As the older brother of Stephen Baldwin, Daniel had his work cut out for him when he joined 'I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here' late in the game as a replacement after Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt first split. After just one week on the show, though, Daniel got the boot. While in the Costa Rican jungle, Daniel ate cow tongue, got in Janice Dickinson's face and cracked jokes with his bro, generating laughs and winning over fans. But it wasn't enough to keep him on the show.
Daniel spoke to AOL TV via conference call about what he expected from jungle life, what the real deal is with Janice and whether Spencer might actually be coming back one more time. -- Katy Kroll
1. What's Janice really like?
In my opinion, we're dealing with a human being who is undereducated and over medicated. She really does believe that she is such a huge international star that she should not have to pitch in and do her share of work. I don't know Janice well enough to really make a judgment, but she is absolutely one of those people who believes that being super-annoying is going to keep her on the show. I'm sure a lot of people are going to remember her for her self-entitlement and annoying behavior. There were some very bizarre things that happened, like when she urinated in camp in the middle of the night. She did some things that went well beyond entertainment, they were sick. I think she really needs some help.
I'm a Celebrity...' Photos
In this image released by NBC on Friday, May 29, 2009 and taken on May 27, celebrities, from left, John Salley, background, Janice Dickinson, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag leave the airport after arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica for the NBC reality show, "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here," which premieres Monday, June 1. (AP Photo/NBC, Tyler Golden) ** NO SALES **
AP
In this image released by NBC on Friday, May 29, 2009 and taken on May 27, celebrities, from left, John Salley, background, Janice Dickinson, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag leave the airport after arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica for the NBC reality show, "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here," which premieres Monday, June 1. (AP Photo/NBC, Tyler Golden) ** NO SALES **
AP
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich and Stephen Baldwin attend the "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!" Press Conference at the Langham Huntington Hotel Spa on April 24, 2009 in Pasadena, California. "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!" Press Conference The Langham Huntington Hotel Spa Pasadena, California United States April 24, 2009 Photo by Todd Williamson/WireImage.com To license this image (57271197), contact WireImage.com
Todd Williamson/WireImage.com
PASADENA, CA - APRIL 24: Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich attends a press conference for "I"m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!" at the Langham Hotel on April 24, 2009 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rod Blagojevich
Getty Images
Rod Bagovich attends the "I'm A Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here!" Press Conference at The Langham Huntington Hotel Spa on April 24, 2009 in Pasadena, California. "I'm A Celebrity.Get Me Out Of Here!" - Press Conference The Langham Huntington Hotel Spa Pasadena, California United States April 24, 2009 Photo by Todd Williamson/WireImage.com To license this image (57271250), contact WireImage.com
Todd Williamson/WireImage.com
PASADENA, CA - APRIL 24: (L-R) Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, television personality Janice Dickinson, and actor Stephen Baldwin attend a press conference for "I"m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!" at the Langham Hotel on April 24, 2009 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Gov. Rod Blagojevich;Janice Dickinson;Stephen Baldwin
Getty Images
PASADENA, CA - APRIL 24: (L-R) Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, television personality Janice Dickinson, and actor Stephen Baldwin attend a press conference for "I"m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!" at the Langham Hotel on April 24, 2009 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Gov. Rod Blagojevich;Janice Dickinson;Stephen Baldwin
Getty Images
PASADENA, CA - APRIL 24: Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (L) and actor Stephen Baldwin attend a press conference for "I"m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!" at the Langham Hotel on April 24, 2009 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Gov. Rod Blagojevich;Stephen Baldwin
Getty Images
PASADENA, CA - APRIL 24: Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (L) and actor Stephen Baldwin attend a press conference for "I"m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!" at the Langham Hotel on April 24, 2009 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Gov. Rod Blagojevich;Stephen Baldwin
Getty Images
PASADENA, CA - APRIL 24: Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (L) and actor Stephen Baldwin attend a press conference for "I"m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!" at the Langham Hotel on April 24, 2009 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Gov. Rod Blagojevich;Stephen Baldwin
Getty Images
2. Do you think her bad behavior might be because she really wants to be voted off the show?
No. I have a psychology background education-wise, and she was fascinating from a psychological standpoint. I really believe in my heart of hearts that Janice needs help. There was a moment that was so disturbing to me that she had with Lou Diamond Phillips over the urinating incident where it was not acting; it was not an agenda to stay on the show and be this maniacal villainess. She literally looked at him and said, "I just can't understand how anyone could do that." This was not hamming it up for the cameras. It was beyond denial. It was sociopathic. There was another syndrome that I diagnosed her with, and I will coin the term "name-dropping Tourette's." You'd be in the middle of a sentence and she'd go, "Gore Vidal!" Then she'd tell an entire story with really no one listening about her and Gore Vidal. And she name-dropped [Donald] Trump, Calvin Klein and Mickey Rourke, and there would be these long stories with no one listening. I'd be thinking, she's so delusional right now. She kinda just made stuff up. It was really sad in a way. You look at Janice and you think, forget about voting her off, this is someone who should be committed.
3. Have you heard the rumor that the producers are trying to get Spencer back?We were told by the producers that this is the cast, but they could bring him back as a guest star. And there has been some talk about the entire cast returning for the finale. But I just got out of the jungle and no one has approached me about coming back. I think it would truly be an unfair move to bring him back as a participant on the show. But he's the driving force behind that dynamic duo. I didn't believe for a moment that Heidi was sick. I didn't believe any of it. I thought they took advantage of my brother's love for his Christianity and God. If there was ever a couple that needed the word "agenda" tattooed on their foreheads, there they were. Spencer's definitely got brains and a lot of drive. He's a guy you're gonna see down the road. He'll be a big TV producer, you watch. He's a gamer. She's the meal ticket right now because of her popularity, but there's not really a lot of talent behind that woman.
4. Did you expect to last longer?
I knew going in that, besides Patti [Blagojevich], I was probably the long shot. I thought Patti would be the first one to go -- unless she had Illinois [residents] and the sympathy [vote]. So, yes, I was surprised that I didn't take her out and maybe a couple others that I clearly outworked. And then there was the Janice factor. Would there be a backlash against her because she's just such a psycho and people would say she deserves to go? Or would her plan -- if it is a plan and she's not just truly that much of a nut -- backfire and people would want to keep her in the jungle to punish her? But it was nowhere near as hard as I was prepared for. I was ready to go in there, put my war paint on, build my own hut, spear fish. When I got there, they said there was just rice and beans, but it was way better than that. There was food being sent in, there were cots under cover, a shower. They were doing our laundry for us. I was like, this is it? Everyone was moaning and crying about how bad it was and I was like, "Wow, I thought I was gonna have to blowgun a monkey out of a tree and learn how to skin it and cook it." I thought, "Am I gonna have to suck the spider venom out of my brother's arm if he gets bit?" I really thought this was gonna be hardcore like, we'll give you a couple of knives and set you free with rice and beans.
5. What was the most unexpected part about the whole experience?
The greatest thing that came from this was when my expulsion occurred and I had to do a debriefing. [Producer] Jayson Dinsmore said to me, "Hey, I'm really gonna have problems now in the editing room because we had an entire editing section called The Baldwins because you guys are so funny together." He said, "I wouldn't even have to do a pitch to sell a Baldwin brothers reality show." Now, I don't want reality to be my life, but at the same time the proposition of raising money through a reality show for my mom's breast cancer fund and potentially saving women's lives really intrigues me. So, I would consider doing that with Stephen as long as we had a little bit of control of what it was going to be about.
2009 Summer TV: New Series
The heat of summer is matched only by the hot new TV shows we'll be seeing this season.
We've got the scoop on the return of familiar faces ('Nurse Jackie''s Edie Falco), the next cable hits ('Hawthorne'; 'Hung'), the new reality shows ('The Bachelorette'; 'Kendra') and more that will have everyone talking.
See all of this year's new shows in our 2009 Summer TV gallery.
TNT / HBO
'The Bachelorette'
Premiered: Mon., May 18, 9PM (ABC)
Premise: Jillian Harris, who finished third on last season of 'The Bachelor,' gives love a second chance with the help of a whopping 30 potential suitors -- hopefully none of whom resemble Jason Mesnick. As usual, men are eliminated week by week until Jillian finds her Prince Charming -- or at the very least, a spot on next season's 'Dancing With the Stars.'
Related Links
ABC
'Mental'
Starring: Chris Vance, Annabella Sciorra
Premieres: Fri., May 22, 9PM (Fox)
Premise: Vance ('Prison Break') stars as Jack Gallagher, an unorthodox psychologist who butts heads with his conservative boss, Nora Skoff (Sciorra), in this medical mystery thriller. Oh, did we mention they used to date? That'll complicate things, we bet.
Related Links
Fox
'Royal Pains'
Starring: Mark Feuerstein, Campbell Scott
Premieres: Thu., June 4, 10PM (USA)
Premise: The Hamptons: home to some of the richest people in America ... and the people who work for them. Hank Lawson (Feuerstein) is the latter, a doctor whose career hits a little snag (um, if you call getting blamed for the death of a hospital head honcho "little"), getting him demoted from hot-shot healthcare provider to on-call private practitioner for the wealthy -- and incredibly needy -- elite.
Related Links
USA Network
'Kendra'
Premieres: Sun., June 7, 10PM (E!)
Premise: 'Girls Next Door' alum Kendra Wilkinson gets her own reality show, focusing on life after living in the Playboy mansion and her engagement to football player Hank Baskett. There'll surely be plenty of Kendra's signature half-shirts and cutesy Elmer Fudd-style laugh to go around.
Related Links
Getty Images
'Nurse Jackie'
Starring: Edie Falco, Eve Best, Peter Facinelli
Premieres: Mon., June 8, 10:30PM (Showtime)
Premise: Falco stars in this deeply dark comedy about an ER nurse whose cynical outlook on life is tempered only by the prescription painkillers she snorts -- and the occasional life she saves. Compared to Jackie, Carmela Soprano's a softie.
Related Links
Showtime
'Top Chef Masters'
Premieres: Wed., June 10, 10PM (Bravo)
Premise: Anyone who thinks 'Top Chef' is full of amateurs or who only watches the show for its guest judges ... well, 'Top Chef Masters' is for you. This time around, the contestants are renowned chefs (as opposed to TV-famous chefs) such as Wylie Dufresne (pictured), Rick Bayless, Jonathan Waxman and Hubert Keller, all of them competing for charity. We can't wait to see what they'll make using only a pack of Chiclets and a hot plate.
Related Links
Getty Images
'Wedding Day'
Premieres: Tue., June 16, 8PM (TNT)
Premise: Think 'Extreme Makeover: Wedding Edition.' Deserving couples from across the country are awarded the most amazing wedding celebrations by celebrity event planner Alan Dunn and wedding planner to the stars Diann Valentine.
Related Links
TNT
'Hawthorne'
Starring: Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael Vartan
Premieres: Tue., June 16, 9PM (TNT)
Premise: As the newest strong female lead in the TNT lineup, Pinkett Smith plays Christina Hawthorne, a tough-as-nails nurse who is determined to give every patient in her Richmond, Va., hospital the best care possible. Christina's got baggage -- she's a widower left raising a rebellious teenage daughter -- but she also has heart. And, of course, some chemistry with the head of oncology (Vartan).
Related Links
TNT
'Merlin'
Starring: Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Anthony Head
Premieres: Sun., June 21, 8PM (NBC)
Premise: Morgan and James star as Merlin and Arthur, respectively, in this teen-drama take on the Arthurian legend. The future king's ladylove, Guinevere, is called Gwen -- expect angst and romantic tension aplenty. Think of it as 'Camelot, 90210.'
Related Links
NBC
Reader Comments (1)
mike at 7:26PM on Jun 19th 2009
I missed last nite's show. Does anyone know who left?