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It should come as no coincidence that the vast majority of beautiful women who have appeared on the cover of Playboy have also appeared on the hit television series Baywatch. It's like the simplest of math equations: 1+1=2. You take an incredibly beautiful girl, put her in front of a camera, and you're bound to get a captive audience. Both Playboy and Baywatch have quite a few things in common, the first of which is they were incredibly popular during their heyday. They also had the attention of men all across the globe. And thirdly, and finally, to no surprise, both the show and the magazine featured lots of beautiful women in their natural skin. The formulae for success between these two enterprises were so closely intertwined, that they actually were feeder systems for one another. Every beautiful woman that seemed to appear on one of the entities appeared shortly thereafter on the other, so if you saw a Playmate of the Month in the late 1990s-early 2000s, almost undoubtedly, she had been or was soon to appear on the small screen in a Baywatch series.

That's where we come to discover a beautiful woman from our past. Brande Roderick was an incredible beauty who went from young, aspiring model, to television and faux movie star, to wife and mother. It's been a very successful ride for her. Roderick was a California girl from the start, and her stardom was almost entirely generated by her beautiful appearance. She would emerge in the public's vernacular in 2000 when she showed us her greatest assets. And naturally, that would coincide with her relationship with the man himself, Hugh Hefner. Brande Roderick may have settled down these days, but it's definitely worth the trip down memory lane to take a look back! Let's fondly remember the 15 times that Brande Roderick rocked our world!

Playing Her Trump Card

Brande Roderick spent a lot of time with the now United States President Donald Trump. Trump was the star of Celebrity Apprentice, a show that Roderick was invited back twice for. There were even rumors of Trump and Roderick having a little fun together off-camera. But unsubstantiated rumors aside, the real story is the education Roderick clearly got from her friend, The Donald. She smartly has gotten into the real estate game but not just as any old agent. No, Roderick is a real estate agent to the rich and famous. That's right. Why bother doing an open house in the blazing heat of the San Fernando Valley when you can take a prospective multi-millionaire on a tour of a Beverly Hills mansion and make 100 times the commission? Roderick has spun her connections and given herself the opportunity to further grow her future and bank account.

2000

The year 2000 was a massive success for Brande Roderick. She scored her biggest opportunities that would come her way during the course of her career. With a beautiful face and body, Roderick put both assets to work, and while auditioning in Los Angeles, she landed the ultimate 1-2 punch. Roderick captured the biggest role of her career when she landed an all-important featuring spot on Baywatch. Not only did the role get Roderick a huge opportunity on television, but she also signed on to do a Playboy shoot. The Playboy shoot was a common crossover for numerous other Baywatch beauties who came before her. Pamela Anderson, for one, was a massive beneficiary, and it seems almost every Baywatch hottie has appeared in the popular magazine.

Bunny Time

Brande Roderick killed to open up the new century. Her role on Baywatch, combined with becoming Miss April 2000, got her thrust right into the public eye. She went from being a relative unknown to being actively sought out for modeling and acting gigs. Playboy loved her so much they made her Playmate of the Year for 2001. Brande Roderick's career was cemented by Playboy, and Hugh Hefner had quite a bit to do with that. See, during her 2000-2001 run, Roderick was "hanging" out with the man himself. She was one of Hefner's live-in gal-pals. Their relationship helped get Roderick a career (seems like that famous old tale of a dirty old rich man getting his while she gets hers). Hefner and Playboy helped catapult Roderick squarely into the public eye and shortly thereafter, she went off on her own once she had captured her audience.

The Look

Blonde...blue eyes...hot. Even though Roderick wasn't a Southern California girl, there's no denying the link to a hot SoCal girl. Roderick is a perfect 5'7". The height is exactly what allows her to excel as a model. But it isn't her height that she's most well known for. Her frame is 35C-24-34. And you don't have to be a genius to figure out how amazing her figure is. With a small waist and curves in all the right places, Roderick has always been a standout when it comes to her looks. Her blonde hair, beautiful face, and blue eyes are all just kickers to her overall stellar appearance. And in case you're wondering, she wears a size 8 shoe. That last part really doesn't impact why we look at her; just wanted to be thorough.

Brande: The CEO

With some minor successes behind her in the entertainment business and a new successful athlete of a husband by her side, Brande Roderick decided to branch out into various fields. She looked into different business ventures. And while the internet was blowing up, she decided to make a run with her own online networking company. It was called "Financially Hung." She would describe the site as "Myspace for adults." In addition to this interesting venture, Roderick started an online fantasy gaming website. This site was named FantaZ. It was clear Roderick knew where her bread and butter was, and she tried to find additional success in these other avenues with her loyal adult fans. These businesses wouldn't turn out the way Roderick hoped, but they showed her willingness to take chances and branch out into other fields. It was clear she no longer wanted to be just a hot asset on screen. She wanted more control.

Drinking it Up

Seeing the potential of Brande's dynamic business mind, Alkaline Water Co. came knocking on Roderick's door. The company was looking for someone to help represent the company and bring a little extra attention. Alkaline Water Co. develops high-end drinking water. They have an impressive electrolysis beverage process, and they wanted to bring her in to help. Roderick was added to the Advisory Board and Alkaline is rolling her out around the world to promote their product. But this isn't just some model touting a product. She literally has a "real" job with the company, and Roderick is responsible for public awareness campaigns and public awareness of the company's product. Impressive for a former Playmate.

The Beginning

Brande Roderick was born back in 1974 in Novato, California. Novato may be by the ocean, but by no means was this a typical beach town. The quaint city is located up by San Francisco by the North Bay region. Cool weather and a lot of fog meant a lot less bathing suits growing up for Roderick. Growing up near wine country, Roderick has definitely developed an appetite for premium tastes. The blonde beauty studied at Santa Rosa Junior College but knew right away that her future didn't lie in school. She was interested in acting from the start, and she had a knack for looking beautiful on camera, so it was just a matter of time before she found her way to Los Angeles and made a run to conquer her dreams.

The Big Move

It was 1995, and Brande Roderick was a beautiful girl in wine country. She wasn't a big fan of college and knew right away that she was going to flee wine country and head for the big lights of Hollywood. Roderick moved to Los Angeles without a job or a car. She took a massive leap of faith with nothing in front of her but opportunity and with nothing in her pockets except lint. Roderick used the comfort of her friend's couch to get acclimated with Hollywood and work her way around the city until opportunity came knocking. It wouldn't take too long for Roderick to hit the jackpot. But first, Roderick had to earn her stripes before she landed her dream gig.

Hollywood Baby Steps

Although many aspiring actresses arrive in Hollywood with big dreams, it often takes some time before they land their dream gigs. It's a difficult process of constantly auditioning and hoping to land a few small roles that get you noticed in a bigger way. And Roderick went right toward her strength: being cast first in the 1998 sexy television series, Erotic Confessions, in 1998. The blonde beauty had no problem taking her clothes off and followed that up with small roles in Beach Movie, Beverly Hills 90210, and another sexy appearance in the movie Sheer Passion. This flurry of roles occurred in 1998 and got Roderick on the map. With a few more small appearances, Roderick was about to ascend to another level in 2000.

More Roles

It seems every actress gets the benefit of the "Playboy Bump." Not everyone discovers great success along the way, but every girl lands some semblance of success after her appearance in the fabled magazine. And besides Baywatch, opportunities arose with numerous other show and movie appearances. Starsky and Hutch would be on the more prominent side for Roderick. Then, there were some appearances on television like Joey, The Parkers Just Shoot Me! and Fear Factor. A Bollywood movie entitled Out of Control gave Roderick a starring role, but after her burst of initial success, there wasn't much more out there for her.

Brande's Love Life

Ever hear the story of the beautiful cheerleader who marries the star quarterback of the football team? Sure, sounds clichéd, and that's because that's the storyline behind pretty much every television series or musical. But instead of being just a cheerleader, Brande Roderick was the star of erotic movies and television series as well as a Playboy Playmate. And the man she got engaged to in 2006 wasn't a quarterback but rather an NFL linebacker: Glenn Cadrez. He played 11 seasons in the NFL with the likes of the Denver Broncos, the New York Jets, and the Kansas City Chiefs. The two married and had a child in March of 2010. Roderick also took it light for a while on the acting side during this time period until she popped up in reality TV shows in 2009.

Reality TV

After an unsuccessful run at finding a true acting career, Roderick settled for what everyone these days pays their bills with: reality television. Roderick's career floundered for the most part, so in order to remain relevant, she picked up a few appearances in reality TV shows the likes of Gameshow Marathon and Celebrity Apprentice. Roderick also went back to where her fame really started by serving as host for Playboy Shootout, a Playboy TV reality series. And it wouldn't be just Hugh Hefner who was impressed by Brande Roderick; Donald Trump enjoyed her company and had her back for season 6 of Celebrity Apprentice. The run of reality television was a nice compliment to other ventures Roderick was committing to in her life.

Into the Fashion Business World

Pantofola D'oro is a successful Italian company that makes a variety of apparel. But their main stream of revenue originally came through footwear. But Pantofola D'oro has been making a big impact making football boots as well as adding some cool gear through some nice apparel. They also do some pretty cool customization for soccer boots. Brande Roderick, Maroon 5's Adam Levine, and Tommy Hilfiger have come together in the unlikeliest of trios to form a successful business partnership. Roderick wanted to spread her wings further and doing so with fashion heavyweights Tommy Hilfiger and Adam Levine is another example of her moving far away from being just another hot girl and more into having a legitimate business role.

The Author 

Brande Roderick went from Playboy hottie to a woman that other younger models were coming to and asking for guidance and help. That's what helped spur her idea to write and publish her book, Bounce, Don't Break. Roderick designed the book to appeal to women of all ages on the cusp of various life challenges. Roderick shares all the various anecdotes and life lessons she has passed on to friends and family. She shares various self-help ideas as well as lessons in life and love. She uses fun quizzes and various tips and tricks to help guide her readers toward a directional path in life that she believes will help others as it as helped her. The book touts Roderick as not just an author but also a prominent businesswoman. And why not? Brande Roderick has, in the past 17 years, gone from a complete unknown blonde hottie to going into business with Tommy Hilfiger, to being an author, to being a spokeswoman for a national water company -- quite the leap for a Playmate who appeared in erotic films early on.

The Future

Brande Roderick will most likely continue to move deeper and deeper into business ventures. She's capitalized on every opportunity that has been put before her. She's signed up with some of the brightest and best in the world of fashion and taken cues from one of the most successful real estate moguls to walk this earth, Donald Trump. The point is, Brande Roderick has made the most of her opportunities along the way and continues to do so. She's working to broaden her brand over time, and she's even taken a few roles in Hollywood in recent years. They aren't starring roles, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Roderick hosting a New Year's Eve Special or doing something in the public eye that garners her a bit more prominence. It's been quite the journey for the aspiring beauty from Northern California who's become much more than just a hottie on cable and Playboy.

Sources: branderoderick.com; Wikipedia