These Bravo Couples Just Got Some Relationship Advice From Temptation Island Host Mark L. Walberg
The Daily Dish is talking about all things romance with the Temptation Island love guru.
Temptation Island host Mark L. Walberg has pretty much seen it all when it comes to the highs and lows couples face in their relationships. And viewers who tune into the show, which airs Tuesdays on USA, also get an intimate look at couples who "find themselves at a stopping point and confused about where to go next," as Mark recently told The Daily Dish.
Temptation Island follows the pairs "as they give each other the gift of being single again for a period of time... And, at the end, they’ll come back together and decide if the person they came to the island with is, in fact, the person they want to be with for the rest of their life or if there’s somebody better out there."
He added that "regardless of why they think they come to the island, regardless of what they think they’re going to be able to control or manage on the island, I tell them, 'It doesn’t matter why you came here. At the end of this experience, you’re going to know something about yourself you didn’t know.'"
We're here to learn something as well. During Mark's recent phone interview with The Daily Dish, he shared his take on some of Bravo's buzziest relationship moments.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Season 11
The situation: Dolores Catania is in a relationship with David Principe and remains BFFs with her ex-husband, Frank, who is also pals with David.
Mark's take? "It’s really great that the co-parenting situation after the marriage is still healthy and comfortable. And even better for the children that the new boyfriend and the ex-husband are civil and even friendly. Where I would be cautious is if there’s a stopper in your relationship with Dave and Dolores, how much of your friendship with Frank is holding you back from committing further to Dave?"
Summer House, Season 5
The situation: The Hannah Berner-Luke Gulbranson-Ciara Miller love triangle that has made waves in the Hamptons.
Mark's take? "So what I would say to her [Hannah] is your first step is having expectations, uncommunicated expectations. So you set yourself up for failure there. And while the sting of him showing up with another girl was against what you expected, and you were internalizing it to mean something about you, your best way to have a great summer and potentially find this guy or someone else that really completes your circle is to spend the summer and the time getting to know you and loving you. and that nothing is more attractive to somebody not wanting somebody else than being perfectly in love and OK with themselves. And so, while it stings when whoever we want doesn’t want us back, the game’s never over until it’s over, and most importantly is that you realize it has nothing to do with you and stand on your own two feet. Get some sun. Enjoy the surf, and watch how things change."
Married to Medicine, Season 7
The situation: When Dr. Heavenly Kimes didn't tell her husband, Dr. Damon Kimes, about the naked male models at Toya Bush-Harris' party.
Mark's take? "So for some reason you couldn’t tell him what was going on, and it’s not the action but that it’s not clear and transparent honesty. The only reason that’s not good is that when you find out about it that way through the backdoor of learning that something happened that you didn’t know about, it plays on your own insecurities."
Southern Charm, Season 7
The situation: The on-off-on-who knows status of Austen Kroll and Madison LeCroy.
Mark's take? "Well, this falls under the heading of technical words over the truth, meaning young couples put so much importance on, 'Well, we said we broke up or we’re taking a break, and so the rules are then that then I can’t do this.' And boys operate this way a lot. So, 'Well, you said I couldn’t do this, so that means I can do this,' because the boy mentality is what can I get away with, right? So where this gets hinky is that they’re saying one thing but being something else. They’re saying we’re breaking up or back together when, in fact, they’re never really breaking up."
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Season 1
The situation: While separated from her husband, Seth, Meredith Marks won't share what is on her phone with him.
Mark's take? "So the phone is the window to trouble, and him wanting to see it is indicative of not a good relationship, and her resisting showing him is indicative of things being hidden. So I’m concerned for both of them. In a healthy relationship, there’s no reason to worry about what anybody is doing because you’re good, right? It’s a really tough one. You don’t want to hide anything from one another, but you also need to give people enough space to have their own soul."
Below Deck Mediterranean, Season 5
The situation: The stormy charter romance between Rob Westergaard and Jessica More.
Mark's take? "Well, it’s what we call in show business a locationship. It’s all romantic on the yacht in the Mediterranean without [the] girlfriend, and she’s hot and I’m hot, and we’re working together so we’re solving problems and there are no issues from the outside world. So this is really romantic, and so let’s bang it out, you know? But that’s not real. [And in Rob's case when he was still talking to his ex-girlfriend], you can't be on two yachts at the same time, you’re going to end up overboard."
The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 12
The situation: When Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker needed to find a balance between professional goals and their marriage.
Mark's take? "You see it a lot, because what draws us together is a tapestry of things. On Antiques Roadshow, I was there [as the host] for over a decade, and I still know nothing about antiques, but I have learned about value. And one of the things you look at in value is the condition of things. So if your relationship is one of those things in your collection that has a value, you’ve taken care of the business part, because that’s important to you, but you’ve let little scratches and dents and stuff happen to the emotional part because you didn’t prioritize that as much. You've got to take care of it, or you end up being great business partners, and that’s fine, too."
Mark also recently sat down with The Daily Dish podcast to spill more secrets about Temptation Island, which you can check out, below.