‘Survivor’: Find Out Its Most Dangerous Filming Location

It’s no secret that Survivor is a grueling reality show. The castaways endure brutal conditions, weather dangers, wild animals, and all manner of sickness while they film the show. But Daniel Lue from Survivor: The Amazon, the show’s sixth season, might just take the cake with his recent revelation that he contracted malaria while filming — he also revealed that their season was shot in the most dangerous location the show has ever filmed.

Despite Anti-Malaria Drugs, Lue Still Got Incredibly Sick

Meet Daniel LueCBS pre-game interview with Daniel Lue, prior to filming Survivor: The Amazon (2003). From the “Inside the Tribe” DVD available at Saturn dealerships in 2003. All rights are CBS/Survivor Productions, LLC.2017-02-02T16:39:26Z

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lue revealed that upon returning home from the Amazon, he got very, very sick and it took doctors a while to test him for malaria.

About a week before the season premiere, I was waking up each morning feeling very tired, even after sleeping eight hours. The fatigue remained throughout the day and I couldn’t really shake it. Then one night I felt a strange chill come over me so I went to bed and covered myself with an extra blanket. I woke up in the middle of the night burning hot and I figured it was just the extra blanket. I had the strangest dreams that lasted seemingly all night but woke up feeling much better.

The fatigue seemed to be gone. Three days later, I felt a much stronger chill that turned into a high fever that turned into night sweats. This cycle lasted for about a week, and each time with the symptoms getting worse. I went to two different doctors that said it was most likely the flu. I took a flu test and the doctor said to me, “Good news. It’s not the flu”. But he didn’t know what it was and just sent me home. I told them I was in the Amazon recently and they didn’t think it was malaria or anything else since I was vaccinated before leaving and took anti-malaria pills.

It got so bad that one time when I felt the chills, I turned on the water in my shower to the hottest setting and I was still shaking cold despite my skin turning red from the heat. At one point my fever hit 105 and I had to take a Tylenol and Advil together just to bring down the fever. I went to the ER and took a blood test and confirmed it was malaria. I was relieved because I finally had the proper diagnosis.

He eventually recovered, and Lue said doesn’t regret going on the show “even with the whole malaria experience.”

The Amazon Was The Most Dangerous Location They Ever Filmed

Survivor The Amazon The First Individual Immunity Challenge2020-10-05T18:01:03Z

In the same interview, Lue said that the footage on TV did not do the Amazon justice. When they got to basecamp, executive producer Mark Burnett was there waiting for them. He told them this was the most dangerous location they had ever been to and “if you act like a f*cking idiot and f*ck up, you will f*cking die out here.”

Then to drive the point home, they went on a nighttime hike and paddled into a lake in canoes with only the cameraman’s light to guide them. Suddenly, the jungle guide shined a light into the water and they were surrounded by baby crocodiles.

“Where the babies are, the mothers are nearby as well, so [the guide said] we need to get back on land immediately. The guide also instructed us not to tip over our canoes, because we would quickly be attacked. After that, we got Mark’s message loud and clear,” said Lue.

Survivor hopes to film season 41 in the spring of 2021 for a fall 2021 premiere.

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