The Real Gilligan's Island Castaways Revealed
Source: TBS
November 17, 2004
The first of many twists and the identities of the castaways have been revealed for the new reality series The Real Gilligan's Island on TBS, television's "very funny" network.
The series, in which two sets of castaways who personify the original Gilligan's Island characters are stranded on an island and challenged to find a way off, is executive-produced by Mike Fleiss (The Bachelor). The father/son team of Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of the original Gilligan's Island sitcom, and Lloyd J. Schwartz also serve as executive producers. Lisa Levenson (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette) and Scott Jeffress (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette) serve as co-executive producers for Next Entertainment.
Hosted by Scott Lasky, The Real Gilligan's Island will air on TBS Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), setting sail with a special two-hour premiere Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).
The Real Gilligan's Island, which was cast from a nationwide search, features two real-life skippers, two first mates, two millionaire couples, two movie stars, two Midwest farm girls and two professors. The castaways must work together, as the original castaways did in the 1960s sitcom, to get off the island. Each of the castaways competes against his/her character counterpart for a spot in the final cast of seven characters.
Click
HERE for a cast photo.
The Gingers
Rachel Hunter is an actress and model originally from New Zealand. She has starred in such movies as Best Actress, Rock Star, Sydney and MacArthur Park. She is an international cover model, having posed for Sports Illustrated, Playboy and numerous other publications worldwide. She has starred in several music videos, including "Stacey's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne.
Nicole Eggert is an actress from Los Angeles. She has been acting since age 5 and most notably starred as a blonde beauty on Baywatch for several years. She also starred in the sitcom Charles in Charge and has had recurring roles in such shows as Boy Meets World, Clueless, Who's the Boss and T.J. Hooker. She is featured on the cover of Sugar Ray's album Lemonade and Brownies. Her feature film credits include Rich and Famous and Omega Syndrome.
The Gilligans
Chris O'Malley is 20 years old and works at a marina while attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Friends in his hometown of Boston have called him Gilligan for years because of his clumsy, easygoing and accident-prone nature. He once crashed a million-dollar boat into another million-dollar boat because he was distracted by a pretty girl.
Mark Groesbeck, a.k.a. "Gooner," is 31 years old from Weedsport, N.Y. and is the ultimate goofball. Standing 6'7" tall, he sees the humor in everything and does not take life too seriously. He enjoys spending time training his dog and is very proud of finding a wife who actually puts up with him.
The Mary Anns
Kate Koth is a 21-year-old farm girl from Manchester, Missouri. Her mom, Janet Koth, of Survivor 6: Amazon, taught her how to make coconut cream pies from scratch. She loves nature and being adventurous. She is in the "Have You Seen This Girl?" section of the December issue of Maxim magazine.
Amanda Dodson is a 21-year-old farm girl from Elsmore, Kansas. She is a college student and enjoys herding cattle, fishing, attending rodeos and baking in her spare time. She is an animal lover and has a pet cow. She has won county fair awards for horseback riding, baking, modeling and ceramics.
The Professors
Pat Abbott is a 64-year-old geology professor at San Diego State University. He has a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Texas. He also makes videos about earth science, frequently appears on newscasts as an expert on natural disasters and lectures on cruise ships. He enjoys athletics and traveling. As a historian of the earth and humanity, science is not only his career but also his continuous life passion.
Eric Anderson is a 36-year-old sociology professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has four degrees, has authored four books and is an avid reader, writer and researcher. He prides himself on being a logical thinker, broadly intellectual, a problem solver, well-versed in earth science, as well as very handsome. He can be seen in the December issue of The Advocate, due out Nov. 23.
The Millionaires and Their Wives
Glenn and Mindy Stearns are 40 and 35 years old, respectively, and live in the Los Angeles area. Glenn owns 26 companies and is resourceful in spending and making money. Mindy is a television personality who previously co-hosted "DVD Weekend" on KTLA's News at 10 and was a former correspondent for Entertainment Tonight. Their net worth is over $500 million.
Bill and Donna Beaven are 47 and 45 years old, respectively, and hail from Kentucky. They own three companies in the fields of flooring supply distribution, real estate and recycling. They enjoy offshore powerboat racing and playing volleyball. Donna sees herself as an extravagant, competitive, loud and opinionated woman who enjoys bubble baths and jewelry. Their net worth is around $2 million.
The Skippers
Bob Fahey is a 52-year-old Plum Island, Mass., resident. He has been a skipper for 30 years and owns a small business. He is not terribly concerned with getting off the island, because he enjoys secluded tropical settings.
Jim Murray is a 55-year-old Massachusetts native who has spent time as a captain and first mate. Formerly in the US Navy, he has a vast knowledge of the mechanics and construction of boats. He is a natural leader and owns a stonemason business.
Many of the challenges that the contestants will face are modeled after some of the situations that occurred in the original series, such as building a seaworthy raft or knocking coconuts out of trees to get the milk. Other challenges include the millionaire couple eating a gourmet meal of mysterious island items and the first mate proving he has "sea legs." As with any reality series, there will, of course, be a number of surprises thrown at both the contestants and viewers.
Grammy-nominated Jive recording artists Bowling for Soup, whose latest single "1985" is currently climbing the charts, have recorded a re-make of the Gilligan's Island theme song to serve as the theme for TBS's new reality series.
The Real Gilligan's Island is produced for TBS by Telepictures Productions in association with Next Entertainment. Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will be selling the international format rights to the series, as they have for Telepictures Productions/Next Entertainment's The Bachelor.
