During “Entertainment Tonight’s” Hawai’i Week on Kauaʻi, host Kevin Frazier was captivated by Kīpū Ranch, where filmmakers have gravitated to the cinematic landscape to shoot scenes for “The Descendants,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Outbreak.”
Frazier explored the ranch during one of its ATV adventures, telling Kauaʻi Now he had never experienced the mountains quite that way before: “It was ridiculous, ridiculous.”
And coming along for the ride were the viewers of the popular TV program, now in its 46th season.
All week, Frazier, fellow host Nischelle Turner and ET’s crew ventured around the Garden Island to experience Kauaʻi’s breathtaking landscapes, local flavors, small-town charm and island hospitality.
They traded their Hollywood studio for a home base at the newly opened Hale Hokuala Kauaʻi in Līhuʻe.
“Entertainment Tonight” has been producing an annual series of episodes in the state in a partnership with the Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau. This year, with support from the Kauaʻi Visitors Bureau, the location was the Garden Island.
The timing is good for the island’s tourism industry that has been struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Lowell, which just two months ago destroyed homes and left most of the island without power, and some areas without water.
Most of the state and local parks were closed for weeks due to the damage.
In the direct aftermath of Lowell, Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami told visitors to reconsider coming to the island until it had time to recover.
On Friday, Kawakami said in a statement: “Kauaʻi is open, and we are welcoming visitors back to our island.”
He said tourism is an important part of the economy, with many local businesses counting on the patronage of tourists to recover. The county put out an Instagram post emphasizing: “Kauaʻi is open.”
“We encourage visitors to enjoy all that Kauaʻi has to offer while being thoughtful and respectful of our communities and the residents who call this island home,” Kawakami said. “Please support our locally owned restaurants, shops, and small businesses. Every dollar spent locally makes a difference for our island. We are grateful for the understanding and support shown to our community in the immediate aftermath of the storm.”
Jon Itoga, general manager of the host resort for the TV program, said: “Entertainment Tonight gave the Garden Island an incredible platform to showcase the destination, while also introducing Hale Hōkūala as a new place to stay and a home base for experiencing the island.”
Itoga said: “There’s also a real sense of pride right now in seeing the island moving forward together. Kauaʻi is open. Hale Hōkūala is open. Our restaurants, hotels, local businesses, and experiences across the island are here and ready to welcome people.”
“Entertainment Tonight” began the weeklong series on Monday with a traditional Hawaiian blessing to mark the start of production, followed by a tour of the resort and an on-air chant with Miss Aloha Hula 2025 Jaedyn Pavao and her hula sisters.
The program shone a national spotlight on local communities, encouraging future visitors to experience the islands beyond their hotel pools and resort walls.
“We wanted to make sure that we highlighted the beauty that is Kauaʻi and try to help people come back and let people know Kauaʻi is open for business,” Turner told Kauaʻi Now.
She said the island certainly provided plenty to talk about — and to eat.
“I’m a girl who loves a good meal, so I have to say the time with Chef Roy Yamaguchi at Ocean House was really, really great,” Turner said excitedly.
Turner said she loved the seafood boil infused with Hawaiian flavors, including lemongrass, that brought a tropical twist to the dish she enjoys in New Orleans.
“It was like a seafood boil on steroids,” she said. “It was all the flavors of Hawaiʻi in there, and I just — I lost my mind.”
Frazer said it was his second time to Kauaʻi, “but it always feels like the first time when you come here because you meet so many different people, and the folks here make it feel like home, and that’s been the beauty of anywhere we’ve gone on the island. … I do love the small town.”
Itoga said the most meaningful part of the experience was that the show extended beyond the resort and celebrated “Kauaʻi from its people, culture, food, natural beauty, and sense of place. Seeing our team and community partners come together to share what makes this island so special was something I was incredibly proud to be a part of.”
The TV crew also visited Kīlohana Plantation and took a train ride with general manager Fred Atkins, as well as downing shots at Kōloa Rum Co.
But while Hollywood connections and spectacular views made for memorable television, the hosts said the real magic of Kauaʻi came from its people.
“Get off the resort,” Frazier said. “Meet the people, see the island, and understand the culture.”
Shannon Uyeda, a flight attendant with Hawaiian Airlines, said in one episode: “Go check out all the mom-and-pop businesses, support local, those are the people who are going to give you the best spot to go after that.”
Turner and Frazier also emphasized the importance of supporting locally owned businesses and spending money within the communities that make each island interesting.
“This place is unique,” Turner said, “Kauaʻi definitely has something different to offer. Itʻs the ʻohana feeling here with the family feeling, and that, in my opinion, is what Hawaiʻi is made up of — the aunties and uncles, like that culture where everybody is family. You feel like family.
“So you do want to shop locally, spend locally, because this isn’t a place that’s made up of big box and commercial.”
Frazier and Turner added: “We are coming back for sure.”
To watch Entertainment Tonight Hawaiʻi Week, head to etonline or click here.
