquardt. ‘We were just the blonde girls. No one knew our names or asked us anything.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ That experience formed the basis of the bond among the girls, she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The show doesn’t show how deep our friendship is,’ said Marquardt. ‘ ‘ ‘ But life in the Mansion is not all Slip-n-Slides, Halloween parties and trapeze training. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘There is no typical day-in-the-life,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ On top of photo shoots, press conferences and interviews, ‘The Girls Next Door’ films twelve hours per day, five days per week, she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The cameramen knock on our doors to wake us up in the morning and film us as we change into pajamas and brush our teeth before bed,’ said Marquardt. ‘ ‘ ‘ The show is finishing filming its fifth season and might film a sixth. ‘ ‘ ‘ Meanwhile, Marquardt is living her dream of hosting her own television show. ‘ ‘ ‘ She has started filming her own show for the Travel Channel, ‘Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches,’ which will air in March 2009. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Follow your dreams,’ said Marquardt. ‘I was told ‘no’ the first time, and I took the chance again. Finish your education, and follow your dreams.’