Kathy Griffin dishes on her fellow ''Mole'' stars

Ahh…the glamorous life of a celebrity: jetting to Hawaii, competing among other fabulous stars, and getting strangled by Stephen Baldwin. Kathy Griffin lived that high life as a contestant on ABC’s ”Celebrity Mole: Hawaii” (premieres Jan. 8), and gave EW the dirty dish on this Battle of the Need-Work Stars.
— Kathy Griffin, as told to Josh Wolk

When I saw our group, I was like, ”Jesus Christ, I’ve had beer bashes with bigger celebrities.” And I count myself among that list: I’m a proud member of the D list. Corbin Bernsen said it was great to be on six episodes of prime time. That’s like saying, ”I just got a great part in a movie. It’s a snuff film, therefore it will be my last film, but it is a movie.”

There was Erik von Detten, the costar of the not-very-popular ”Dinotopia,” and, well, it’s possible that he’s retarded. I don’t have a doctor’s note, but on one of our van rides to a challenge, he would say stuff like ”I just wonder when I’m gonna lose my baby face.” And everyone else would want to talk about it! All day! Stephen Baldwin, I’m convinced he has killed people. He choked me once! I had sassed back, and what better way to disarm a lady than…to choke her? And later on, Baldwin took Bernsen’s journal, and they got in a scuffle. I have to give it up to them both in one respect: Every minute that they’re on is really good in a superpsychotic way. And Frederique van der Wal, of course I’m not going to click with her, because she is ”Dutch model.” There’d be a lot of her talking about the burden of being known just for being beautiful. I don’t feel that burden, I don’t identify with that burden — I wouldn’t even use the word ”burden.”

I got along really well with Kim Coles and Michael Boatman; I feel like the other people tortured me. But I’m having ”Mole” parties at my house every week, and will have 12 of my gay friends come over. They’re going to give me such s— behind my back anyway, so I’m going to say, ”You know what, fellas? Just get it over with, say it to my face.” I know it’s going to be complete humiliation, so I’m going to celebrate it.