The early 2000s were a big time for reality TV. Some of that era’s most iconic programs are still thriving today (Survivor, Big Brother). Some of them have wacky premises that should stay in the aughts (Joe Millionaire, The Swan). And some of them went away only to return from the depths of pop culture history years later. One of the shows in the latter category is Temptation Island. The dating show originally aired on Fox from 2001 to 2003, was brought back by USA Network in 2019, and is now moving to Netflix for its latest season, which premieres Wednesday, March 12. Throughout all of these changes, there has been one constant: Temptation Island’s host, Mark L. Walberg. No, not Mark Walhberg. Mark L. Walberg.
Even if you never watched Temptation Island before, you *may* have spotted Walberg hosting a very different program. But it’s a show absolutely nothing like the reality series in which people in relationships are tempted to leave their partner by a group of hot singles. Read on to learn more...
What is Mark L. Walberg’s history with Temptation Island?
Walberg’s thing is hosting game shows. He was the host of Russian Roulette on the Game Show Network and The Moment of Truth on FOX. In 2001, he began hosting Temptation Island and he stuck with the job through the show’s third—and, at the time, final—season in 2003. He also currently hosts a podcast, Bonfire Talks With Mark L. Walberg.
In 2019, when Temptation Island returned, Walberg spoke to Reality Blurred and gave some context for just how far reality TV had come in the 16 years that passed.
“Here was a reality show in the beginning of reality that had very little gimmick or format other than the conceit of the show,” he explained. “Once these people got [to] the island, what seems to be a contrived reality show ends up being a very real experience for the people involved very quickly.” He noted that the show was “ahead of the game” because, for example, The Bachelor didn’t even premiere until a year later.
Where else might you know Mark L. Walberg from?
Even if you’re a new Temptation Island viewer, there’s still somewhere else you might have seen Walberg. From 2006 to 2019, Walberg hosted PBS’s Antiques Roadshow. That’s right—the guy who presides over this messy island-based dating show was also the longtime host of a series in which people try to find out if stuff they found in their attic is worth anything. The range!
“They’re pretty much polar opposites,” Walberg told Closer of the shows in 2019. “I can be cheesy and tell you that both are trying to assess value in something, right? The truth is, at this point in my career, I find myself occasionally speaking with young people trying to get into the business as hosts. I try to make the distinction that being a host is representing, when you’re doing it well, the most authentic version of yourself.”
The longtime TV host continued, “So that’s how I can reconcile doing Antiques Roadshow and Temptation Island and not seeming hypocritical in that we all have a range of who we are in different situations, but that doesn’t mean we’re not the same person.”
Are you sure it’s not Mark Wahlberg?
Yep, 100 percent, thanks to Mark L. Walberg’s Instagram bio: “The TV host—not the actor with the hamburgers.”
