Waters of Temptation
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 10, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 Temptation Island Paddles (left to right) Andy
Lukei and Billy Cleary are among the cast
members from the Fox television show "Temptation Island" who are
taking part in a kayaking tour around Marina Del Rey. Fans of the
show can take part in the event beginning April 22.
By Suneal Kolluri
Daily Bruin Contributor
Two months ago, a steamy new reality show aired on Fox that
found its way onto millions of college dormitory television sets
across the nation.
Viewers got up close and personal with four young, attractive
couples that dared to venture onto a tropical island of
temptation.
As the exciting extravaganza of infidelity wore on, viewers
learned about the couples’ crushes, their jealousies, the
strength of their relationships, and even what they did behind the
backs of their significant others.
Viewers still want to know more.
Members of the “Temptation Island” cast will soon
offer the show’s fans, as well as other adventure-seekers,
the chance to paddle around Marina Del Rey with them.
“I think that more than anything, there’s a huge
college following,” said cast member and owner of Pacific
Coast Kayaking Andy Lukei during a phone interview from his home in
Malibu. “It seems like college and high school kids really
got into the show, and so with UCLA, USC, UCI, and all the local
colleges nearby, it’s a big audience that we can really tap
into.”
Guests can participate in “Temptation Island Paddle”
beginning April 22. The kayaking tour is regularly priced at $35,
though UCLA students receive a $10 discount.
Lukei’s Malibu-based kayaking company has been in business
for about three years. The company regularly holds paddles in
locations like Escondido Beach in Malibu, the Colorado River and
Marina Del Rey.
Billy Cleary, another member of the cast, also has extensive
paddling experience.
“I was a guide on the Ocoee River in Tennessee, the site
of the whitewater events for the 1996 Olympics,” he said.
The two-and-a-half-hour paddle will begin at Mother’s
Beach in Marina Del Rey and customers will paddle out with the cast
and watch the sun set over the ocean.
Afterward, customers will be able to stay for drinks and
appetizers at the Cheesecake Factory or Casa Escobar.
In addition to Cleary, Lukei and his fiancée Shannon
Roghair, the show’s tempters Megan Denton (kindergarten
teacher) and Jon Lampman (social worker) will also attend
paddles.
“Billy’s actually living with Shannon and I at
Malibu,” Lukei said. “So Billy and I are going to do
some kayaking stuff together over the summer and then we’re
going to throw other people from the cast into the mix.”
Lukei hopes he can milk the show’s popularity among
college students to generate success for the “Temptation
Island Paddle.”
“I’d go because you’d get to meet people
you’ve watched on TV and lived vicariously through for
several weeks,” said Anwer Khan, a third-year political
science student.
Lukei said that many members of the cast have stayed in touch
since the taping of the show in September, making “Temptation
Island Paddle” possible.
“I would say at least a dozen people from the cast live in
the L.A. area. We probably talk with at least half a dozen people
every week,” Lukei said. “We go get drinks, we’ve
gone to Vegas, we all watch Carla’s band play. We’re
actually all pretty tight now.”
The event offers fans of the show the opportunity to ask the
cast members any “unanswered questions” that they may
have.
“Whenever we run into people, they have multiple
questions,” Lukei said.
“There’s a lot of stuff that happened behind the
scenes that the cameras didn’t capture or that they cut
out,” he continued. “And because there hasn’t
been a reunion show, there’s a lot of unanswered questions
within the public.”
The cast regularly fields numerous questions about the show and
customers are welcome to take questions with them to the
paddle.
“Basically, the most common question I get is “˜Hey,
has anyone ever told you that you look like that guy from
“˜Temptation Island’?'”Cleary said.
KAYAKING: The “Temptation Island
Paddles” begin April 22. Tickets cost $25 for UCLA students.
For more information, visit www.pckayaking.com or call (310)
99-KAYAK.
