Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Kendra Sells Hollywood’ On discovery+, Where Kendra Wilkinson Starts A New Career As A Realtor

Kendra Wilkinson made a name for herself back in 2005 when her days in the Playboy Mansion as one of Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends were chronicled on The Girls Next Door. Since then, she’s been married, divorced, had two kids, and put a few other reality shows under her belt. Now deep in the “single mom hustle” and ready to rebrand herself, Wilkinson has recently passed the California real estate exam. Kendra Sells Hollywood, now streaming on discovery+, documents Wilkinson’s journey to becoming a real estate agent in Los Angeles.

KENDRA SELLS HOLLYWOOD: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: “You probably think you know me,” Kendra tells us in a sit-down interview.

The Gist: Kendra Wilkinson knows you have opinions about her. She’s lived in the public eye for over a decade now, having lived in the Playboy Mansion, married and divorced a football star, and had a few reality shows of her own. It’s been about 3 years since she became a single mother, and Wilkinson now feels ready to start fresh with a new career. She wants to make her kids proud and start making some real income again, and for the first time in her life, actually work. Wilkinson isn’t ashamed of her days in the Playboy Mansion, but she is ready to put all that behind her. After months of studying, she’s passed the California real estate exam on the first try – and now she wants to start working. Wilkinson scores a meeting with the Douglas Elliman team at a swanky Bel Air home priced at a cool $15.7 million, and her skills are put to the test.

Despite her best efforts, Wilkinson’s tour of the house is a bit of a train wreck, and she’s convinced she blew this massive opportunity. After this disappointing day, she heads to her best friend Jessica’s house to commiserate over a glass of wine – and is surprised to get a call from Ernie Carswell, the head of the team who was frankly unimpressed with her performance earlier that day. He tells her that they’ve decided to give her an 8-week trial and he’ll personally be mentoring her, and after that, she’ll either have a spot on the team or be sent on her way. Her first task? To come into the office with leads on new properties. Wilkinson’s real estate journey might not have began the way she expected, but it’s certainly not going to be boring.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Kendra Sells Hollywood will likely please fans of other glitzy real estate series like Selling Sunset and Million Dollar Listing, though Kendra delivers much more of an awkward real estate agent origin story than those titles.

Our Take: I was pleasantly surprised by Kendra Sells Hollywood, a simple little show with a surprisingly big heart. Wilkinson has always been the most lovable of the Playboy bunch, so this kind of turn for her makes total sense. She’s totally frank about her past, her moments of rock bottom, and her deep love for her children. Kendra Sells Hollywood easily could have been yawn-inducing reality fodder to add to the pile, but instead, it feels thoroughly Kendra, allowing her to speak her truth and never making fun of her. So many others might make her the punchline, but here, wearing her heart on her sleeve his a big reason why Kendra Sells Hollywood works as well as it does. It’s certainly not the most innovative or exciting new real estate series out there, but it does feel like the most down-to-earth of the bunch, low-key in scale and seemingly authentic.

Kendra Sells Hollywood might be sweet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t drama ahead. The Douglas Elliman team’s big eye rolls and skepticism about Wilkinson will obviously play out over the course of the season and lead to some conflicts, because what would any reality show be without some petty goodness? Even with all this in the mix, though, it really does feel like we’re getting to know Wilkinson behind the platinum hair and spray tan we saw for all those years. By the end of the pilot, Kendra might not have sold Hollywood, but she’s certainly sold a viewer or two.

Sex and Skin: There are glimpses of Kendra’s days at the Playboy Mansion, but things overall stay pretty tame.

Parting Shot: Kendra wipes away tears as she laments that her past may get in the way of her succeeding in her new career.

Most Pilot-y Line: “If you can’t handle pressure, this is not the right business,” feels pretty on-the-nose for introducing us to this world and Wilkinson’s anxieties around it, but this kind of thing comes with the reality TV territory.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Kendra Sells Hollywood is a surprisingly charming little show, taking us on an intimate emotional journey with its titular star and offering the rare glimpse into what it actually takes to make it as a real estate agent.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Kendra Sells Hollywood on Discovery+