Just how tough is it to be in Survivor NZ?
It was the dangerous wildlife talk that put the fear in us. Some context: I was one of five journalists TVNZ flew over to Thailand to gather content on the new season of Survivor. Part of the experience was a night spent in the bush on an island where one of the Survivor tribes would be marooned.
Previously our little band of reporters had been looking forward to our adventure.
We had mosquito nets; we had little bottles of duty-free spirits. But on the lakeside at Pom Pee Viewpoint things took a more sinister turn.
It was there, in a floating bungalow tethered to the shore, that the crew for Survivor NZ had set up their base of operations.
It was there that their local fixer, an Australian guy called Mick, ran us through all the things that could bite us in the Thai jungle. Spiders, ants, snakes. Teeth, fangs, mandibles to pierce your skin, pump you with venom.
The King Cobra: a snake so large it can look you in the eye when it rears up to bite. The Malaysian Pit Viper, which blends in with the sticks and leaf litter, inviting you to step on it so it can sink its fangs into your leg. Tarantulas. Fire ants.
Mick assured us there was no real danger. Only around 25 per cent of all snakes are venomous, and an even smaller portion of those pose any threat to your life.
But always the possibility was there, lurking in the long grass; why else was he telling us not to suck out the poison, like they do in the movies?
Survivor season one winner Avi Duckor-Jones, sitting in the prow, was the only calm one in our boat. He’d got through almost 40 days in Nicaragua without incident, after all (scorpions, apparently, were the main concern there). He was fronting TVNZ’s coverage; and talking to the contestants ahead of the game getting underway had him feeling all nostalgic.
In New Zealand we associate warm weather with long days, but in Thailand that’s not the case. We arrived on the island that would be our home for the night shortly before 6pm and already the light was fading. It’d be pitch-black by 7.30pm.
In the encroaching darkness everything became more sinister. A snake? A stick. A spider on your neck? A fallen leaf. I kept imagining fiery red ants marching down my spine.
The shores of the island were sun-baked mud. I’m not sure if that was because the lake level is sometimes higher, or because they were stripped of vegetation by the herds of wild cows that swim from island to island to graze. Beyond was the dark jungle interior. It felt a long way from the white sand beaches the Nicaragua contestants had to live on.
Production had given us a machete and a tarpaulin so we busied ourselves setting up camp under the jungle canopy. The actual Survivor contestants will have the machete, but not the tarp - if they can’t build some kind of shelter before it gets dark on the first day, they’ll be sleeping on the ground.
In the end, I slept embarrassingly well. The others barely got a wink; I only woke up when I needed to pee.
In the light of dawn, we found our fears had dissipated. We sat on the lake shore and watched as a local came in on her long-tail boat and pulled up a long net full of small silver fish.
Judging by her haul, the Survivor contestants won’t have any trouble catching fish to supplement the rice and beans they’re given - though they might struggle if they have to compete with the locals.
The fisherwoman’s appearance reminded us that we weren’t, at any time, that far away from civilisation. The town of Sangkhlaburi, with its hospital and other facilities, was probably 20 minutes away by boat.
In reality (as is often the case with fears), there was nothing to be scared of.
The real Survivor contestants will have not just the environment to fear, but also other contestants. During our night in the bush, Duckor-Jones mentioned that being unable to truly trust any of the people he was stranded in Nicaragua with had been one of the toughest things about the Survivor experience.
Speaking from my own Survivor experience, a strong mind is going to be the key to success of Survivor NZ.
Survivor NZ: Thailand starts Sunday, April 22 at 7pm on TVNZ 2