Rachel Hunter Is Gilligan's Girl
by Daniel R. Coleridge
Rachel Hunter
Watch your back, Tina Louise. Supermodel Rachel Hunter is stealing your signature role as Ginger Grant, aka "the Movie Star" from Gilligan's Island. Only the sexy New Zealander — recently best known as "Stacey's Mom" in the Fountains of Wayne music video — isn't doing a remake of the '60s hitcom. She's doing TBS's The Real Gilligan's Island (kicking off tonight at 8 pm/ET).
Here's the sitch: Reality TV's latest potential shipwreck, produced by The Bachelor's Mike Fleiss, features two sets of stranded castaways competing to get off an island. So there's two real-life professors, two skippers, two millionaire couples, and so on. But unlike Celebrity Mole or I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here!, which feature (dubiously) famous people only, this show features two B-list celebs mixed in with the common folk: Hunter and Charles in Charge's Nicole Eggert are the competing Gingers. But why?
"Cash and prizes," she chuckles to TV Guide Online. "That's all we can say."
Still, we can see why Eggert — who's apparently been languishing in straight-to-DVD hell since her Baywatch stint ended — would stoop to do a reality show. But why would a cool gal like Hunter humble herself so?
"I first started modeling 18 years ago, and I've done loads of independent films," she shrugs. "Everyone's career goes up and down. I don't look to be Meryl Streep or Nicole Kidman. I don't have to validate my career because I am who I am and I don't give a s--t how anybody sees it.
"If I want to go do something," Hunter adds frankly, "it's because I want to do it. It's not about me having any premeditated ideas like, 'Oh, people are gonna see me and this will be a resurgence of my career.'
"It's funny, like the 'Stacey's Mom' video. I thought that would just be fun to do. I never thought it would be that big. I wanted to do this reality show to test myself physically and mentally. I don't care whether you're an A-, B-, C-, D- or F-list star. I had [such] an awesome experience that I would absolutely do it again."
While Hunter's far more willing to get her manicured hands dirty than the glammy Ginger was, she can definitely relate to one thing: Ms. Grant's penchant for over-packing. Don't forget, kids, Ginger always had lotsa fancy gowns to wear, even though the S.S. Minnow was only scheduled for a three-hour tour!
"She's a little over the top. But if I go on a boat, I personally do have different sarongs to change into," Hunter laughs. "It has nothing to do with being a glamour girl. It has a lot to do with being a Virgo. I like to change clothes four times a day. We change all the time!"
http://www.tvguide.com/news/insider/041130b.asp