“Island Explorers”
Premieres 8 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday on Travel Channel
The natural beauty of Hawaii and its people are the true stars of “Island Explorers,” a new Travel Channel show hosted by local couple Jeremy and Wendy Gilbert which premieres Sunday.
Local residents might better recognize Wendy by her maiden name — Calio — which she used while starring in the Disney Channel series “Imagination Movers” from 2008 to 2013 and working as a Broadway performer. After meeting actor Jeremy Gilbert in Los Angeles, the two got married in 2008 and returned to Oahu in 2010 to open performing-arts studio Pas de Deux Hawaii.
For the next five years, the couple bounced between L.A. and Honolulu in hopes of making it as actors while continuing to operate their Waipio studio. It wasn’t until 2015 that they decided to refocus and move back to Hawaii for good.
“We were pursuing our acting careers and decided Pas de Deux and Hawaii were more important to us,” said Jeremy Gilbert. “And then we got this show. It was synergistic.”
The Gilberts filmed four episodes of “Island Explorers” earlier this year. Viewers will get to follow them as they eat and play their way around Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii island. The experience helped Wendy Gilbert get back in touch with the place where she grew up, but also allowed her husband to learn more about Hawaiian culture, she said.
“When it comes to Hawaii, it’s not only a beautiful place, but there (also are) beautiful people here,” said Wendy Gilbert. “Our show will appeal to foodies and those looking for off-the-beaten-path adventures. We did a lot of research looking at awesome things people wouldn’t normally know about; then we picked the ones we were most excited about doing. Some of it’s food, some of it is adventuring. It’s a mix of Hawaii life.”
Press material for the series depicts the Gilberts checking out a zip line at Keana Farms and picking up musubi from Mana Bu’s on Oahu. They harvest pineapple and process cacao on Maui, go snorkeling off Molokini and ride horses on Kauai. On Hawaii island they take viewers on a helicopter ride, go snorkeling amid manta rays and explore underground lava tubes.
“Every island has its own landscapes, and we truly explored every single one of them,” said Jeremy Gilbert. “We went to all parts of each island to discover new things.”
Unlike certain guidebooks and websites that direct visitors to places and experiences that might be unsafe, illegal or considered too sacred by locals to be promoted on national TV, the Gilberts said they strove to work with Travel Channel on spotlighting locations that welcome visitors.
“We definitely got off the beaten path, but not things that anyone would feel worried or threatened that we exposed too much,” said Wendy Gilbert. “We were careful to not be too invasive.
“As a local person, I think we all work so hard to live here, we don’t stop to look around and appreciate what the island has to offer. So I hope we inspire people to take that time, to take a helicopter ride or go hiking to discover amazing waterfalls. I feel like we forget sometimes.”
Oahu is featured in Sunday’s premiere episode at 8 p.m., followed by a Hawaii island episode at 8:30 p.m.; the Maui and Kauai episodes will air at 8 and 8:30 p.m. July 10.
