CBS
Jeff Probst on the set of Survivor: Winners at War
Fans of Survivor can hardly take it anymore wondering when their favorite reality show will be back on the air. Well, fans are in luck because there is a bit of new information available and some of it is very good news, so read on to find out when we can anticipate seasons 41, 42, and even season 43.
There Might Be Three Seasons Filmed Next Year
According to Inside Survivor, CBS is toying with the idea of getting three seasons filmed in 2021 instead of the usual two, with the idea being to air season 41 in the summer of 2021, season 42 to air in the fall of 2021, and season 43 to air in early 2022.
There has apparently been “some pushback” on the production side about filming three seasons consecutively, but we would imagine if CBS and Jeff Probst are on board and want to make three seasons happen, they will happen.
The Location Is Still Up in the Air
You may be wondering how it seems like every other reality show in existence has been able to go back into production except Survivor, including MTV’s The Challenge, which, unlike shows like Big Brother and The Bachelor, also takes a huge production crew to a foreign country for several months to film a season. If The Challenge can film a season in August through October 2020 in Iceland, why can’t Survivor find a place to film a season?
Well, Survivor has filmed in Fiji since season 33, which means the process has been streamlined. They have some permanent structures, good relationships with the locals, and a hefty tax rebate for the production.
However, Fiji has gone on complete lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic (and consequently, the country has had very few cases of the virus). But they aren’t too keen to let a nearly-400 person production crew into the country to film. Plus, the tax rebates are currently frozen until the pandemic passes, according to the KPMG website. So this puts a big kink on the usual Survivor production plan.
Inside Survivor reports that Fiji is still the preferred location, but production has also been looking into some Caribbean nations as an option instead, specifically, the Dominican Republic, which hosted a season of Survivor Mexico earlier this year.
The Casts Are Being Revamped
Inside Survivor also reports that casting for seasons 41 and 42, which had previously been wrapped up, is now in flux again. Some contestants are being swapped or cut and the biggest reason is due to CBS’ new inclusion initiative where at least 50 percent of the cast be BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).
We had actually been wondering if CBS would be able to get that initiative going for Survivor season 41 since the casting had wrapped before it was announced, so it’s heartening to see that CBS is taking it so seriously that they’re revamping the cast.
This is all great news for Survivor fans. A season of the show hasn’t aired in the summer since the first season, “Borneo,” which aired from May 31 to August 23, 2000. A summer season followed by two regular seasons would be quite the treat after the year-long drought.
Survivor hopes to film seasons 41 and 42 in the spring of 2021.
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