Last season, someone could have made the case that Walberg was the illegitimate spawn of some demon from the lower depths of hell by the way he had a knack for asking the most painful questions at the most painful time. If nothing else, Mandy Lauderdale's frequent teary outbursts were evidence of how exact Walberg's probing was, hitting just the right spot. However, after everything's said and done, Walberg's really just a softie at heart -- although perhaps not completely innocent.

"Temptation Island" follows what happens when four committed couples volunteer to be flown to an exotic location only to be separated and tempted away from their loved ones by a slew of sexy singles. There is no prize involved other than the trip and the chance to be on television.

Although it's sounds like a great getaway, especially for the host who gets paid to be there, Walberg isn't so sure.

"On a couple levels it's absolutely a dream come true," Walberg tells Zap2it.com. "However, it's really emotionally draining. People don't really buy that necessarily from me -- most people think that I'm sitting there at bonfire and stuff and looking over the shoulder at a cue card or prompter, which is not the case."

Despite perceptions to the contrary, Walberg says he doesn't use a script. He comes up with the bonfire questions himself after talking over the latest developments with the show's producers. And while some see the questions as manipulative, Walberg disagrees -- kind of.

"As far as me being manipulative, I am. But the part you don't see often is the nice part before and after where I sort of qualify it and stuff like that," he says. The producers "just cut right to the chase -- I obviously don't come out and say, 'You're a cheating hoochie,' without leading up to it at some point."

While some wondered if Walberg didn't enjoy twisting the knife with his questions in the first version of the show, he insists that he isn't a meanie, just a "victim of editing."

"You know a lot of that is editing, because really that is not true. I don't enjoy twisting the knife, but I do feel that it's my job and I'd want to do this anyway, to pose to them the things they may not be thinking about," he laughs. "What appears to be twisting the knife is when they start to get relaxed and feeling that, 'Hey, it's all good,' I feel like it's my job to remind them that it may not be 'all good' on the other side of the island."

"Let's not forget that your choices are only your choices and your partner's choices might be different," he says. "It is a little bit manipulative, and may be turning the knife a little bit, in the vein of letting them know why they came there and all the possibilities that may be going on."

Some critics attacked the morality of a show designed to break up couples, but Walberg points out that couples in love wouldn't be part of the show in the first place.

"When you see a couple that is not enjoying a relationship, for whatever the reasons are, it's almost as if: If they can resolve it and be good together that's great, but if they can't, I don't have any problem being a part of a process that might bring them apart from one another. Because nothing's uglier than an ugly relationship."

This year, the temptation increases as the couples are separated for nearly twice as long as the first version of the show. The first game took place over 13 days, this one took 24 -- something that caused an unforeseen problem for the host.

"Last year girls were pretty good friends, as were the guys from the other side of the island. This year, there are definite different opinions amongst the girls and amongst the men -- which, by the way, was both the challenge and the bane of my existence while I was there, because there was so much going on that I had to try to keep track of. It was so much longer -- it was like a marathon instead of a 5K."

"I will tell you that you should stay tuned this year -- that's all I can say about that," he teases. "There are different personalities this year. I think people are going to be shocked and surprised because the show, in format, is almost identical to last year, but what happened could not be further from what happened last year."

On the first "Temptation Island," despite all the tempting singles' efforts at driving a wedge between the couples, at the end of the show all of the couples decided to stick together -- an outcome that Walberg says he wasn't surprised by.

"I personally got a charge out of that, because I thought that was the ultimate payoff," he says. "I thought that really said it all because I think the whole subtitle of the show is be careful what you wish for."

One pair he did have questions about, however, was Shannon and Andy -- one of the three couples for the island who may be tying the knot during the "Temptation Island" reunion on Nov. 7.

"I really liked Shannon; I like Andy too. I would drink beer with Andy, but he's not someone I would share intimate moments with," Walberg says. "Shannon really has this Gwyneth Paltrow-thing and she's really a sweet, smart woman. I think, as a viewer, you see her and Tom together and you're just rooting for that to happen."

"But how many couples do you know who are bizarre to you and me but are happy together? That's Andy and Shannon, I guess."

One thing Walberg won't be repeating this year is his trip to Internet message boards to see what people are saying about the show.

"No, I tried that last year -- it's just too evil in there. I'm too sensitive," he laughs. "When you do a show and you're the host, if the show is successful or not successful, there's always something you've got to pick on. Normally, it's the host. No matter what you do, you come off as a cheeseball."