Elisabeth Hasselbeck will guest host on CBS Mornings next week, appearing Monday through Wednesday as CBS News keeps testing new talent on the show. Her stint is set to place her alongside Vladimir Duthiers and Adrianna Diaz, with Norah O'Donnell also scheduled to appear throughout Wednesday's telecast.

The booking matters because it is happening while CBS News is trying to change the feel of a morning program that still trails its rivals in the audience race. For the five days ended June 5, CBS Mornings averaged about 1.69 million viewers, compared with 2.98 million for Today and 2.7 million for GMA. Among adults 25 to 54, it drew 285,000 viewers, behind 640,000 for Today and 470,000 for GMA.

Hasselbeck is not a traditional newsroom hire. She first gained attention as a contestant on Survivor, later became a co-host on ABC's The View and Fox & Friends, and has been known for conservative views on air. That makes her presence on a news program notable, but CBS News is steering clear of hard-news and political segments for her role, instead putting her in the lighter lane of Talk of the Table and conversations about parenting, pop culture and entertainment.

The format tells the story as much as the name on the guest list. CBS Mornings has relied on Gayle King and Nate Burleson since Tony Dokoupil moved to CBS Evening News earlier this year, and Tom Cibrowski appears to be casting a wide net as the network searches for a stronger mix. Eva Pilgrim of Inside Edition is also among the guest hosts expected over the summer, which suggests this is not a one-off booking but part of a broader trial run.

What CBS is testing now is not just chemistry, but fit: whether familiar TV personalities can help stabilize a show that needs a lift without pretending they are something they are not. If Hasselbeck clicks in the looser parts of the broadcast, more summer appearances could follow; if not, the network will keep moving through its list.