With the premiere of "Survivor 41" less than three weeks away, fans are celebrating that the long wait is finally over and while everyone is happy the show is finally back, there were countless frustrations involved in bringing the latest season to the public.
With so many logistics involved, the team even considered filming in Georgia — a decision the show's host Jeff Probst explained to Entertainment Weekly.
"It was March 2020 when we made the official decision to postpone shooting Survivor 41 in Fiji," Probst said, "We immediately turned our full attention to finding another location and even considered shooting domestically in Georgia or Hawaii."
The idea fell apart after failed attempts to shoot in the summer, then the fall. Eventually, the team decided to resume production in March 2021 back in Fiji. There were obstacles though.
"The first big hurdle was establishing our COVID protocols," Probst said. "We worked with the Fiji government to create what was essentially a large bubble that consisted of several islands — including tribe camps, challenge locations, Tribal Council, and base camp. This extended bubble would be our home for the next many months. Once every crew member and player had quarantined for 14 days and received a negative test, we were able to move freely between those islands, with no risk, because it was only our crew and we were all safe."
The second obstacle, Probst said, was getting 400 international crew members into Fiji.
"Not only did we have to charter our own jets, but the restrictions regarding which countries were allowed into Fiji kept changing week to week," he said. As a result, not all crew members were able to make it.
"Of all the obstacles we had to contend with, this was the most impactful and emotional, because we wanted our entire team together and we knew everyone wanted to get back to work," Probst continued. "It might not seem like a big deal, but we are one big family, and it just didn't feel right. Regardless, that was the reality, so we dealt with it."
Production took several months and while it proved to be stressful and frustrating, overcoming the countless roadblocks to get "Survivor" back on TV came as great satisfaction to the team.
"When we were all finally out of quarantine, you could feel the gratitude from all of us to be back together and making the show we love," Probst recalled. "I'm not exaggerating when I say I've never felt anything like it in 21 years. The energy was 100 percent positive. I was smiling every single day and enjoying the players and the game in a really fresh way. I think you'll feel it throughout the season. Survivor is back, and we're going to have fun!"
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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