Mark Walberg
Appearances
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
It's going great. I'm so sorry I can't be there, man. You have the swaggiest studio on all podcasts, so it kind of bums me out that I'm a little under the weather.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I love you. My wife was a little sick. Then I got a little sick. I think that's what marriage is. Mostly good times. And every now and then you make each other sick. You got to share it. It's not fair. How long have you been married, Mark? A hundred years.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
That's in show business years. I've been married 37. We've been married 37.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
No kidding.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
That's the original.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Yeah. That's like before there was reality. It was like big brother survivor. And they're like, what if we did like a dating survivor thing? And then I'm in Belize and we're trying to figure this out and make the whole thing up.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
yeah i mean i think it's what's i'm so fascinated about like temptation island is that you know how many years have you you guys have been running how many seasons have you done like i don't well you know it's a crazy thing so we did fox and it was like the highest rated show in the history of fox and kind of because of that the bachelor started over at abc started this whole thing i'm not taking credit but hey you know what this is what it is i'm only kidding and then um
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Then, you know, we did like two or three seasons. We did two on Fox and then one on Fox reality cable channel that like four people watch. And then I went away and I went and did my thing, you know, jump from show to show. I did Antiques Roadshow for a bunch of years, game shows, Moment of Truth, which was a crazy show.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And then out of the blue, I read in the like in the trades, they're rebooting Temptation Island. I'm like, well, yeah, I mean, that's cool, but they're never calling me. And then I got a meeting and I walk into the meeting. I'm like, it's kind of like I felt like I was in that meeting. Like when Morgan Freeman's in Shawshank and he's having his parole meeting.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I'm like, look, I know what you guys think you need. But, you know, I don't need your stamp of approval. And I kind of walk out of there like, yeah, whatever. And then, you know, two weeks later, my wife and I are on a plane to Hawaii. So, you know, you just can't can't figure it out.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Well, it was on USA.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Five seasons on USA. And then what's interesting is it did well on USA the first season. I really don't know. Nobody knows the numbers anymore. But when it started re... you know, airing right away on Peacock. It did pretty well on Peacock, but it's just, you know, we had five seasons there and then Netflix picked it up and it's just a big difference.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Like Netflix knows what's up.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Oh, man.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
It was never my plan, but my way of hosting everything kind of grew out of a different way than natural talent. I mean, like a normal talent route. I started in production. I kind of look at the show as a star and I'm just trying to be of service.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
But first of all, just to give props to The Bachelor and other shows like that, you know more than me, Nick, but, you know, the behind the scenes on those shows, it gets a little scripted. And so the hosts are doing exactly what they're asked to do.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
There's not any – I can't say there's not any of that, but from my seat and my part, there's really none of that. And so my approach has always been – it was never my intention to be like advice dude. I felt like that was kind of shitty, and I didn't really want to be that guy. But what was natural to me and never something I was asked to do is that when we started these interviews –
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
and bonfires, I really cared. And I'm like, you're either buying what you're selling or you're not. And so I would ask questions and kind of go there. And then, you know, my wife and I have grown each other up emotionally intelligence wise and, you know, spiritually and stuff like that. And so I was constantly like listening, not just to what they were saying, but to why they were saying it.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And, you know, just trying to help. And my originally like back in the day was like, maybe if I say these things, then you'll get the sound bite, you know, you need from them. And then my intention is, you know, cut me out of the show, but then they'll give you juicy stuff. But then as the show went on, it got a little bit more like the producers are asking me to do it.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And, you know, so my stance has always been like, let it rip. We don't need a script here. I don't watch the clips beforehand. I have no idea what's going to happen in the bonfire. And I mean, it sounds kind of corny, but I kind of just want to help. It's really painful.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And, you know, maybe I can say something that either eases the pain or redirects their anger or opens them up to something they could discover. And, you know, that's what's up.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Well, here's the deal. With this show, the show I did years ago called Moment of Truth and stuff like that, if I'm the guy going, let's see if we can make him cheat and look how
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
fucked up you guys are right i think that makes the audience you know stomach turn and to speak to like what i believe is the power of the show and stuff like that look here's the i'm gonna just be straight i always try to be straight with everything it's a crazy idea if you're in a relationship yeah not don't do it but once people are like there i kind of say to them i'm like look here's the deal this is some crazy shit but you're here let's see what we can learn
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And I'm going to let you know, even though you probably don't believe me, that I'm not a TV dude. And I'm committed to you getting something out of this. And my hope and my intention is that you all leave the island in a better place than when you came here. Something that might open up things you didn't know about yourself.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Because the reason we're in these relationships a lot, Nick, is because we're recreating these preconceived notions about what love is. And so when they get there, I'm like, look, you're here and we're pointing fingers at him and you're pointing fingers at her and all that's legit. But what I know is you're not going to change him. You're not going to change her.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And without putting guilt on you, you've got a little responsibility. in what you think you deserve in a love relationship. So let's see if we can't crack that open, give yourself a little self-worth and kind of arrest the toxic stuff and try to rediscover and redefine what healthy looks like.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I think they're calling them tempters and temptresses or whatever.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I don't think you have to wait too long.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
You know, at the first episode, I asked them all the question, what rules have you set? And almost all of them are like, no touching. And I mean, I really work hard not to have judgment. But it was all I could do not to just laugh out loud and go, you guys, have you seen this? Have you seen the show? And are you being real? And so I say as lovingly as I can, I respect your rules.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I hope the best for you. But I kind of chuckle because this experience, which I still think you think is a TV show, and it is, it gets real fucking real.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And you can, I also say this to them, and the longer you manage yourself trying to be what you think that TV thing is, the longer it's going to take for this to hit you like a ton of bricks. And the sooner you just lean in, the more, if there's something that actually is legit, that's going to change your life in the future, that's your access.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Well, first of all, none of these shows work without great casting. And the Netflix casting department is like, gold standard. So the people on the show are interesting and articulate and dangerous and beautiful and all that, right? What I love about the show is that the format really doesn't have to change very much because there isn't a lot, which means it'll go wherever it goes.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And that is a surprise every year, man. I'm like, people used to ask me, do you know who's going to stay together and who isn't? I'm like, I used to think I did. I was wrong every time. So I just buckle up And when I see him at the bonfire, I'm like, let's just meet you where you are. We'll watch these clips together. I don't watch them ahead of time. And we'll chop it up.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
By the way, that whipped cream and chocolate stuff. Like, I can't. It's like, yeah, it's not sexy to me.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I don't like to generalize, but there's this vibe that like the boys come in resolved to be the men they say they are. And then... All the things are there. And then they become like, what can I get away with?
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And then the girls often or the women often kind of come in hoping to wait it out. You know, let me keep them at arm's distance and let me wait it out.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Well, I don't see a lot on set because I don't watch what's going on in the villas.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I kind of try to stay away from that because I think it makes me sit in a place of judgment and projecting on them and stuff. But I'll tell you, man, just like the viewers, I'll have a conversation with a guy who's feel like we're on this page, you know, they're kind of like, you know, resolved to be whatever. And then I'll show up to the girls' bonfire and I'll see a clip of like 17 naked asses.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And I'm just like, Oh my gosh. You know what I mean? Yeah. I'm constantly going. And then I have to kind of say without judgment, There may be a gap between what you're saying and what you're doing. Maybe we should explore that a little. Yeah.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I think that's a really great point, Nick. And you're right. And I always talk about the violation is the physical violation worse than the emotional violation. So the best I can say with that is that like, when you're in a toxic situation, It's really easy to spend all your focus on what the other person is doing or not giving you or the victim that you are of them.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And it's not to say that's not true, but there are two things that happen. It allows you to address any responsibility on the other person and then gives you permission. Well, if they did it, then I can do it. So first of all, as far as the physical stuff, the sex stuff, Look, if you want to not cheat, it's three weeks. You can just run the gauntlet.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Right. Exactly. So what I'm constantly saying is like, look, yeah, we got to look way beyond that. So if your thing is like, I really love her, but I, I just got to have threesomes. I'm like, I got to have a conversation with you.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
And I know this is gonna sound crazy, but there's such a thing called being in love with somebody so much so that while those things are cool, you don't, it's not just you have willpower. you make a choice and not do it because you love her. There's like a level of real love, which is like, you don't wanna. You know what I mean? And that seems so basic to us.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
It's like when we watch anything like Love is Blind or anything, we see what's going on with the couples. It was like, dude, don't you see this? Don't you see it? But when you're in it, you see everything but your blind spot. And so it's really easy to shit talk each other, give yourself an excuse to make you feel better.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
You're looking for agreement from somebody else to support your point of view. And it's not your fault.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I think you'll see that this season. Yeah. And it's crazy to me. It's like one of the guys will act out, right? Maybe first. And then come to the bonfire. And then there'll be a bonfire where that's probably viewed. Yeah. And then the next bonfire, he sees his girl making out with somebody and he's furious and how disrespectful of their relationship that is and all that stuff. So now hear me.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I'm not judging it. It's growth that has to happen there. You know what I'm saying? It's not lying and bullshit as much as being completely unaware. And the gap, like I said, between what you're doing and what you're saying. And so it's an old adage, but I say it like in every interview and every season.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
I'm like, look, there's a famous philosopher who says in relationship, and I'm paraphrasing, the only thing I can do for you is work on me. And the only thing you can do for me is work on you. But when you start pointing fingers and blame and then not talking about it, that's a road to Temptation Island.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
Well, first of all, thank you for making me a hero with my daughter, who's a fan. And I'd love to be in studio. I live around the corner. And can I just like plug something in hopes that it ever becomes something?
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
So I started a podcast. that like four people listen to. But the idea is to kind of continue the kind of conversations you see on Temptation Island with guests and friends and all the stuff. And it's called Bonfire Talks with Markel Wahlberg. You can find it at Bonfire Talks Podcast. And this is me shamelessly kissing all of your asses. So thanks for letting me shout it out.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
That that's the highest compliment you can give me. It's really important to me. And the thought of people thinking that I'm full of shit. I got plenty of that in my own life. So for you to say that means a lot. I love what you guys are doing. I'm really, really honored to be a guest. This is a big day, you know, launching and thanks for making time.
The Viall Files
E900 - Debating w/ Heather McDonald, LIB w/ Sara, Temptation Island w/ Mark Walberg, Bachelor WTA, & RHOBH
All right, right on you guys.