Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Hasselbeck was born Elisabeth Grace Filarski in Cranston, Rhode Island, the daughter of Elizabeth DelPadre, a teacher at Catholic school and lawyer, and Kenneth Filarski, an architect.[1][2] As a child, she lived in Providence and Cranston, Rhode Island.

She attended St. Mary School in Cranston. Later, Hasselbeck graduated from St. Mary Academy - Bay View in Riverside, Rhode Island in 1995. At Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, she was a 1997 and 1998 Orientation Leader. She played softball at BC, and was captain of the team for two seasons. She graduated from BC with a degree in Fine Arts, focus on large paintings and industrial design, in 1999.[3]

[edit] Career

[edit] Early years

Hasselbeck started working for Puma in 1998, while attending Boston College. After graduation, she worked for PUMA shoes as a member of its design team before her television career.[3] As reported by Lauren Smiley in the Boston Globe article Double Coverage (July 20, 2004), Elisabeth's interest in Survivor was initiated by a fellow shoe designer, who himself was mulling over the idea of testing his skills in the wild.

[edit] Survivor

In 2001, she was cast in Survivor: The Australian Outback, and was originally a member of the Kucha tribe. She was the last remaining member of that tribe in the game before being voted off on Day 39 and finishing fourth overall. As her luxury item, she brought a self-made immunity headdress. At the end of the game, she was the most popular Survivor of the season among the fans, rating a 9.3 out of 10 in the online approval poll. Producers wanted her to return for the Survivor: All-Stars edition, but she was unable to attend because she was starting her tenure at The View at the time. Following her stint on Survivor, Hasselbeck began a television career. In 2001, she was a judge at the Miss Teen USA Pageant,[3] and became host of the Style Network's The Look for Less from 2002 to 2003 where she helped find stylish clothes for bargain prices. Although Elisabeth previously saw herself as a "behind the scenes" kind of person and not interested in career television, or playing pundit, Elisabeth's agent was very eager to showcase her competitive client and she auditioned for The View.[4]

[edit] The View

In 2003, Hasselbeck was one of a number of women who guest-hosted to replace outgoing The View co-host Lisa Ling, who left the show at the end of 2002. Hasselbeck made it to the last few contenders, and was finally chosen by the other panelists (in a Survivor-style "Tribal Council") as the new co-host. Hasselbeck typically represents the conservative position on The View, defending creationism and the war on terror, and opposing euthanasia and abortion.[5]

On the April 11, 2007 episode of The View, Hasselbeck announced that she would be guest co-hosting Fox's Fox and Friends the week of April 16. On April 25, 2007, co-host Barbara Walters announced that Hasselbeck would return the following season along with Joy Behar.

Hasselbeck went on maternity leave on October 23, 2007. Her return is scheduled to be on the first episode after the show's Christmas hiatus, which will be on January 7, 2008.

[edit] Personal life

Hasselbeck has been married to newly-signed Arizona Cardinals quarterback Tim Hasselbeck since July 6, 2002. The couple have a daughter and a son.[6] She is the sister-in-law of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and the daughter-in-law of former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck has Celiac Disease, and has talked about it many times on The View.

[edit] Controversies

Hasselbeck has been involved in a number of noted controversial debates on The View including, but not limited to:

* On August 2, 2006, Hasselbeck got into a heated debate in which she strongly opposed the Food and Drug Administration's plan to sell the "morning after pill" as an over-the-counter drug. Hasselbeck stated, "I believe that life begins at the moment of conception..." She said the pill should be banned in cases of rape and incest, because "that life still has value." Hasselbeck argued that advocates of the drug use the "rape or incest" exception as a "bait-and-switch" distraction from the goal of making it universally accessible. She argued if the "rape or incest" exception was all advocates cared about, they would not support its over-the-counter status. [7]

* In May 2007, Hasselbeck was involved in a heated on-air argument with co-host Rosie O'Donnell concerning the war in Iraq, which she supports and O'Donnell opposes. O'Donnell made comments that were interpreted as referring to either the Bush administration or the American soldiers in Iraq as "terrorists". The argument began when O'Donnell stated she was upset with Hasselbeck for not coming stronger to her defense following the media attention after her comment. Hasselbeck responded that she shouldn't have to defend anyone else's words for them, especially when they have a forum with which to defend themselves.

* In September 2007, Barry Manilow cancelled a scheduled appearance on The View due to his dislike of Hasselbeck and her conservative views. Manilow said, "I strongly disagree with her views. I think she's dangerous and offensive. I will not be on the same stage as her." He added, "I had made a request that I be interviewed by co-hosts Joy (Behar), Barbara (Walters) or Whoopi (Goldberg), but not Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Unfortunately, the show was not willing to accommodate this simple request, so I bowed out."[8]

* On October 3, 2007, Hasselbeck and The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg got into a discussion about Hillary Clinton's new $5000 baby entitlement which became heated due to Hasselbeck stating that it would lead to fewer abortions due to women wanting to keep the money. Goldberg warned Hasselbeck to "back off a little" and asked her if she "had ever been in that position to make that decision."[9]