Kevin Sorbo: I grow a bad beard. They wanted me to get scruffy because the first scene that's how I look when we meet. I will shave. I'm playing Charlie's old college buddy. I'm a dentist and I'm with Doctors Without Borders and stationed in a far, far away location and show up looking like this. It is a very funny script.
Kelly: I fall in love with him and I decide I'm going to move to Africa with him and help other people.
Kevin: We make out the entire episode.
Regis: Do you two kiss?
Kelly: Constantly.
Kevin: I think we have to. I think it is part of the character development.
(5.01.04 Live with Regis and Kelly, TV)

"Doctors Without Borders was featured on "ER" and "Will & Grace." Now it's a part of this sitcom, "Hope & Faith", with Kevin Sorbo playing a doc on leave from his service in Djibouti." (13.02.04 Chicago Sun Times)

The main storyline focuses on Faith's sudden infatuation with a selfless doctor who does global missions -- but falls for the self-centered ex-diva. And Kevin was on screen most of the episode!

Plot summary by Gemini0521

Charley's medical school roommate and friend, Kenny Salo (Kevin Sorbo), a dentist working for Doctors Without Borders, arrives for a little visit from Africa with an utter thicket-beard (well, during the most part of the episode he was coming out clean-shaven) and falls in love with Faith. She reciprocates his feelings. They are having good time together and Kenny is teaching Faith to rollerblade. She comes rollerblading into the house after him and Charley says, "Oh look! It's Brian Boitano and Katarina half-Witt!" **

Along the way, Hope's daughter, Hayley, develops a crush on "Uncle" Kenny, which leaves her studious "math buddy" Edwin, jealous. It seems she had been sending him letters and he really liked it and when he saw her (and I assume the last time he saw her she was small, but this isn't mentioned in the episode) he commented on how pretty she was and I think that's when she developed her crush on him. I was just wondering how long it took Kevin and the young actress who played Hayley to learn that African language they used in the dinner table scene - I thought it was nice, but odd that it took a whole sentence to say two words!

Hope is thrilled about her sister's relationship with Kenny until she announces that she's moving with him to Djibouti, a war-torn desert nation. Hope is shocked and tries to discourage Faith by taking her on a camping trip to let her see how dangerous it could be living in the wild. But it's Kenny himself who winds up talking her out of going, even though he loves her.

** Brian Boitano - 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist in men's figure skating. Katarina Witt - 1988 Olympic second-time Gold Medalist in women's figure skating. Boitano and Witt spent three years on tour in the United States. Their ice show "Witt and Boitano Skating" was highly successful.

The footnote for some pics on Au Fan Club page:

13.02.04 - ET: "Hope & Faith" outtakes [summed up from various posts on Kevin Sorbo's Forum]

ET aired the outtakes of the actual episode - all of about 35 seconds. The outtake was hysterical. First scene Kevin is sitting at a table talking to her and next scene Charley kisses him. Charley kissed Kenny on the cheek in the actual episode (it was in imitation of the way Kenny and Faith announced they were going off together as Charley would be glad to get rid of Faith) - in the outtakes, the kiss was on the lips. Kevin looked completely shocked, it sure took him by surprise, no doubt about that! The look on Kevin's face was priceless and I loved his reaction with a playful fist, like he was saying "don't try that again, pal" or something like that! Maybe Kevin even wanted to use a 'naughty' word in his reactions, and then thought better of it, live tv audience and all!

Agreeing with those who take it as good laugh, I still have to concur with the opinion of Themis: "Interesting that they used an outtake (The Charley on-the-lips kiss) in the tv promo - typical (these days) false advertising!"