Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty/YouTube
In 2022, it’s indisputable that Kathy Hilton is reality-TV gold. Over her two years as a friend-of on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the 63-year-old socialite has managed to unofficially trademark “hunky dory” (sorry to David Bowie), make hotel slippers chic, gag Lisa Rinna at a reunion, and convince me that caviar baked potatoes taste good.
This past weekend, however, I discovered that this wasn’t always the case for America’s favorite wacky matriarch. (Yes, she’s currently beating Kris Jenner in the rankings). On a bored Saturday afternoon, I decided to binge all eight episodes of I Want To Be A Hilton, NBC’s one-season reality competition hosted by the hotel heiress, on the streaming service Tubi.
I had vague memories of the show premiering in 2005. But of course, my nine-year-old self had more compelling things to watch (Phil of the Future) than the mother of Paris Hilton teach a group of civilians how to row in a canoe. Little did I know that this failed knockoff of The Apprentice would have such archeological value to me all these years later.