Jelly Roll

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Jelly Roll’s Sweet Success

Nashville native Jelly Roll has lived a life like a country song. With a face full of tattoos — and more than a few extra pounds — the 38-year-old singer/songwriter doesn’t look like artists who typically play the Grand Ole Opry. However, the talented underdog did just that in 2021 — but his road to the famed stage was a rocky one. 

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, has been up-front about his past — and his demons, including struggles with anxiety and addiction. During his teens and early 20s, he was in and out of jail following arrests for armed robbery and drug possession with intent to distribute.

“In the beginning, I did a lot of drugs. I drank a lot of codeine, a lot of cough syrup,” he admits. “I took a lot of Xanax, did a lot of cocaine, just really took it overboard.”

Jelly Roll has since turned his life around — big-time. He’s also mined his personal pain and told his story of evolution and heartache via music on 2021’s Ballads of the Broken. The record includes the breakout hit “Son of a Sinner,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Radio and Country Aircheck charts and earned him three 2023 CMT Music Awards for Male Video of the Year, Male Breakthrough Video of the Year, and Digital-First Performance of the Year.

While the self-reflective record brought him phenomenal fame, its evocative power speaks to fans — and proves he’s country to the core.

“This album is the truth. It’s my truth. I put my blood, sweat and tears into this, and I hope y’all can hear my heart,” he says.

“Pain is an international language — everybody shares it to some degree. Being out on the road and meeting fans, I’ve learned that the more open you are in talking about it, the more people can relate to it.”

Jelly Roll first tried his musical hand at hip-hop, selling his own mixtapes out of the trunk of his car. His genre-bending career has encapsulated rap, rock and country, and as it’s progressed, he’s developed his own unique sound. It’s that sound — and his skills as a storyteller — which helped him build an online audience and grab the attention of music industry superstars — including singers Willie Nelson, Craig Morgan and Lainey Wilson.

“I was joking with someone the other day, and they said, ‘You dress like someone who’s been exposed to four different things,’” Jelly Roll says. “And I am — my sister listened to The Offspring and Sublime and Chris Cornell. My brother played Tupac and Too $hort, and [my mother] played outlaw country. To this day, I dress like a rocker, wear jewelry and a hat like a rapper, and boots like a country guy.”

Jelly Roll also lives purely as a man who’s never forgotten his roots. When the bighearted star sold out his first headlining show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, he didn’t just rock the house for the hometown crowd. He also committed about $250,000 from its ticket sales to initiatives aiding the city’s incarcerated and underserved youth — including a recording studio to help kids learn a trade inside Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center, where Jelly Roll once did time himself.

“Nashville is a town that people come and take from,” he explains. “They come, and they party. They make the best memory of their life right here on Broadway. They come, and they chase their dreams. They join the medical field. They become big musicians in the music industry and make millions of dollars. But they never give back.”

He adds, “As a local kid, I felt like it was important to start addressing the problem hands-on, at a community level.”

The compassionate crooner is also giving second chances to ex-cons who’ve paid their debts to society with his Rolling with Jelly Food Truck.

“Our mission statement was: We only hire second-chance guys,” he says. “Every other place in the world is like, ‘If you got a felony, you can’t work here.’ We’re only hiring felons. They run the food truck and come out on tour with us some nights.”

Amid Jelly Roll’s personal epiphanies and meteoric rise, he’s had a constant companion — his beautiful wife, Bunnie DeFord. He first met the stunning smokeshow after one of his early Las Vegas gigs and credits her with changing his life in “every way possible” since they got hitched in 2016.

“We are comfortable having uncomfortable conversations.”

Mrs. DeFord — also known as Bunnie XO — is a straight-shooter like her husband, who doesn’t shy away from her past as a high-end escort and has also undergone a positive transformation herself. The business-smart beauty, 42, now runs her own entertainment empire, which includes her Dumb Blonde podcast. She jokingly refers to herself as the “degenerate love child of Dolly Parton and Dr. Ruth” and “the trailer park Barbara Walters.”

On the pair’s wedding anniversary in 2022, Jelly Roll gushed about his gal: “She truly changed the lens in which I see life through. These last six years have been a testament of the growth two rebels can make when they bring the best out of each other and push each other to the next level.”

Jelly Roll also praised his spouse for “standing by me when the monsters attacked and fighting the demons with me” — and for being a devoted mom to 14-year-old Bailee Ann, his daughter who was born to an ex while he was behind bars.
For her part, Bunnie credits her hubby with helping her refocus her vision and become the “best version” of herself. But she’s also Jelly Roll’s biggest supporter and calls him a “game-changer,” who’s blazing the trail for the have-nots — and the duo has quickly become one of country’s most dynamic couples.

“Somebody asked me what’s the secret to our marriage,” says Jelly Roll. “I didn’t even have to think about [it]. It’s simple — we are comfortable having uncomfortable conversations; we prioritize communication; we have learned to laugh at the small shit — and above everything, we don’t take anything too seriously.”

What’s next for Jelly Roll? In addition to his new album Whitsitt Chapel — his full-length country debut, which includes the fan favorite anthem “Save Me” as a duet with Wilson — he also plans to soon release rock and rap records. In addition, he’s slated to kick off his 44-city “Backroad Baptism” Tour on July 28 — but even if he were not on the road, it would be clear that Jelly Roll will be going places.

Although we may now never be able to completely erase the mental image of adult frolicking between Dr. Ruth and Dolly Parton from our brains, we do happen to like this duo a lot. There would be, of course, the obligatory tour schedule online, as well as the well worth your time XOMG Instagram account. You really should look for that Dumb Blondes podcast. It’s a hoot. Besides, who doesn’t need a “In Hoes We Trust” t-shirt? Everybody likes gardening.

Daring Iceland Nicole

Posted on by Team Penthouse

A Fantastic Icelandic Voyage

Eloquent Nicole Vaunt, July 2020’s Penthouse Pet, says, “Exploring the southern coast of Iceland is a dream come true. This arctic island is endlessly inspiring: the geothermal pools run blue, mist hangs heavy on the mountains and each bend in Ring Road brings you to another beautiful waterfall.”

Nicole’s recent visit to the Nordic nation was her third, and the blue-eyed beauty admits, “I would travel there for the magical landscape alone, but this time I had a more mischievous motive in mind — posing on and among the giant, epic icebergs!”

The provocative model says of her edgy shoots, “I love knowing I’m adjacent to danger, but conveying serenity and ease as I move fluidly through each pose.”

Having grown up on the water, Nicole knows it can be as beautiful as it is deadly. “‘Never turn your back on the ocean’ is an old lifeguard motto for a reason, but I live for the rush of adrenaline that comes from creating in a risky environment,” she explains. “I was on my toes — literally and figuratively — never forgetting the sneaker waves on the black sand beach of Reynisfjara could surge up and overtake me at any moment.”

This adventurous spirit confesses she did underestimate one risk: Icelandic horses. “Don’t let the locals hear you call them ponies!” she warns. “They are tiny, on average between 13 and 14 hands [which is less than 60 inches tall], but I soon realized they have a very spirited temperament!

“The first part of our shoot was easy. Sitting astride a chestnut-brown fellow, I felt calm and glorious, alternating between pretending I was Lady Godiva and a general leading her troops into battle. The trouble started when I dismounted and started posing with him and his mare. Holding the reins of both — and feeling like a winsome maid enjoying her return from the fields — I felt a sharp nip on my left arm! Apparently, Princess felt I’d gotten a little too cuddly with her mate and she needed to remind me of my place. She’s an aptly named little gal. That ended the shoot, and I walked away wondering what a real bite felt like — and if I’d gotten off with just a warning!”

Next, Nicole achieved her goal of posing amid icebergs at the Jökulsárlón lagoon.

“Cold water can make immersion deadly; it drains your body heat up to four times faster than cold air. The ambient temperature on Iceland’s Diamond Beach in September is 50 F, but the average temperature in the Jökulsárlón lagoon is 25 to 30 F,” she says.

“I picked a favorable iceberg and waded into the water with a gasp and a laugh. In extreme environments like that it’s vital to know what you’re doing and do it quickly. I always check the forecast beforehand, and I’m very good at getting undressed in less than 10 seconds. Sometimes I get dressed again even more quickly!”

Nicole recalls, “Five minutes into the shoot, the sound of a glacier calving went off like a gunshot. I knew I had less than a minute to scramble back to shore because the resulting waves would toss me off my frigid perch. The light was perfect, and I wanted to continue. But I knew I shouldn’t, and the photographer finally yelled, ‘Don’t be a hero!’ I’ve learned to listen. No photo is worth an injury or death. My lower limbs were lobster red when I emerged, and I was carried back to where my shoes and hot chocolate were waiting.

“My feet were frigid, but I couldn’t stop smiling. I did something new — something no one else has accomplished. When I climbed into bed that night, I drifted off with a deep feeling of contentment.”

 The next morning, Nicole awoke to the soft light of morning but lingered under the covers with a cozy wool blanket by her side that was locally knit from the “absolutely adorable sheep” dotting the entire countryside.

She says, “Aside from a few scratches and a small bruise blossoming on my thigh, I felt amazing. But there was one more thing I wanted to do before I went home, and I was glad my photographer was as happy documenting playtime as he was adventure time. ;)”

On the off chance you do not spend all of your free time memorizing the penthouse.com archives, we should also probably remind you that you can refresh your Nicole Vaunt knowledge on this very site. Find her Instagram too. It’s fun.

Finally, in our traditional edification vein, we can tell you that the shorthand wisdom travel landscape photographers learn holds that, “Iceland is full of green, and Greenland is full of ice.” … Whether that holds true completely we cannot say, but we can confirm that Iceland has some of the most stunning vistas you will ever see anywhere in the world. Many tour companies sponsor photographic tours, but we picked out a fair representation from one we know to be good. Now Iceland will likely not be the cheapest vacation you ever took, but you’ll put all that money you have in camera gear to good use, you can be sure. OH! And we wrote to ask if any of their tours include Nicole Vaunt as a model, but so far we have not heard back. We’ll let you know if we do.

Pop Shots Neek Lurk

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Neek Lurk Gets Weird with Charlotte Stokely

We have come a far cry from when The Peanuts’ Lucy first opened her psychiatric booth back in 1959, charging a mere five cents per visit. In a day and age when one in five Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder it comes as no surprise that self-diagnosed bi-polar “weirdo” and designer.

Neek Lurk’s clothing brand, Anti Social Social Club, which champions insecurities such as ‘SELF DOUBT,’ ‘FUCK EVERYONE. IT’S JUST YOU IN THE END.’ and ‘FUCK EXPECTATIONS’ on t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats, has such a cult following. ASSC was thrust into the stratosphere earlier this year when one of pop-culture’s best-known sociopaths, Kim Kardashian, wore one of Neek’s hats with the words te extraño (Spanish for “I miss you”) embroidered on it. And Lurk’s been waiting for the bottom to fall out ever since.

Neek Lurk PeekingTell me about your mother, Neek. 

NEEK LURK: Damn. Well, she passed away two years ago so it’s kind of weird. She’s looking out for me right now, that’s why I’m doing all this stuff.

I didn’t really hang out with anybody; just loner-style. That’s who I am.

Much of what a man does in life is a direct result of a mother’s impact.

Yeah, we were never really close but now I think we got closer. It’s weird universe shit, like, whatever happened to me after she died … from me getting tons of money, to my brand to whatever the fuck I’m doing is basically because of her.

How has your relationship changed since her passing?

It’s stronger, for sure. She’s here right now; weird ghost stuff.

Today we’re at your Pop Shots shoot. If she’s here what do you think she’s got to say about it?

That it’s pretty awesome. She’d definitely back it.

Unlike many of the Pop Shots series, Neek shot some of the photos here on film, and others using a digital camera. Simply because it was easy to separate them, we have split the photos up that way here. Although we cannot say for certain who shot all of the digital pics, we can reveal that Digital Team super-favorite Kimberly Kane did the film work. Kimberly has many, many talents, and we wish she’d come to work here. (OK. So one of us really wishes she’d come to work here.)

What was your childhood like?

Just super isolated in my room.

By your choosing or her doing?

Just everything. It’s like I’ve been in a room for 27 years.

You’re a member of The Wolfpack?

Yeah. I didn’t really hang out with anybody; just loner-style. That’s who I am.

Now you’re thrust into a spotlight. How does that make you feel?

I’ve always been alone. Now I go home to my new house and I have a couple friends but I’m still the same person; I’m still all alone. I’ve been drunk my whole life which is a social lubricant. Now I’ve got some time off it and I’m completely inept in social settings.

What advice can you give someone that feels that social awkwardness that you address with Anti Social Social Club?

I didn’t really start drinking until two years ago and drinking does help me with my insecurities, like, I can text somebody or I can talk to somebody. It’s so corny but it’s so true. I don’t do drugs; I hate weed. But I started drinking whiskey and I was like, “Oh shit! This is lit!” Last year, every day I was looking forward to drinking and having friends and having people to hang out with and drinking was the only time I felt like I was good. By doing that people were like, “Damn, you drink way too much.” I don’t drink and drive anymore because I have a lot to lose but before it was nothing to lose and a lot to gain, in my head, but I remember a time I had dinner with somebody and I took a bottle of Jameson’s from Burbank and drank half of it on the way to Silverlake on the freeway. I sat down and she had a drink waiting and I downed it. That night I messed everything up. I should have been normal and chill but I was crazy and next thing the door slammed, she skirted off and I was left on the street. After that I was like, “people don’t get me as a person.” So as corny as it is, from that experience I made a t-shirt and a hat with a very relatable message and that was my outlet. No longer the booze.

But having experienced the superpower that alcohol gives you, how do you function with your insecurities without it?

It is a superpower. People just think you’re drunk but it is a trigger in your brain. The other day I hit somebody up while I was drunk and I would never hit them up sober. How do I cope with it? I’m learning how to cope. I just go home and do boring shit.

This is Penthouse. Do you go home and jack off?

Sure, yeah. Everybody does.

I was told at a very young age that you should be with one of every type of girl so that later in life when you close your eyes you can envision any girl in your head with clarity from personal reference. What’s your preference?

This is like a 10 p.m. question. Here’s the thing, I like watching Asian girls but I don’t like Asian girls. I want to be with a white girl or a Euro chick or a Spanish girl but I like watching Asian girls. I just never want to be with them.

I stared drinking whiskey and I was like, “Oh shit! This is LIT!”

You had the opportunity to go through the Rolodex of humanity for this shoot. How did you decide on Charlotte [Stokely]?

I have moods and that reflects on what I do, see, make, whatever. I’m super bi-polar. This week I like white girls. Next week I might like Latin girls. I’m never going back to Asian girls, sorry. It’s like dating my sister. It’s like I know you already. I want something new, something foreign. I need something new because I’m getting bored with everything.

As mentioned with the other gallery, Kimberly may well have shot some of these digital-version photographs as well. As a matter of note, as of this publication you can see more of Kimberly’s work in Pop Shots with both Steve Agee and Keith Hufnagel. Now you can see even more clearly why we tend to be little fan-people around her. And that does not even take into consideration her own work as a model and performer. To quote a darned fine book/movie — with which Kimberly was not involved as far as we know — “Who said life is fair? Where is that written?”

In terms of beauty? What does it for you?

I like girls when they’re super-insecure. Because I’m insecure myself so when they’re insecure that does it for me.

Is it because the insecurity is relatable? Or is it a power trip where their insecurity makes you feel less insecure about yourself?

Maybe it is a power trip but more it’s that she has the same moods as me and I can relate. It’s physical too but it’s more about the personality.

You’re 27 and living in an age where social media produces relationships as opposed to first-hand interactions like in the past.

Facts. Yeah, they hit you with the DMs so you know their vibe and personality through their Instagram but it’s not real until you really meet them. I’m being really picky right now. I get hit up with DMs all the time and I say, “No.” I have my guard up. I think right now we live in a quick age, whether it be a brand, an Instagram post or a relationship they’re quick as fuck. You could be with a chick Monday and you break up Monday. Everything is so quick. I’m actually kind of stressed.

Streetwear brands also come and go quickly. Your brand exploded. How do you maintain that in this age of quickness?

I don’t make a lot of stuff. I produce it the day after I have an idea. I can have something made in one day thanks to all my resources in California. If I want to make a jacket next week I will and release it the next day. And I don’t do seasons; it’s one piece whenever I want. I think that’s the new age of stuff. DGAF: Don’t Give A Fuck.

I like girls when they’re super insecure.

Would you say, though, that the success of the brand stems from the universal messages?

First and foremost, I didn’t think it was universal; this is how I really feel. I have been surrounded with negativity all my life but what am I going to do? Kill myself? Instead I made some shit and it worked out. Going back to my mom, I think she’s looking out.

Do you ever look at it like the world is paying you to go through therapy?

I never went through therapy but I do feel like what I’m creating right now is therapy for kids as well as me. I feel like I am a therapist to people but I need therapy. I guess I’m helping people and no one is really helping me.

Perhaps dating a therapist is the answer for you?

Funny you brought that up, somebody DM’d me and now we’re talking. I’m not making this up, she’s actually a psychiatrist. She’s like, “I can be your personal shrink.” Maybe that’s what I’m missing; a therapist that’s my girlfriend. It might work out.

Sometime there’s exposure for a brand that is unwelcome. Kim Kardashian wore your hat for a week straight. Were you psyched?

When I started this thing I had a certain group of people in mind; the weirdo kids. So those type of people isn’t who I made this for.  But obviously money comes from that so I embrace it. She’s not that weird. I like weirdos.

I like weirdos too, but she has a fat ass.

See I’m not a fan of the ass. I like tits.

You back her tits over her ass?

No, no, no. Not her tits. I like small tits. Like Charlotte in this shoot.

Is there any part on Kim Kardashian you would take to a deserted island?

Nope. Nope, sorry. Nothing actually. Not even her personality. I’m bashing her right now, but thanks for wearing my hat.

Maybe that’s what I’m missing, a therapist that’s my girlfriend.

But with that booty you have to think she takes it in the ass, right?

Yeah, I think so. Even DP.

DP for sure. Kanye and who? Kanye and you?

Nah. Know what? I wouldn’t even do it. I’ll take a photo. I’ll stand a hundred feet away and zoom in but I wouldn’t do it.

Did you ever think you’d be here, Neek?

My favorite word is foreshadowing. It’s tattooed on my neck. For some reason all of the negative things in my life will be ok. I can over think myself but I never would have thought I’d be where I am. Everything is positive now, which scares the shit out of me. Like, what’s going to happen next year? Is everything going to go to shit?

What do you think the future holds for you?

I try not to think about it. What goes up must come down, right? And I don’t want it to go down. It’s scary.

In the end does the darkness win for Neek? Or the light?

The darkness, to be honest, because I think I’m still dreaming.

Well, it was nice knowing you, Neek.

Thanks.

The secret to being a good interviewer comes down to one simple aspect: LISTEN. The secret to being a really good interviewer comes down to an ability to come up with follow-up questions like, “Is there any part on Kim Kardashian you would take to a deserted island?” … You don’t come up with that question as you’re doing your research and getting ready for the interview. Nor do you come up with this photograph only shooting when you’re “supposed to” be shooting.

The Excellence of Kimberly Kane (with the help of Charlotte Stokely)

If you’re curious, this Neek Lurk interview ran in the October, 2016, issue of Penthouse Magazine. By 2017 ASSC (Anti Social Social Club) clothing was all but dead due to (allegedly) poor quality, poor attention to detail, and abysmal customer service. [For the record, being drunk does not make for an excellent customer service manager. -Ed.] … Neek hung in there, though, before eventually selling the brand, presumably for enough money to buy some very fine whiskey.

Penthouse Pop Shots Logo

Drai

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Drai: Kings of Las Vegas

Drai's LogoWhile thinking about his 25-plus years in the Las Vegas nightclub industry, Victor Drai can’t help but smile.

“It has been a dream, and it’s been a lot of fun,” he says.

After a multi-decade career in fashion and entertainment — and producing films like cult classics Weekend at Bernie’s and The Woman in Red — he opened Drai’s Restaurant in the early ’90s in Beverly Hills. In 1997, on the cusp of his 50th birthday, he brought that magic to Las Vegas and ushered in an entirely new chapter of the city’s history in the most unlikely place — a former McDonald’s in the Barbary Coast.

“I was approached about opening a restaurant in Las Vegas. I came in for a fight, and I went to check out the space,” Victor recalls. “When I’m walking through the casino, I can smell the French fries, and then I had to take an escalator down to a McDonald’s.”

Unfazed by the current tenant, he saw incredible potential.

“Everybody thought I was totally crazy. Barbary Coast was the worst hotel on the Strip. We replaced a McDonald’s with a very high-end restaurant, and people thought I had totally lost my mind,” he says. “It was one of the most successful McDonald’s in the world, but they wanted to change the image of the hotel. They paid them a half-million dollars to leave. The rest is history.”

In 1999, Drai’s evolved into Drai’s After Hours. It changed the game — and not only as one of the first nightclubs in a casino. The revolutionary venue brought house music and bottle service, and for legions of discerning Vegas visitors, it has also delivered incredible memories. While continuing to operate his own successful establishment, Victor then opened Tryst and XS at Wynn Las Vegas as co-owner.

Throughout these years, Victor’s son, Dustin, has always been by his side.

“We are very close. I separated from his mom when he was very young, so he spent half of his time with me,” Victor says.

Growing up the son of Victor Drai was as glamorous as it sounds but also kind of normal.

“In my mind, he was a regular dad, but he was over the top. I grew up in L.A., but from the age of five years old — when my dad first opened Drai’s in Vegas — I was coming out all the time,” Dustin says. “We would go to the Orleans and see movies, and I remember the pirate show at Treasure Island. It never really kind of had that, ‘Oh wow, this is Vegas’ effect. It was just like, ‘Oh, that’s where dad works.’ I would go to Drai’s restaurant, and I’d sit there with the hostess, pick up the phone and take reservations. My dad never looked at me as a kid. He was always bringing me along and looking to me for input. And he was so proud to have me as a son. Even if he had a day full of meetings from 10 in the morning until 10 at night, I was there with him. He made sure that when I was around, I was his main focus.”

Dustin moved to Dallas to attend Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 2012 — the same year Victor signed the deal to operate a new club atop The Cromwell, which was taking the place of Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon — the Barbary Coast’s replacement. On breaks from college, Dustin kept up with its progress.

With the opening of The Cromwell, Drai’s went from the basement to the crown jewel with the 70,000-square-foot Drai’s Beachclub Nightclub, which is 11 stories above the Las Vegas Strip.

Discussing his May 2016 graduation from SMU, Dustin explains, “My dad left school when he was in eighth grade, so graduating college was a big thing in my family. I was the first one to graduate college — and within two days, I was out in Vegas.”

When Dustin arrived for his first day of work at Drai’s Beachclub Nightclub, he began his crash course training. That summer, he worked every job possible at the business.

“I was learning the ins and outs of everything, how to open and how to close the venue, how to do the reports, how to run the point of sale system, all of that,” he says.

While Dustin was getting his feet wet, Victor took notice of a bigger paradigm shift within the industry. He always believed the club should be the star of the night, but the tremendous new space was becoming difficult to fill on looks alone. Drai’s competitors up and down the boulevard were spending top dollar on DJs — something Victor was reluctant to do.

“You have to evaluate, and you have to move with the times and with what’s going on. In my career, I’ve moved from fashion to movies to nightclubs. I was used to paying my DJ $500 and they stay in the back of the room, and I tell him what to play,” Victor says. “This all changed.”

It was then that the king of “After Hours” house turned to hip-hop. For a businessman who says he doesn’t like to look forward or backward, Victor has done a pretty good job of predicting the trends.

The idea came up to book full-length concerts from hip-hop stars with the production value to match. “Make a real show,” Victor says.

Dustin shares, “The first live residency was The Weeknd back in 2015. We built a venue that is great for concerts without knowing it. You’re able to watch your favorite artists in this intimate nightclub setting, while still getting the full production of a concert. It just got better, and it evolved over, you know, eight years into what we do today.”

Drai’s Beachclub Nightclub transformed into a live concert destination for today’s biggest hip-hop and R&B stars. At a pivotal time in 2019, Dustin took on the role of vice president of marketing and entertainment for Drai’s Group, learning the entire universe of how to book and liaise with artists, as well handle as contracts, negotiations and deals.

Throughout this summer, Drai’s will host Meek Mill, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, Big Sean, Lil Baby, Ne-Yo, 2 Chainz and more as resident artists.

Dustin, along with Brian Affronti and Philip Loomis, work as a team to run all Drai’s Group venues.

Victor created the places where we all want to party, but he also created an industry. He has worked with many of the same people for years, and they, too, have become family. Affronti has been part of the Drai’s team for more than 15 years, dating back to Tryst at Wynn, and has known Dustin for more than half his life.

“Brian has watched me grow up, and now we are partners, running this business,” says Dustin, who adds Victor isn’t retiring anytime soon!

“The relationship between him and I as father and son is really strong. But now, he and I, as business partners, have blossomed into a symbiotic relationship where he trusts me enough to run the day-to-day operations,” Dustin says.

“He was telling someone the other day, ‘I get bored, I show up to the office and Dustin’s taken over my office, and he has all these meetings, and I’m just kind of sitting there like, “OK, well, things are running smoothly.” And there’s not really much for me to do.’”

“He’s involved in every major decision and all the big picture things, and we talk every single day. But when it comes to all the minute details of running the actual business and the day-to-day operations, he tells people, ‘I’m no longer Victor Drai. I’m Dustin’s dad.’ Where we’re at now, I feel like is the most that he’ll ever retire. He’s able to enjoy his life the way he wants to enjoy it and not have to really stress, but still he enjoys working.”

Victor says, “Dustin knows me so well, better than anybody in the world. Better than myself almost. He knows when I am mad; he knows when I am good. He knows what my reaction will be. So that helped in a huge way to work together because he knows how I will react. Maybe I’m not going to be happy with it, or I’m not going to agree with him. He’ll approach me in a different way than anybody else. Many times he’s right, and I’m wrong.”

When the decisions get tough, Victor imparts some simple advice: “I say go for it, and see what happens. All my life, I’ve only worked on my instinct and my belief. If you do something from your heart and you fail, you’re OK with it. It’s not a big deal. You learn from it, and you move on.”

Dustin says, “It means that I have to work harder than everybody else. And I have to put in more time and more effort. And the biggest thing that I always told myself is that I don’t want anybody to think: That’s Victor’s son. I want people to think: That’s Dustin Drai. He works hard.”

“The best business advice my dad has given me is never be content, always continue to try and to continue to improve. So if something’s successful, how can you make it better? What changes need to be made? And don’t be afraid to make them. My dad has lived many lives. He was always reinventing himself over and over and was never afraid to take risks within his life to improve.”

What’s next for Drai’s? After almost a decade, the father and son are entertaining the idea of expanding into other markets.

“I think for us, everything needs to be right — the deal, the city, the partnership, the venue, the timing,” Dustin says. “In Vegas, we still have to run three venues. I’m super eager to expand — almost to the point where I’ll take a bad deal just because I want to expand. That’s kind of where the relationship between my dad and I is really helpful. He says, ‘No, that is a shitty deal. Don’t take that deal. We’ll find another one.’

“The right deal will come eventually. The brand is our name. I think there’s a bright future for it outside of Vegas. We’re continuing to improve in our city, and we’re so confident in the brand that we know it could be successful globally. We are excited to see what the future holds for the Drai’s name.”

Looking out Across Drai's Beach Club

Given the header image chosen, we thought it might be fun to close with this shot looking from the other direction. Granted, this image was taken at night, but many of us might say that Vegas does not really become Vegas until you experience it at night. So there’s that. If you want to visit yourself, we encourage you, or if you happen to manage a killer up and coming artist you think might be perfect for the venue, give Dustin a call. Tell him we sent you. Then tell him we want tickets.

A Crossword Around Here

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Don’t be Puzzled — The Answers are at Your Fingertips

Growing up, I used to watch my Uncle Mike do the crossword puzzle in the local paper every Sunday. That was his thing. He loved to do it and was really good at it. Me? I had never completed a crossword in my life. Either I didn’t know all of the answers, or I didn’t understand some of the clues, so every attempted puzzle of mine went unfinished. [Do you wonder if that fact ever led to a “cross word” or two? -Ed.]

My uncle came to visit recently, and while he was sitting doing his crossword, something clicked for me. What if we had a puzzle focused on a subject I knew a lot about, like Penthouse magazine, or Bob Guccione? And what if the answers were super easy to find — or even provided somewhere?

I’d definitely complete that puzzle! 

Inspired, Uncle Mike and I did a deep dive on the internet, looking up every cool factoid we could find about Penthouse and Bob that we could use as a question and cross-referenced for an answer. Well, what we found will absolutely blow your mind!  

In fact, you see the result before you — Penthouse magazine’s first-ever Trivia Edition Crossword Puzzle. We designed this specifically to allow readers to copy and paste the questions into a web browser to find the answers — if they don’t immediately come to mind. [They’re also on page 75, of the Penthouse magazine, May/June 2023 edition, so you might want to Subscribe to avoid missing any other crucial information. -Ed.]

I can promise that when you’ve completed this puzzle, you will know more about the illustrious history of our Penthouse Brand and the iconic man who created it all, Bob Guccione.

Obviously — well, maybe not “obvious” but still true — we could not spend the time necessary to code this fancy puzzle Sam built so that you might be able to fill it in online. We can, however, build a handy-dandy PDF that you can download and print to fill it in with a pencil/pen like Sam’s uncle. If you decide to do that, you will need the clues which we have helpfully included here. Without clues it would be super hard to fill out a crossword puzzle.

penthouseCrosswordPuzzle_20230506Download

Crossword ACROSS

2) Which legendary artist of Alien fame was featured in Penthouse with drawings of hard-core penetration?

4) Kathy Keeton and Bob Guccione published ________ magazine, an anti-aging, health and wellness magazine launched in the USA in 1989.

7) Name the Penthouse Pet of the Century.

9) Who was the first celebrity on the cover of Penthouse magazine, appearing in July 1979?

10) Last name of the martial artist and action film star who appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in August 1992.

15) Bob Guccione personally financed the creation of the world’s first ________ fusion reactor in the 1980’s.

16) Name the June 1993 Penthouse Pet and star of Phantasm 2 who is the current photo editor of Penthouse magazine. [If you do not know this one, you have not been reading very carefully here. -Ed.]

19) Guccione produced what 1979 historical erotic epic described as the most controversial film of all time?

20) What is a common nickname for Bob Guccione?

22) Name the July 2007 Pet of the Month who went on to crossover mainstream fame starring in Steven Soderbergh’s, The Girlfriend Experience.

29) In the early 80s Guccione invested in a music magazine called ________, of which his son, Bob Jr., became the founding editor and publisher.

33) In 1969 Penthouse was published in the United States to compete with ________ magazine.

35) This 4-time Grammy Award winning band famous for the song Walk This Way was on the cover of Penthouse magazine July 1993.

37) The Penthouse Boardwalk and Casino was a proposed hotel and casino that was to be built in ________ New Jersey in the 1970’s.

38) Which Baywatch star’s honeymoon photos were printed in the pages of Penthouse magazine June 1996?

43) Penthouse published a short-lived comic book spin-off entitled Penthouse ________ featuring sexually explicit stories.

45) Which actor from the movie A Clockwork Orange starred in Caligula?

47) Which Bill Clinton accuser had pictures published in Penthouse?

48) Which former professional boxer with a grill business was on the cover of Penthouse June 1992?

50) Name the “1x” car driver sponsored by Penthouse in the World of Outlaws sprint car series.

52) Name the automotive magazine that Bob Guccione sold to Petersen Publishing Company in 1999.

55) In March of 1970 Penthouse showed the first glimpse of a ________ on the cover.

57) In 2010 what was the cause of Bob Guccione’s death in Plano, Texas?

60) Penthouse was the first men’s magazine to publish female pubic ________ on its pages.

62) Bob Guccione branched out into Hollywood, investing money into the film ________.

64) The magazine of sexual marvels, Penthouse ________ brings you our readers’ own sizzling tales of forbidden desires, insatiable needs, and unspoken lusts, as well as erotic fiction.

67) Name the founder of Penthouse magazine.

68) The Penthouse brand logo that incorporates the Mars and Venus symbols in its design is called the Stylized ________.

69) Name the Science/Science Fiction magazine that Kathy Keeton founded in 1978 with Bob.

71) Whose short story “Children of the Corn” was first published in Penthouse magazine March 1977? [Movie, about the time she was also trying to stay around long enough to give birth to John Conner. – Ed.]

72) Name of Vogue magazine current Editor-In-Chief whom Guccione gave her first job as the Fashion Editor of his women’s periodical, Viva magazine.

73) Bob Guccione was born in ________, New York.

74) Name the German supermodel who appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in December 1993.

75) Name the star of the film The Naked Gun who appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in August 1993.

Crossword DOWN

1) Which 28-year-old singer and actress stripped off for Penthouse magazine in a patriotic shoot photographed by publisher Bob Guccione in 1983?

3) Name the Pulitzer Prize author who penned the X-rated epic Caligula.

5) Which Penthouse Pet of the Year announced her candidacy as a mayoral candidate for Toronto City?

6) What female academy award winner starred in the movie Caligula?

8) Which late editor of GQ magazine got his start as the Editor-In-Chief of Penthouse magazine from 1976 – 1977?

9) Name the lead singer of new wave band Blondie who was on the cover of Penthouse magazine in Feb. 1980.

11) Name the Penthouse Pet of the Month who went on to television sitcom fame playing Terri Alden on Three’s Company.

12) Mark Wahlberg went by the name ________ on the March 1993 cover of Penthouse magazine.

13) Penthouse ________ magazine is filled with titillating stories and readers’ first-hand account of their kinkiest sexual fantasies and experiences.

14) The name of the Presidential mistress that told all and showed all in the Dec. 1992 issue of Penthouse would be Gennifer ________.

16) Name the first Asian Pet of the Month in January 1981 who was an American model-turned-actress and starred in the movie, Big Trouble in Little China.

17) Penthouse was the first and only magazine to publish nudes of this iconic singer/actress in the September 1985 Special Anniversary issue.

18) Which notorious ice skater’s wedding night video outtakes were featured in Penthouse magazine, September 1994?

19) Name the supermodel famous for her face mole who graced the cover of Penthouse magazine in February 1993.

21) Name the youngest heavyweight champion in history who appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in May 1993.

23) Name the Penthouse Pet of the Year for 2004 who is considered by many to be the world’s most famous adult performer and “The Queen of Porn.”

24) This stand-up comedian known for his dark, neurotic and self-deprecating humor appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in October 1993.

25) Whose Manifesto did Penthouse publish in October 1995?

26) Bob Guccione at one point considered, but rejected, entering which vocation?

27) Penthouse Variations was the first magazine to publish an unknown erotic writer named A.N. Roquelaure aka ________.

28) Name the actor, comedian and composer who starred in the movie 10 that appeared on the cover of the April 1992 Penthouse magazine.

30) Last name of the Penthouse Pet of the Year Runner Up for 1990 who was the nurse on the cover of the Blink-182 album, “Enema of the State”?

31) Guccione sold his country house in Staatsburg, New York to actress ________.

32) Name the 2015 Penthouse Pet of the Year Runner Up who was cast as the role of Dylan Quinn in the Showtime series, Submission.

34) Frequency that Penthouse magazine currently gets published.

35) Guccione amassed an amazing ________ collection over the years, once appraised at $59 million.

36) Name the former professional basketball player who was on the cover of Penthouse magazine in Dec. 2005 and changed his name to Metta World Peace in 2011.

39) Name the 1983 Penthouse Pet of the Year who came in 3rd place on season 9 of the reality show Big Brother.

40) Stephen Hawking bet physicist Kip Thorne a year’s subscription to Penthouse magazine over what recently discovered cosmic object?

41) Which radio shock jock appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in Sept. 1992 and in April 1997?

42) Which Miss America was forced to resign her crown in 1984 after appearing in Penthouse magazine?

43) Name the Penthouse Pet of the Year that starred in Spring Break and was married to Wiseguy actor, Ken Wahl.

44) What was Bob Guccione famous for wearing?

46) Name the stand-up comic actor known as The Diceman who was featured on the front cover of the April 1991 issue of Penthouse.

49) Which actor played Bob Guccione on the Hulu series, Pam and Tommy?

51) Which former president of production of Paramount Studios and former president of Columbia TriStar Pictures got her start as a merchandising director of Penthouse from 1967–1975?

53) Guccione published the first ever tech-oriented magazine for men called ________ magazine.

54) Name the Italian film director and screenwriter that directed Caligula.

56) Penthouse magazine centerfold models are known as “Penthouse ________”.

58) Name the star of TV’s Two and a Half Men who appeared on the cover of Penthouse in Jan. 1993.

59) Name the breed of dogs Bob Guccione owned, Rhodesian ________.

61) This legendary comedian is famous for playing God in three films and appeared on two Penthouse magazine covers with Vanessa Williams.

63) The name of the rivalry between Penthouse and Playboy during the 1960’s and 1970’s (pun on the Punic Wars).

65) In what city was Penthouse magazine established in 1965?

66) Penthouse ________ was started in March 1968 featuring fan letters, articles on health, medicine, psychology, and social relationships.

70) Name the International magazine for women that Bob Guccione and Kathy Keeton published from 1973 to 1980.

We gave no small amount of thought as to how to provide the answers to these many and fascinating questions, finally settling upon a method Sam suggested. If you pop over to the contact form and write in for them, we’ll send you a PDF with the answers on it. That may not be the most elegant solution, but it will work, and you will never hear from us again (well, unless you sign up for the newsletter). And even if you do not want the answers, we figured you deserved something for making it all the way down to the bottom of this very long page, so we’ve posted a picture of Sam Phillips some 30 years or so before she made up this crossword puzzle. We were going to just put in her cell number, but we envision way too many cross words, honestly.

Sam Phillips, June 1993 Pet of the Month

Sommers Time

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Sizzling SommersPenthouse Cover - May 2012

Stunning Angela Sommers first graced the pages of our magazine as May 2012’s Penthouse Pet and reigned as 2013’s Pet of the Year Runner-Up — and in the years that have passed since then, she’s only grown more gorgeous!

These days, Angela has a jam-packed schedule as she juggles work as a model, content creator and feature entertainer, all while attending nursing school. But the busy beauty took the time to chat with Penthouse about her past and present — and her promising future.

Just as a bit of background for the uninitiated, Angela Sommers has shot plenty of solo pictorials and girl/girl content — including her Penthouse movies with fellow Pets Layla Sin and Emily Addison — even exploring the fetish industry, posing for photos and performing in videos related to bondage, superheroine cosplay, wrestling and basically any other costumed adventure you can think of.

Though lately the native New Yorker scaled back her mainstream adult video work, she continued shooting glamorous fetish content, and the in-demand dancer ramped up her schedule as a feature entertainer at gentlemen’s clubs. She says of her full-blown featuring days, “I did it for years and enjoyed myself.” She adds, “I still do — but I slowed down about three years ago to start college.”

Angela pursued her studies part-time while continuing to work, but since entering a nursing program, her education has been her primary focus.

“I’ve just been really grateful that my fans have not completely left me as I’ve slowed down because of school,” she says. “When I started posting about it, people were like, ‘Are you leaving the industry?’ But I made it clear I wasn’t.”

Angela adds, “The clubs have been so kind, too. So many great clubs are like, ‘Don’t worry about it. We don’t mind. We’ll work around your school schedule.’ A lot of people did that for me, and I’m thankful.”

She still hits the road when her schooling allows, such as the summer break between semesters, and regularly shares her club schedule on her “Official Sommers” Instagram account..

The showstopper unabashedly enjoys how featuring allows her to express her creative side by crafting her own costumes and mixing her own music, but reveals she’s also drawn to it because, “I feel like I’m a natural performer. That’s just in my blood.”

The Sultry Sommers adds, “I was a belly dancer recreationally for a couple of years. I love body movement, I love dance, and I love performance. It makes me very, very happy. I feel very natural onstage. I just like making people feel something. Whether I’m making them smile, making them happy or making them turned on.”

This devoted student has recently begun her clinical rotations and expects to have her nursing degree by 2025. [We will plan our illnesses accordingly. -Ed.]

“I really enjoy working at the hospital,” she says. “It’s very difficult, but that’s because I’m new. I’m sure I’ll get used to it, and it’ll get easier. But I do like working with people. I get gratification from working with people who are sick, so I think that’s where I belong.”

Even so, The Angela Sommers doesn’t see herself leaving behind feature dancing or her own online content creation any time soon.

“If people still want to see you, then why would you stop?” she reasons.

Angela says she most enjoys shooting damsel-in-distress bondage and cheesecake-style pinup content — featuring very high pointed heels, corsets, leather and brightly colored clothing. She recalls her Pet of the Year Runner-Up shoot was “absolutely beautiful.”

Ms. Sommers remembers, “It was like a Hollywood movie theater kind of thing with popcorn and the old camera roll. It was a really cool, old glamour Hollywood style, which I really enjoyed. They really went all out. It was really nice.”

When it comes to making her own imagery versus shooting with someone else, Angela says she appreciates being able to put her own personal mark on the entire process.

“It’s nice having creative control. I can shoot whatever I want and how I want it. And I can edit it the way I want and produce an image that I feel suits me best and portrays me the best way,” she says.

“I’m kind of a one-stop shop. I do everything myself. I shoot it. I edit it. I love doing that. I love making my costumes, too. It just gives me pleasure to create both photos and videos. I like creating erotic art.”

Ms. Sommers has been quite popular over the years, and thus we would be remiss not to mention PenthouseGold as an option for see (much) more of her in the members’ site. We figured we’d take advantage of the subtle opportunity to drop in that shameless plug, mostly because we just had to be remiss. Heck, we hate being miss in the first place.

Independence Style

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Contemplate Some Independence Style on this Appropriate Day

Historical rules around here have changed. The whole “thou shalt not reveal the identity of a Pet until the first day of that Pet’s month” dictate kind of looks pretty silly ever since the print publication has changed to an every-other month schedule. Anyone who subscribes to the magazine will already recognize the the happy lass showcasing her own independence style in the following clip, even though in theory we are not supposed to identify her because we do not happen to be in August, 2023, yet as of this writing.

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      Still, we will follow the rules and not identify her, although this would definitely be a reason to consider a subscription, which could presumably give us bonus points for cross promotion and sneaking in a shameless plug without literally slapping you upside the head with it. … Hmm. That would make it just a “plug” it would seem. … Cool.

      Which leads to a perfect segue for some of the classic Penthouse super-fun discovered stuff — at least of the non-biological nature.

      Independence Style for Cool Evenings

      Independence Style with Sheep, Inc.Sheep Inc. weaves sustainable fashion goals with style. Edzard van der Wyck and Michael Wessely launched Sheep Inc. in November 2019 with an idea to reimagine the knitwear industry entirely. The two clever and climate-committed fellows sought to accomplish this lofty goal by coupling age-old techniques with modern innovations, while becoming one of the world’s first carbon-negative clothing brands. How’s that for some Independence Style, right?

      Fast forward to winter 2022, and Sheep Inc. has already accomplished that bold aim, arriving at pretty epic results, proving neither concept nor creation needed compromising in order to achieve their vision. So, how did a London-based brand, using wool from New Zealand and fabric manufactured in Italy, achieve such lofty heights? As with most clever innovations, in retrospect the answer looks deceptively simple.

      For the wool, Sheep Inc. works exclusively with suppliers and sheep farmers who use regenerative farming methods. Wool is then sent to Italian yarn mills that run solely on renewable solar-powered energy. On top of that, money from every sale goes into environmental projects recommended by climate change experts, ensuring the company’s carbon footprint falls into the negative.

      But we hear you asking: Do their end products live up to the concept behind their production? The answer would be a resounding, “Yes!”

      You can pretty much outfit yourself year-round with their creations — which range from tees and crewnecks to tracksuit bottoms and shorts. A standout within their collection, we’d say, would be The Hoodie. This light and comfortable warmer highlights a unique take on a classic. It comes in an array of pastel and primary colors, but around here the striped Glucus Atlanticus has shown itself a real gem.

      If you prefer a more rounded style, then look no further than The Cardigan. Again, it comes in a multitude of color variations, but the simple button look will work with just about everything in your wardrobe as a classically versatile piece. 

      Van der Wyck and Wessely have even more ideas for changing the way the fashion industry operates. The innovators stress the point of keeping in tune with not only how they create the clothes, but they want to make the ownership experience unique as well. You can even stay up to date with the sheep that provided the wool for your tops, shorts or hats. Each animal gets tagged, thus allowing you to check out how it’s getting along, how often it’s been shorn, and even whether or not it’s had a few little ones.

      Moving forward, Sheep Inc. wants to target closer work with other brands within the industry wanting to follow a similar path. They aim to spread the gospel of carbon-negative production and help others come up with better ways to create clothing that can actually benefit the planet — and the way we look.

      [Calling all of this a sheep trick would be beneath us, naturally, so we will not.]

      The Time for Independence Style

      Independence Style with BreitlingSurfwear brand Outerknown and luxury watchmaker Breitling create a collab well ahead of its time, as it were.

      Having surfing legend Kelly Slater, a genuine GOAT, as director means Outerknown probably gets offered a few more collaborative projects than most brands. The sustainable clothing and surfwear group has now teamed up with Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling, and the venture makes more sense than you might expect.

      Whereas some set aside a fair bit of time to head out into the surf for a morning or afternoon, professional surfing races against the clock as well. Checking the time between sets and the time until the end of the session can be the difference between advancing to the next stages or packing up your board and heading to the airport.

      This fact — along with Slater’s early memories of his dad, Stephen — serves as the inspiration behind the collaboration between Outerknown and Breitling, an effort resulting in the Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown. The timepiece boasts a strap made with Econyl — yarn from old fishing nets, a fabric which Outerknown has become accustomed to using in their clothing collections.

      The watch even features a bright orange face, a nostalgic nod to Stephen Slater, who wore an orange watch when the father and son surfed together. Echoing Breitling’s Superocean dive watch from the ’50s, the Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown aims itself firmly at a new generation of ocean lovers who get their kicks closer to shore.

      It features the watch brand’s signature arrow-pointed hands, a shock-resistant ceramic bezel and a COSC-certified chronometer.

      So if time is of the essence when you’re out on the water, and you’re looking for an all-round time teller that looks as good with a wetsuit as it does with a traditional suit, the Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown will fit the bill. 

      [All deference to the magazine editors, our research led us to conclude that no such watch as the “Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown” even exists. We did find a collaboration item looking as described on the Outerknown site, but they call it the “Breitling Superocean Automatic 42 Kelly Slater” in their description. Near as we can tell, the photograph provided features what may be a different collaboration called the “Superocean Heritage Chronograph 44 Outerknown” — without the “II” after the word Heritage — on the Breitling site. Honestly we’re not sure exactly, but decided that this approach definitely fit our Independence Style theme today, so we’re just taking the win. -Ed.]

      Independence Style in Travel

      Independence Style in GreeceMona, Athens’ newest boutique hotel, energizes an ancient city.

      Greece tends to be one of those locations in Europe which can be hot pretty much all year round. Also incredibly rich in culture and architecture, we can easily see why a great many tourists have it on their list of destinations. The city may be less well known for luxurious hotels, however. Fortunately for those of us that like a little pampered treatment in our travel, that all changed with the opening of Mona, located in the heart of downtown Athens.

      Overhauling an eight-story industrial factory from the 1950s actually allowed the creation of the concept boutique hotel, if you can believe that. The space now includes 20 rooms, a café, lounge and rooftop terrace — plus a basement venue for performances by artists and musicians. What may be most striking about Mona, however, would be its stunning interiors. The overall design displays a perfect blend of the past, present and future, creating dreamlike spaces that are more avant-garde than ancient Greece.

      The designers purposefully been left the walls with the scars of the building’s past, while the furniture and photography everywhere push the mood into a more modern, bespoke setting. The rooms themselves feature delightful reworked vintage furniture and classic Greek pottery, with beautiful green botanicals acting as a contrast to the brown, beige and gray surroundings.

      Like any fine hotel, you can find a varied selection of accommodations. Choose between Intimates for two; Patios, which sleep up to three and feature signature recycled brick, sofas and terraces; and Amours, which comfortably accommodate parties of four.

      But by far the most sought-after options, though, would be the Penthouses and Mona’s Suites. With spacious interiors, balconies that overlook Athens and enough space to sleep up to four adults, they put the the jewels in Mona’s crown. The Mona team even designed the furniture around the hotel — and you will find much of it even for sale, should you want to take a comfy physical reminder of your visit back home with you.

      Mona has managed to breathe a fresh and modern lease of life into Athens and anyone seeking a luxurious, yet modern, stopover should definitely consider adding the stop to their Independence Style adventure. 

      Mona Hotel, Athens, Greece

      In fairness, most of us already knew Greece is the Word. Yeah, yeah … we better shape up. We will apologize, however, by making it easy for you to find Sheep Inc. and the Mona Hotel. We have Independence Style too, you see. Yep. Hopelessly devoted. That’s us.

      AEE 2023

      Posted on by Team Penthouse

      The Evolution in AEE 2023

      The drive back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas down Interstate 15 happens just about as often as you’d think it might. Taking only fourwary hours +/- overall, a good number of LA people take advantage of the glittery proximity to refresh their brains — or whatever — with some regularity.

      This particular return trip, however, has always taken on a very thoughtful tenor. I have been driving back home after an AEE convention (AEE 2023, case in point currently) for more than three decades now. You do something 30+ times and it can become rather rote, honestly. Sure in the early days they were called “AVN” conventions, but they have always featured an aspect truly unique in the adult industry, as they tailor the event pretty much exclusively to FANS of the genre.

      Imitators have sprung up, come and gone, only to reemerge as some variation, but for decades everyone has been chasing the AVN prominence in its ability to speak to the fan. That part has never changed. You can set up your conventions with money as the primary factor, or you can seek to be “industry” king with your insider seminars, but both of those goals get in the way of making something truly a fan experience. Despite industry waxes and wanes, AVN has maintained its master of that last part.

      So as I was making this most recent drive a month or so ago, that feeling of optimism came upon me rather suddenly. This show demonstrated continued fan commitment, sure, but it also showed up even more importantly for the future of the movie/scene industry going forward. Something in the AEE 2023 had brought back feelings I was convinced had been pretty much dying for a decade or more.

      Credit where due, a brief discussion with a person much more versed in the state of the current business brought a lot of things into focus. You see, there had not been a real, in-person, fan convention for three years, so AEE 2023 had a lot to live up to, and a lot could have gone wrong. This insider told me that 40% of the people exhibiting at the show this year were there for their very first time. That represents a significant amount of new blood — pardon the expression — into an event which had been fairly locked up for a very long time.

      As the Pandemic raged and shut everything down, a huge number of people of all sorts suddenly got into the “content creation” business. You don’t even have to worry about supply chain issues and quarantine rules if you carry your “product” with you into the shower every morning and you live in intimate ones and twos (mostly) anyway. This vast collection of old and new savvy descended upon the AEE 2023 and turned into … well, basically a darned good time.

      Rather than being filled with angry old white men bemoaning how it used to be in the “good old days” for example, you found instead a bunch of happy young people talking about how good these days are for them. Amidst a small handful of production companies and distributors, you had the almost mind-boggling array of niche represented by the cam model companies. You even had the largest modeling agencies on hand to allow their clients a chance to interact with fans (and keep an eye out for new potential talent, let’s be honest).

      Yet it was the nuance of all the smaller (so far) ventures in the “normal” booths that really worked to put a hope for the future into the psyche. Over the course of the four days, it would be safe to assume that I spoke with someone at every single booth in the place, most of them more than once. They were all happy, proud, and practically bursting with the potential they see, and this mood somehow wormed its way into my old, jaded, and having “seen it all” mentality. I learned a few things this time around, but foremost among them was that I had decidedly NOT seen it all before.

      Before you become alarmed, rest assured that the AEE 2023 convention did in fact happen in full color. For some reason the Art Department thought that this artsy black and white display would be better. In fairness, one can be a bit overwhelmed with all the colors in the room, but mostly we just posted the shots this way because one does not squabble with the Penthouse Art Department without really measuring one’s commitment to the current cause. Artists can be touchy, y’know?

      At any given AEE convention, you will see basically three kinds of folks seeking stardom. You’ll have your well-established stars, somewhat over the thrill, perhaps, but still generally very happy to be talking to fans — because that’s why they got into the business to begin with, after all. You’ll also have your climbing fast stars, generally noted by perhaps slightly shorter lines, but lines populated with the generally thrilled folks that feel like they’re getting in on the ground floor of something good. And then you’ll have your brand-new stars, often wandering about with a boyfriend or some such in tow, who’s filming basically everything. This last group often looks like their faces may literally split from the big smiles, but you can just feel the dreams washing off them.

      The best thing about AVN conventions? You get to meet and talk to all three of these groups, and many, many people in each one. Now we still had those three groups at the AEE 2023, but they covered the substantially expanded niches in the genre — which was a wonderful surprise. It was big enough that you could spend a lot of time there (days, in our case), but small enough that you could still get to the people you really wanted to see.

      Perhaps better than that, you could get to people that you didn’t know you wanted to see, until you saw them. And then you could go back and see them the next day. … If you think about it, a person would probably not have much of a cam career if they went about all surly and such, but the genuine interest in meeting all the new people wandering past those cam model booths was almost heartwarming to witness. I have no idea how the companies chose them, if the models paid their own way, or if they got some other compensation at all. I can tell you that they fit into the AVN Fan First model extremely well.

      In the three years that had transpired between the “mostly production and distribution companies” — with the clear sponsorship significance of MyFreeCams on display — and this year, AVN used some magic potion and blended a new genuinely happy potion for the fans. The industry has changed, absolutely. Somehow, some way, I think the AEE 2023 changed with it.  (I personally remember a very important company owner telling people that this newfangled DVD thing was never going to replace VHS. True story.) Pretty amazing, this coming from someone not very used to being amazed anymore.

      Movie production companies have been trekking their wares — and their stars — out to Vegas since the beginning. As the industry changed from retail sales of physical goods, though, it started to seem like folks were going to the Vegas show primarily to complain about how great things were before, almost like they felt like they were failing currently. This time around, people on the floor seemed genuinely happy to be there and equally happy to be chatting with whomever walked by.

      The refreshing difference in the AEE 2023 really made all the, well, difference. It was back to the wild, fun, slightly hedonistic, but most definitively carpe diem vibe that made the event one we all looked forward to year after year. … Looks like we’ll be dialing up that excitement again.

      We could not possibly go into detail regarding every conversation we had at this show, but we promised to link to each of the interesting people we met over the course of the AEE 2023, and in no particular order, we plan on keeping that promise. … Without further ado, then, consider this much ado about something …. Alison Rey, Anneli Adolfsson, Brenna McKenna, Drinks with Frenemies, Geeky and Kinky, Hazel Paige, Kenna James, Nyssa Nevers, Stephanie Love … (Please also consider the caveat that we could not link to a good many helpful and friendly people because of the overtly explicit nature of their landing pages at the time of this publication.)

      Upon review, some of the higher-ups questioned our use of the black-and-white — not to mention blurry (Gasp!) — imagery to convey our visual interpretation of the in reality quite colorful event. Because we wish to soothe the savage beasts — and, y’know, keep getting paid — we have added a full color addendum conveying a great deal in two simple shots. In the first you will see what will be a very common view should you attend this wonderfully fun confluence of flesh in 2024. While some may see only two technologically advanced and captivated women waiting to sign autographs, you should actually see, “HEY! Look! No line!” … As for the second shot, suffice it to say that everyone knowledgeable in modern Penthouse will recognize the resident savage beast, even when not fully illuminated. As you can see regardless, it’s not like he needs to carry a big stick no matter how softly he walks.

      Finally, should you wish to check out some more images in a decidedly less artsy, but equally illustrative in a different way, we’ll guide you to Buzzfeed — and then to the uniquely talented Roger Kisby who provided the insights. People really do have fun at these shows.

      YOU SHOULD GO

      Sex Trafficking Warning Signs

      Posted on by Team Penthouse

      Stopping Sex Traffic

      More than 300,000 children are missing in America, according to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center. Some youngsters who vanish are eventually found unharmed and returned to loving families, but others are not so lucky. Experts estimate at least one in every six runaways falls victim to sex traffickers. In other heartbreaking instances, some minors are pimped out by their very own relatives or caretakers. Here at Penthouse, we believe nothing surpasses the importance of protecting children, so we continue to shine a spotlight on organizations dedicated to combating the exploitation of minors and rescuing innocents from the clutches of cruel predators.

      In 2009, That ’70s Show actor and investor Ashton Kutcher and then-wife Demi Moore — star of movies including Ghost and St. Elmo’s Fire — co-founded DNA Foundation, which was later renamed Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children. The California-based organization recognizes the internet plays a major role in facilitating child pornography and sexual slavery of minors — and that the vile crimes are being perpetuated on a global scale. One survey by the organization found three of every four kids who were trafficked for sex in the last decade were advertised online, and Thorn has made it their mission to harnesses technological innovation to make an impactful change.

      In 2014, Thorn developed Spotlight, a product to aid the identification of child sex trafficking victims who were sold on the internet — and offered it free of charge to thousands of law enforcement offices.

      Kutcher delivered impassioned testimony before Congress about modern-day slavery and his work toward ending human trafficking during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting in 2017.

      “The right to pursue happiness, for so many, is stripped away. It’s raped. It’s abused. It’s taken by force, fraud, or coercion. It is sold for the momentary happiness of another,” he said.

      Kutcher revealed Thorn’s Spotlight had helped law enforcement identify trafficking victims more quickly and narrowed down investigations on the dark web from three years to three weeks!

      “Technology can be used to enable slavery, but it can also be used to disable slavery,” he said.

      Thorn also developed the tool Safer, which is used by leading platforms including Vimeo, Flickr and Imgur. The product helps companies detect, remove and report child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through the use of advanced artificial intelligence technology.

      Overall, Thorn’s work has identified more than 24,000 kids to date, and their dedicated staff continues their quest to help end the scourge of child traffickers.

      The U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking is dedicated to ending sex trafficking of all ages and genders and has offices in Tampa, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Austin.

      In just one example of USIAHT’s work, the nonprofit’s alliance launched a far-reaching campaign ahead of the 2022 Super Bowl in Los Angeles. It raised awareness about trafficking crimes, distributed educational kits identifying signs of trafficking, provided training to hospitality and tourism workers, and coordinated with local law enforcement agencies. The alliance’s efforts contributed to the rescue of 70 adult victims and eight minors.

      USIAHT also launched Project: Reach Out, which uses artificial intelligence technology to scour the internet for phone numbers connected to online advertisements selling sex, texts potential victims to ask if they need assistance and offers resources and/or aid if needed.

      USIAHT is also behind Kids Not For Sale, which seeks to end the commercial exploitation of children in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada — and set a precedent for the rest of the U.S. Disturbingly, the organization estimates there are 5,600-plus victims of child sex trafficking in Nevada as a whole.

      Sex traffickers are known to descend on U.S. cities during major events — such as the Super Bowl — to peddle victims to pervs, but experts say Las Vegas is also a regular magnet because of the area’s large tourist draw. Kids Not For Sale dedicates itself to inspiring community-based initiatives combatting and preventing the trafficking of minors for sex, changing legislation to promote harsher penalties for adult perpetrators, and providing safe homes and treatment for traumatized victims.

      One of the nonprofit’s major initiatives has been advocating for the passage of Nevada’s Senate Bill 89. The proposed legislation would require sex traffickers attempting to lure minors — or law enforcement posing as children — to serve jail time. It also itemizes punishments which increase in severity based on the age of the traffickers’ targets.

      “The younger the person is — or [traffickers] believe that the individual to be — the harsher the penalties,” says State Senator Heidi Seevers Gansert, of Reno’s District 15.

      The bill specifically adds penalties for criminals unwittingly contacting undercover officers — closing a loophole in existing laws. Under Senate Bill 89, some sex traffickers who attempt to target kids over the internet could even face Class A felonies and automatic life sentences if found guilty.

      “It’s well known that youth are lured into trafficking at a very early age, and we want to do everything we can to make sure that there are significant penalties,” says Seevers Gansert.

      The bill would also double the window for applications for aid from the Victims of Crime Fund from 24 months to 48 months.

      “Those funds can be used for housing, for education, for childcare, for all sorts of different things, which will help them get back on their feet,” says Seevers Gansert. “And in the end, that’s what we want. We want to make sure that they have extra time, because of the healing process.”

      Person in Sex Traffic CageSex Trafficking Hurts Everyone

      Children who are being sexually exploited need trusted adults to recognize the signs and report suspected abuse to the authorities. Trafficked minors may display certain physical and behavioral red flags, including:

      • Evidence of physical or sexual abuse.
      • Malnourishment, unaddressed health issues or other types of neglect.
      • Inappropriately close relationships with controlling adults.
      • Unwillingness to answer questions or letting others speak on their behalf.
      • Appearing reluctant to reveal their true identity or not in possession of their own identification.
      • Showing signs of living at a hotel or out of a suitcase or other signs of housing insecurity.
      • Tattoos of someone else’s name or initials, bar codes or currency symbols.

      If you see any of those warning signs in your environment, SAY SOMETHING. It may be embarrassing to report. You may not want to get involved. But unless we all risk stepping in and standing for something important, this abuse will never go away. The children cannot help themselves, so we all must look out for them. You may be saving lives, but you will definitely be saving futures. Contact the Human Trafficking Hotline. Make a difference.

      Tru Kait Travels

      Posted on by Team Penthouse

      Traveling with Tru Kait

      Gorgeous globe-trotter Tru Kait turns up the heat everywhere she goes, and not long ago, she raised temperatures in several European countries!

      Our May 2021 Penthouse Pet really kicked in the Tru Kait Travels gear as she visited the Czech Republic, Spain, Greece and Italy, calling her adventures “incredible” from start to finish. Being a kind and fair soul, however, the beguiling brunette refuses to play favorites, explaining all of her destinations were “equally beautiful” and had their own “unique culture” and appeal.

      The Tru Kait Travels log shares, “I spent most of my time in Prague as it’s been a home base for me each summer for the past three years.”

      “Every day, after waking up I walked to Café Savoy, which is my favorite place to get a delicious coffee and breakfast. Afterward, I headed to the gym to work out with my trainer. Then I took the train back home and got ready to shoot content.”

      “When I wasn’t filming, I chatted with my fans on my exclusive site, posted on my socials and clip sites, and planned future content shoots.”

      Despite how that may sound as Tru Kait made sure to stay connected with her devoted following, the adventure was not all work and no play for the curvy cutie.

      Tru says, “In my free time, I met up with friends who live in Prague or who were visiting, went to pubs to have a beer, found new cafés and shops, walked around and explored parks and farmers markets — and enjoyed views of the breathtaking city.”

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          We certainly get the breathtaking part, as will you via the promised Barcelona bit, although in fairness that may be slightly more obvious via her main Instagram page. (She has three of them.) While the YouTube venture looks to be in its early stages yet, we can say that we got to visit Greece and Tulum with her as well, not to mention tooling around L.A. in a quite nice Lamborghini, just by spending some time with these Tru Kait Travels. If you cannot live every life, you should at least try to live yours vicariously. That would be our motto.

          Catch more Tru Kait details in these very pages, and see all the Tru Kait iterations via her own index. You have a pretty great life if you need to create an index just to keep track of it.

          Military Justice

          Posted on by Team Penthouse

          Military Justice: War of the Words

          ON New Year’s Eve 2019, Marine Gunnery Sergeants Daniel Draher and Joshua Negron, along with Navy Chief Petty Officer Eric Gilmet, left their covert training facility in Iraqi Kurdistan for a night of fun in Erbil, the region’s capital.

          Erbil is a cosmopolitan dot in the desert, one that plies the region’s richest citizens with champagne, steaks and bumping nightlife. Draher, Negron and Gilmet — members of 3rd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) — went to dinner, where they talked about their upcoming deployment and training cycles. Then they headed to an expat friend’s haunt, the T-Bar. The mood was celebratory, with streamers and balloons strewn around the tight space. Not long after ringing in the new year, the trio bear-hugged a few buddies and said their goodbyes.

          As they neared the exit, Gilmet was confronted by Rick Rodriguez, a tipsy former Green Beret turned Lockheed Martin contractor, who allegedly felt frustrated after being looped out of on-base strategy sessions. Two bouncers noticed Rodriguez’s outburst and quickly shuffled him and his crew of contractors out the door. They kept Gilmet and his buds in the bar for a few minutes, hoping they could discourage any sort of outside altercation.

          But Rodriguez stuck around the parking lot. When he saw Rodriguez and his crew, Draher approached him slowly, his arms by his sides. He seemingly wanted to smooth things over, to start the new year on the right foot. Rodriguez did not. He hurled a torrent of swears at Draher, then lunged at him. Draher pushed Rodriguez back, but the beefy contractor returned with two right hooks that dropped Draher to the ground. This spurred a quick, violent scuffle during which Negron knocked Rodriquez unconscious with a single punch.

          Rodriguez’s nine companions abandoned him on the street. Gilmet, a Navy Hospital Corpsman, checked his vitals and found him to be stable. The trio lifted him into their truck, drove him to base and watched him overnight. Early the next morning, Rodriguez developed an irregular breathing pattern and was transferred to a medical facility. He ultimately spent four days in the hospital before being declared brain dead and removed from life support.

          Draher, Negron and Gilmet were subsequently charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, obstructing justice, dereliction of duty and violation of orders. The military contended the trio instigated the fight — and believed that Rodriguez suffered a traumatic brain injury from Negron’s blow. The defense pointed to video evidence and first-person accounts to argue that Rodriquez was the belligerent force. They believe he died from complications of intoxication, a claim, they say, is evident from the vomit found in his esophagus during an autopsy.

          The tangled case of the so-called MARSOC 3 was championed by United American Patriots (UAP), a well-funded legal network stocked with some of the military’s most fearsome JAGs. Their extensive and sometimes notorious slate of clients and cases reveal many pitfalls in the military court system, which mimic the trappings of civilian courts but remain inherently arbitrary.

          In contrast to civilian courts, military defendants can be convicted without the unanimous consent of a jury and have limited avenues for appeal. Many of the accused face no trial at all. Instead, they are processed by administrative boards with loose rules over evidence, testimony and the burden of proof.

          Commanders control cases at nearly every turn, bringing charges, convening the court, rationing out each team’s legal resources, supervising prosecutors, and picking a jury. Juries are often unforgiving to the invisible wounds of war, act with prejudice, and protect their own. Fundamentally, the military court system is not designed to ensure justice, but to maintain “good order and discipline.” Sentencing practices are severe and clemency standards narrow.
          The MARSOC 3 case perfectly demonstrated these issues. It has become clouded by allegations of racism and undue command influence, with evidence emerging of top brass pressuring subordinates not to assist or testify on behalf of the accused. Some of Gilmet’s charges were dropped after a judge ruled military prosecutors had explicitly threatened the careers of the lawyers defending the trio and pressured certain witnesses against testifying. The judge also found the government submitted false testimony.

          UAP’s lawyers pointed to Draher, who is Black, as a symbol of the court’s racist bias and rigged practices, claiming specifically that a senior advisor to the court’s convening authority had a well-documented history of racism toward Marines of color.

          Studies have shown shocking racial disparities inside the military justice system. The last man hung by the military was Black Army Pvt. John Bennett, who, in 1955, was charged with raping a girl while deployed in Austria. Bennett, 25, suffered from epilepsy and mental health issues, mitigating factors that were not considered in his swift trial.

          The MARSOC case was led by gruff military defense attorney Phillip Stackhouse. His unyielding efforts to point out legal holes and prosecutorial misconduct were largely successful. The most serious charges against Negron and Draher, including homicide, were recently dismissed. (An appeals court will soon consider whether to reinstate some of Gilmet’s charges.) Stackhouse claimed that justice for these defendants was only obtained due to the case’s commanding general securing the proper expert witnesses and resources for the defense team, plus a fair jury. “That does not always happen,” he said. “So, [the judge] ensured a fair process.”

          UAP is working to capitalize on public gratitude for service members to push for reforms and forgiveness inside this massive system which, since 9/11 alone, has handed down sentences to more than 1.3 million service members.

          And yet some experts worry UAP is giving the reform movement a bad name, taking cover behind soldiers needing protection while pushing military courts to let alleged war criminals off the hook. The nonprofit’s most famous clients include Clint Lorance, Eddie Gallagher and Robert Bales — all figures credibly accused of slaughtering civilians in highly charged cases.
          The organization is further accused of conflicts of interests and mismanagement. Critics have charged the nonprofit funnels funds for soldier defense to board members. Gallagher even sued UAP for an alleged “predatory money-making scheme,” claiming officials raised funds off his case but offered little legal assistance. Still, Negron recently made clear to The Military Times that his defense team was an invaluable force. “I’m not sure exactly what the next chapter of my life looks like,” he said. “But I am overall extremely grateful.”

          These days, justice itself–even without the capital “J” — can be a seemingly illusory goal. Factor in all the political rancor invading all of our lives, and Military Justice might appear a non-sequitur at best. We must all tread on in belief of the common good prevailing, though, as without hope, what do we have really? … Read more of Jasper Craven’s work at substack.

          Anneli Adolfsson

          Posted on by Team Penthouse

          In Deep with Anneli Adolfsson

          Photographer Anneli Adolfsson has spent more than three decades shooting some of the world’s most famous performers — including notorious rock stars and gorgeous glamour girls. But no matter her model, the Las Vegas-based shutterbug has a knack for putting subjects at ease, inspiring them with her energetic encouragement and capturing them at their best.

          The native of Sweden found her life taking many turns before she wound up behind the camera. Anneli reveals she originally set her sights on a career in medicine and worked for nine months at a mental hospital — but the compassionate empath found it difficult not take the job home with her.

          Later in London, she employed her knowledge of fitness and sports nutrition to work with athletes, and she toured Tokyo as a professional dancer. But when she moved to New York City with just two suitcases and a dream, her life’s calling took shape.

          Her intuitive awareness of human movement allowed her to shine as a camera operator covering competitive bodybuilding contests. She later struck out on her own as a photographer, landing gigs with music and men’s magazines.

          Anneli says her down-to-earth approach has helped her capture rock stars in relaxed moments, and her willingness to think outside the box has led to some striking portraits.

          “One very memorable photo shoot was with Marilyn Manson,” she recalls. “I had brought some accessories I thought would be motivating outside the standard backstage shot: an iron head cage and roses with thorns. Happy to say, that did the trick and I got the shots I needed! He was great to work with, very intellectual and quite different from his onstage persona.”

          Though Anneli has remained largely nonplussed by her famous subjects, she does remember being in awe of meeting KISS. She says being able to photograph the legendary band was a real “pinch me” moment!

          Being a woman in a largely male-dominated profession — especially in the realms of celebrity and rock-‘n’-roll — Anneli says she’s long stuck to a few important ground rules: “Always stay professional, don’t act like a lovestruck fan, and keep it real!”

          She adds, “I always engage in conversations about life, family and pets as opposed to asking them the same questions they have answered a hundred times about their career. Trust and integrity are bar none the two most important factors with anyone in front of my camera.”

          Anneli has also photographed many Penthouse Pets — including Tera Patrick, who she considers a “world-class model,” Janine Lindemulder, whom she praises for her edgy look and great personality, Jenna Jameson, who she calls “the queen of queens,” and late glamazon Julie Strain. She recalls working with Julie was like shooting a movie and explains, “Every frame was a different pose and energy. You could pretty much press the shutter, fire away and magic would unfold.”

          Anneli reveals, “I love shooting glamour because the female body is a work of art that needs to be celebrated.”

          When it comes to working with adult models, Anneli says she prides herself on the ability bring out something different in them and to provide a fun and safe environment to do so. Though she admits, “Most of the time it’s like a pajama party with bloopers and hysterical laughs.”

          Anneli believes her personal background in dancing and fitness gives her an advantage when it comes to posing models. She says, “Knowing what movement and positioning is the most flattering, knowing what arch, turn, tilt or point makes it more fantastic is an acquired skill.”

          In Sin City, where Anneli has a studio, her work has graced local magazine covers and billboards. She shares, “I have also been fortunate enough to work with many of the performers from the Cirque du Soleil shows here in Vegas. These talented people are inspirational, have bodies with abilities most of us can’t even dream of and push harder than any model I have ever shot.” 

          Anneli has a number of projects lined up, including a collection of highly stylized black and white images with a fetish edge. The self-admitted “tech geek” is also working on getting her drone license. While she embraces technology, this savvy artist knows machines are no substitute for human intuition and creativity!

          “I do believe an amazing artist with a creative eye will truly never be replaced by technology,” she says. “So let’s keep real artistry alive!”

          Having met Anneli on several occasions, we can promise that you will find her as captivating in person as her photography would indicate. While we encourage you to visit Anneli at her site or on Instagram, we also endeavor to avoid voicing favorites among the selections of her work displayed on this page. (We did have to slightly crop some images in order to fit our presentation, Anneli, so for this we apologize.) Having said all that, everyone’s crazy ‘bout a sharp-dressed man.

          Cassie De Pecol

          Posted on by Team Penthouse

          Epic Traveler Cassie De Pecol

          When it comes to dream-chasing, Cassie De Pecol—adventurer, triathlete, entrepreneur, fitness expert, future astronaut, and someone who smashed the Guinness World Record for fastest global travel—isn’t big on rainchecks. Her philosophy? Do it now.

          A Connecticut native who sprints through airport corridors after long international flights, both to get the blood flowing and so she doesn’t have to stand in line at border control, De Pecol captured her dynamic approach in a June 2019 website post.

          “I personally don’t believe in waiting to fulfill a life goal or mission,” she wrote while reflecting on two huge accomplishments she made happen before age 30, as planned.

          Her first big goal, achieved when she entered Yemen in February 2017, was to travel to the world’s 193 sovereign countries in a shorter timeframe than anyone in history. Spending two to five days in each country, De Pecol trotted the globe in under 560 days, vaporizing the Guinness record by a full year and nine months.

          She began training for her next goal—an Ironman Triathlon—the instant she wrapped Expedition 196 (Taiwan, Kosovo, and Palestine added three more lands). And in November 2018, after swimming 2.4 miles, biking 116 miles, and running a marathon, she’d bagged goal No. 2.

          She’s given a TED Talk. She knows Krav Maga, the Israeli self-defense art. She’s working toward her private pilot’s license. In 2014, she spent 21 days in the Panamanian jungle alongside three others on an episode of the Discovery Channel’s hit survival show Naked and Afraid, which sends people into the bush nude, equipped with just one tool.

          In 2017, Virgin Galactic picked her to be their first female astronaut.

          Before corporate sponsorships and brand ambassador deals arrived later in Expedition 196, De Pecol had funded her journeys with money earned from lifeguarding, babysitting, and hotel cleaning jobs. Earlier, when she’d left college, she was up to her neck in loan debt. But once she harnessed her incredible drive and laser focus, she couldn’t be stopped.

          Along with loving travel, De Pecol is animated by passions for sustainability (during Expedition 196, she gave talks on eco-travel to more than 16,000 students in 40 countries) and promoting women-owned businesses. These passions fuse in her nonprofit organization Her International, which funds female-driven businesses that encourage sustainable development.

          De Pecol even has her own fitness app, World Fitness by Cassie. Available in the App Store, it offers customized plans and 120-plus workouts to keep you fit while traveling.

          We spoke to this intrepid traveler, Ms. Cassie De Pecol, about her adventures, fitness secrets, Discovery show, and beloved cat Kishmere, a white Persian who often joins her on the road.

          A few years before Expedition 196, you journeyed solo through 25 countries and worked in nine. What are your favorite memories?

          Aguas Calientes, Peru, would be one. To get there I took a long drive in a little van through the Andes mountains, along rugged cliff-side roads. Then I followed train tracks on foot. The town, nestled in huge mountains, is near Machu Picchu. I stayed there two months and interned/worked for room and board at hostels. I also started my first business and would walk into Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel and advise staff and management on sustainability initiatives.

          It was invigorating to be so close to one of the world’s great wonders, alone, with so much incredible nature to explore.

          My favorite hike, a death-defying one, was Putucusi. It was scary climbing up a mountain cliff on hanging, broken ladders, but awe-inspiring at the top.

          Another favorite memory? Turkey, in general. It was my introduction to a culture between East and West. I worked for free room and board there, too, and explored as much of the country as I could, alone, with little cash. I made great friends along the way and living/working in Olympos, on the Mediterranean, was an eye-opening experience.

          Which region blows the mind of Cassie De Pecol more than any other?

          Antarctica. If you’re not a nature person, you’re perhaps not going to see the value of such a place. However, once there, it’s impossible not to be inspired by the vast, serene landscapes and seascapes. The wildlife in Antarctica, from various species of penguins, to the seals and birds, and the sounds they all make that echo far and wide, is so beautiful.

          Floating on a Zodiac boat and hearing ice crush beneath me while approaching massive icebergs was a favorite moment. Another was entering Drake Passage during a huge storm, with 30-foot waves and 60-mph winds. Hands down, Antarctica blew me away—at some points almost literally—with its nature and visuals.

          Cassie De Pecol - Guinness World RecordIf you had an unlimited budget to go back to five of the 196 lands you visited, which ones are you picking?

          Japan: I didn’t get to spend enough time there, for budget reasons. Sweden: It’s a goal of mine to own property in Sweden. My ancestors are from there, and I’ve always been fascinated with rural Nordic landscapes. I hope to get back soon—especially to the rural northern part. Afghanistan: It’s come a long way with regards to women and athletics, especially running. Running’s something I do wherever I travel. It’s a bucket-list goal of mine to run the Afghanistan Marathon. Yemen: Socotra is a beautiful little island off mainland Yemen and another bucket-list place. Namibia: During my Expedition, I didn’t have much time or budget to explore the depths of the Namibian dunes, under the stars. I’d like to spend a week in the country’s desert.

          Were you using translators?

          Language barriers didn’t turn out to be a big obstacle. I would pull up Google Translate whenever I needed to know what a word meant, or to communicate with a taxi driver, waitress, minister of tourism, etc. It was incredible—I could just type what I wanted to say and show them, and they would type in their language and show me. It was easy. Unless, that is, the language was Arabic or Thai and so on, where keyboards are very different. In those instances, I would usually find the most luxurious hotel in the area and walk in and ask for help. Typically in these hotels, the staff know English since they’re dealing with an international clientele.

          Where did you feel furthest from America?

          Probably Juba in South Sudan. The airport infrastructure was the worst I’d seen. It was chaotic and all I wanted to do was help, but I couldn’t. Everything was so different from American culture. Not necessarily in a bad way, aside from the airport, but I definitely felt a long way from home in South Sudan. The cuisine was very different. The landscapes, the infrastructure, and the overall way of life. The people of Sudan were really kind and helpful, though.

          We love this bit from your blog: “The Best Travel Accessory Is An Open Mind. When You Leave All Preconceptions At The Door.” Where did this wisdom most apply?

          Everywhere. In order to get through the Expedition, I had to walk into each country with a completely open mind, leaving all preconceptions, good and bad, behind. People in westernized countries would tell me certain countries were dangerous and to “refrain from going alone.” Or, on the flip side, that a country was “incredible.” But I didn’t want to be influenced by people’s opinions of a place, whether Ukraine, France, Syria, and everywhere in between.

          When I visited a country like Iraq, which at the time was dealing with ISIS, I would remind myself that the people living there had to survive and thrive and find happiness amid the chaos the same way people do in more stable countries. I wasn’t going to travel in fear based on what other people said—including people who’d never set foot in these countries.

          By leaving preconceptions at the door, I found myself judging places and people less, and looking at every human equally and as humans. I realized that, in the end, all people are the same, with basic human needs. No matter where they’re from, everyone is working to have a roof over their heads, a hot meal in front of them, clean water, and someone who loves them.

          How did you keep your incredible fitness during the Expedition?

          I made a huge effort to eat as clean as possible and to go for a fasted walk every single morning, no matter where I was. I’d listen to a podcast, which would ground me, and then I’d be able to soak in the scenery and scents of the traditional mornings in every place I visited.

          I also made an effort to work out in my hotel room. I later channeled those workouts into my fitness app. It’s got a lot of equipment-free exercises I would do in my room. Needing to feel strong and confident as a solo female traveler, I also practiced my Krav Maga combatives. Vitamins helped, too. I was only sick once. I think vitamin C and electrolytes really helped me stay healthy and able to train.

          [We got no information on one of these following photographs, so we needed to combine all of our personal international expertise so that we could come up with an accurate description for you. As you will learn, it pays to associate with such a knowledgeable crew as ours. Also, the vitamins seem to have been working just fine. -Ed.]

          [Should you wish to read the sign in the ground on this first photo, we made an enlargement for you. … Gee. Some families just go to Disneyland.]

          Any moments that Ms. Cassie De Pecol thought absolutely sucked or were scary?

          A man walked into my hotel room using a swipe-key at 2 A.M. in Burkina Faso, West Africa. I didn’t know who he was and he only spoke French. He must have worked there and seen me check in. I was also detained at the Grenada airport. They thought my ziplock bag full of vitamins was cocaine. At the Goma airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I was about to leave the country when airport security told me I needed to “go in the back and get a polio shot.” I didn’t have proof of the vaccination on my Yellow Fever card. At the time, a polio vaccination wasn’t necessary for entering or exiting the Congo. Secondly, why would they give me that vaccination if I were leaving the country? As I was not about to get some random needle stuck into my arm in an airport back room, I offered to give them $100. A woman came back with a counteroffer of $20 instead and that was the end of that.

          At age 24, you were on Discovery’s Naked and Afraid. Can you nutshell that experience?

          It was both the best and worst experience of my life up to that point. Worst, because I was poorly represented when they edited all the footage to make the two-hour episode. I actually got hate mail and death threats, and still do. It was the best because all that hate ended up fueling me to travel every country in the world and become the first woman on record to do so.

          I came up with the dream as I was curled up there in Panama, in the fetal position, naked, on a pile of dirt under banana leaves on a 54-degree night, with rain pouring through the leaves onto my bare back. That’s when I asked myself, “What am I doing with my life?” And I got the idea to travel to every country and, while doing it, somehow enhance the world we live in.

          Perhaps your biggest message is: Don’t wait, pursue your dreams now. Can you elaborate?

          We don’t know when we’re going to die. I’ve always wondered why people go about their lives assuming they’ll be alive at 90. We can’t know that. So unless a person is totally happy doing what they’re doing, I think it’s important to go after the things we desire. The things that will fuel your fire, that inspire you to make this life the very best one you can make.

          We allow other people to have so much influence on ourselves and our decisions. And we look to other people as role models for inspiration. But if we just looked to ourselves for inspiration, we’d be surprised at how much we could achieve when it comes to things we’re passionate about. I think it’s important to let go of society’s standards. Make sacrifices and take risks. Go after your greatest dreams, so on your death bed, you won’t regret not having tried.

          Lightning round: Is this space-travel thing going to happen? Is it true SNL’s “Weekend Update” mentioned you in 2017? And how about an update on the feline front?

          In terms of space travel, it’s up to Virgin Galactic! Can they successfully launch their first commercial flight? If I could speed up the process, I would. But it’s a waiting game. Right now, it’s up to science.

          As for SNL, yes, it’s true. Colin Jost mentioned my world travel and then made a joke about getting zika from a mosquito.

          Kishmere is incredible! This year we’ve already been to Arizona and Colorado, with trips to Canada, New York, Bermuda, Mexico, and Hawaii coming up. He loves traveling. Honestly, I could not travel without him. He’s a super cool cat. He doesn’t scratch, bite, and is just pure love. All good on his end! You can follow his adventures on Instagram @mrkishmere.

          What’s your next big dream or challenge?

          I have so many. You’ll just have to keep up with me!

          Find Cassie on Instagram and Twitter or check out her website. You can download her app, “World Fitness by Cassie,” and learn more about her adventures in the book Expedition 196. Honestly, though, back at original publication they did not have a podcast to mention, so they did not. We do now, however, and it might be the most wonderful item among this long list. (That happens to be an iHeart link, but you can find “Against the Odds” wherever you get your podcasts.) Impressive people have many impressive ways to find them.