Temptation Island host Mark L. Walberg talks all things season 5

The USA Network is spicing up our summers by bringing back the reality series Temptation Island for a fifth season with some all-new twists. We sat down with the host of the show Mark L. Walberg to talk about what we can expect from the fifth season.

What is Temptation Island? The reality show follows four couples, including our first-ever engaged couple, who head to Hawaii to put their relationships to the test. Each of these couples are here for a reason, and 16 single men and women who are more than ready to mingle and maybe even find love are here to throw everything they got at these couples. You can meet the couples from our preview piece, here.

Temptation Island originally hit TV back in 2001, and it ran for three seasons. I was a HUGE fan of the show and would be seated weekly to check it out. Good news for folks that miss the live show on USA Network, the show will be available for audiences the following day on Peacock.

I sat down with the host of Temptation Island, Mark L. Walberg, to discuss the upcoming USA Network’s fifth season of the series.

Check out the video version of the interview here.

Temptation Island host Mark L. Walberg talks season 5

Hidden Remote: We have our first ever engaged couple on the show, how do you think they changed the dynamic of the show?

Mark L. Walberg: One of the things about this engaged couple that is relatable to so many couples, especially young couples, is that timeline of what you want to accomplish in your life, like that chronological I want to be this by then and that by this. I come from a different place, and I think it’s all kind of bulls**t. It’s like thinking that life will happen to you regardless of your plan. So I was a little reticent to have an engaged couple because if they’re on their way to the altar and feeling good about it, I don’t want to get in the way of that.

But they were engaged for a long time, and they weren’t on their way to the altar, and there were things in the way of them having a relationship. And I know this might be a justification, but as crazy as the show is, and I’ll say as a human being, I don’t know that I would go on as a couple. But I’d much rather see an engaged couple work things out now and either have a happy marriage resolved and on the same page, or don’t go there and involve things like children and other families and find out several years from now that they’re miserable.

You know, to me, engaged, dating, those are titles that you’ve committed to, you’ve committed to a relationship at some level already, and there are just differences, jewels on your fingers or not.

Hidden Remote: Let’s talk about the new twists. The Temptation Light intrigues me based on the couples knowing if that light turns red, that someone did something without knowing who did it until the bonfires. What did you think of that addition to the show? 

Walberg: When I was told that we were doing it, I was like, this is cheesy, and I hate it. But then, when it showed up, it played right into the entire Temptation Island experience, including the video clips. And I tried to make this point to somebody the other day. The video clips aren’t supposed to tell you what’s going on on the other side of the island.

They’re showing you out of context, a clip of something that transpired on the other side of the island, and all it’s there for is to elicit a response from you. Now that response is good to watch on TV, but what really it’s an answer to your question. If you felt this, you know how you felt; if you didn’t feel anything, you know how you felt. So the Temptation Island Light, which I at first was like, this is a gimmick we don’t need, I actually love. Because you’re playing your single game, you’re doing your thing, and the light comes on.

And then the theater of the mind takes over, and there are answers for you there. There are answers like if you, if the light goes on, you’re like, whatever, well, you’re not in much of a relationship. But if the light comes on and you’re sure, or you’re sure it’s your guy, then that’s something too, that why are you assuming it’s that guy? Right. So I like the idea that it doesn’t tell you anything except that something’s happening, and then your imagination runs wild. And that’s sort of the torture.

Hidden Remote: What can audiences expect out of Temptation Island season 5?

Walberg: Expect the unexpected, and we always use some buzz phrases like “the island is always watching.” Some twists and turns are great, and the cast is outrageous. What I loved about this season was the singles because their love life matters as much as the couples. It’s a little less gimmicky, and we are trying to be more organic by taking their feelings into the equation. This season the couples, singles, and of course, the location are all great, and the stories that go down and what they struggle with are both extreme and relatable.

Temptation Island kicks off on June 14 at 10 PM EST on USA Network.