Rosie O’Donnell, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck on ‘The View’
Credit: Steve Fenn \/ ABC \/ Courtesy Everett Collection<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Controversial conservative personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck<\/a> is closing out her week-long stint back at The View<\/em><\/a>‘s Hot Topics table with a roar.<\/p>\n Amid her guest cohosting gig, the 48-year-old Survivor<\/em><\/a> alum admitted that wrangling nature’s most ferocious wildlife on the CBS reality competition series helped her prepare for The View<\/em>.<\/p>\n On an episode of the talk-show’s companion podcast, Behind the Table<\/em><\/a>, Hasselbeck told View<\/em> producer Brian Teta that Survivor<\/em> “provided great training ground” for her as a young woman, after she first competed on the series’ second season in 2001.<\/p>\n Elisabeth Hasselbeck debates Hot Topics on ‘The View’ “What better preparation [for The View<\/em>] than 39 out of 41 days in the Australian outback, with nine out of the 10 deadliest snakes?” Hasselbeck said with a laugh. “The prep that you’ll need to get at the table of The View<\/em> and debate Hot Topics every day for 10 years? I think Survivor<\/em> did me well for that.”<\/p>\n Before the late Barbara Walters hired Hasselbeck for The View <\/em>(a job she held from 2003-2013), she worked at E! as a host on the series The Look for Less <\/em>\u2014\u00a0the audition process for which served as a particular point of embarrassment for the star.<\/p>\n Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n “They asked me to bring my portfolio and my book [to the audition], so I brought Letters to Clementine<\/em>, Winston Churchill’s book,” Hasselbeck said. “[They also asked me to bring] my portfolio of drawings. But, they meant photos of me. I was like, ‘I don’t have that!’ They laughed at me. I remember sitting there and being like, ‘Oh, I clearly don’t belong here.'”<\/p>\n Hasselbeck’s return to The View<\/em> made headlines throughout the week. She and Joy Behar failed<\/a> to address past drama<\/a>, and as the Republican voice on the panel, Hasselbeck injected spicy energy into Hot Topics debates.<\/p>\n In addition to clashing with Sunny Hostin<\/a> over voting for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, Hasselbeck also raised eyebrows for comparing protective COVID masks to those worn by ICE agents<\/a> to conceal their identities during immigration raids.<\/p>\n Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sunny Hostin clash on ‘The View’ Elsewhere on Behind the Table<\/em>, Hasselbeck also revealed why she’ll never return to <\/a>Survivor<\/em><\/a> despite the show’s team repeatedly asking her to film another season.<\/p>\n “Solid no.\u00a0Solid<\/em>\u00a0no, every single time,” Hasselbeck explained of the answer she gives each time they come around.<\/p>\n She later elaborated, citing her family with NFL quarterback-turned-ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck as the main thing holding her back from Survivor<\/em>: “I don’t think I could leave the kids. I barely want to miss a [sports] game today that I know is going on.”<\/p>\n<\/div>
Credit: ABC<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>
Credit: ABC<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n