Surviving reality TV
Survivor SA will break spirits before your torch is snuffed out.
Being stranded on an island for a reality show like Survivor South Africa (2006- current) reminded me of the fight to stay alive by 7de Laan (2000- current) characters Diederik (Hennie Jacobs), Marko (Francois Lensley) and Willem (Markus Haywood) in May 2017 when they were stranded after a plane crash. Like them, we found ourselves in a strange and unforgiving place for the Survivor SA Experience, where we would be forced to rely on our instincts just to see the sunrise the next morning. Although I’ve watched the original Survivor (2000- current), I didn’t realise how addictive it is to try keep your torch burning until M-Net took 12 journalists to the Philippines to experience the new season first-hand. And that’s not even the “coolest” part – building shelter, trying to make a fire in the elements, going hungry. You name it and the game teaches you all about it… and then some!
Our first meeting was at the airport. Unlike contestants in the real show, we didn’t have “chaperones” keeping us apart so that we couldn’t plan a survival strategy. Soon we were shuffled to our plane and we headed to the island of El Nido in the Philippines. The first night was a Survivor dream – we got to stay in a hotel to rest up for the next morning’s 05:00 wake-up call. Like the real castaways, we were stripped of our cellphones, sunglasses, watches and any other luxury items before being taken to our Survivor beach.
It’s all fun and games until the rules are read out to us, we’re reminded of what we may and may not do and the cameras start rolling. Then the adrenaline kicks in and it’s time to survive! We’re told to jump in the water and we have four minutes to grab what we can – rice, a pot, wood, fruit, a panga, rope and a piece of flint – from a floating station. From there, we need to climb onto a bamboo raft and head to the beach. And it’s a long row for these already tired arms!
It feels like I’ve just hit the water and I’m already hearing the others gasp for air alongside me. Someone is hurt – they have cut themselves on a piece of coral reef underwater. Luckily, a medical crew are on hand at all times, like in the show, to attend to any injuries and wounds… but only if it’s life threatening or serious. This is Survivor after all – no pain, no gain! When we reach the shore, we realise that instead of separate teams, we’re all on one: Araw. And we’ve got our own branded doeks!
Our Survivor Experience is going full ball but it doesn’t feel like a game. Our first task is to build a shelter and get a fire going. Unlike so many real castaways, we don’t have a hassle – we’re given flint from the start. While the island is uninhabited, there are signs that people lived here before –
last year one of the teams from season 6 of Survivor SA was on this island before the merge, so we’ve got a base to build from. But it’s a lot harder building shelter than we thought, especially because our unofficial team leader isn’t giving any direction while at the same time not letting anyone else make suggestions. It actually feels like a soapie where no one trusts each other. Everyone is constantly in each other’s hair and the alliances can be spotted forming from a mile off. And the lazy players aren’t hard to miss either: they’re sitting under a tree daydreaming of a cigarette that was unceremoniously taken away from us. The production team call one of us aside for a quick heart-to-heart with the camera, just like in the real Survivor game. And believe me, everyone has something to complain about!
It’s only been a couple of hours but already our tummies are rumbling, the insects are eating us alive, thoughts of social media are filling our heads and worse, the toilets literally are “a bush around the corner”. Luckily we have basic supplies – not like on the show where the castaways starve if they don’t have food. Our shelter still isn’t up and it’s time for the first challenge. We’re picked up by a boat and in the distance, we can make out a constructed set where the season 6 castaways actually took part in challenges while filming last year. I can already feel a pit in my stomach. We’re surrounded by microphones and cameras to make sure that not as single word or move is missed. We’re told to balance on a seesaw-like balance beam over a mudpit and memorise a puzzle that we’ll be rebuilding under the strict eye of real Survivor SA host Nico Panagio, who is standing with us giving real-time playby-play commentary. This really feels like we’re in the game – Nico is awesome at his job and could actually give the US Survivor host Jeff Probst a run for his money.
These games are hectic, but I make it through in one piece. After the challenge, we’re taken to our first Tribal Council – and it’s where the real one took place. I never expected it to be this dramatic – it really is as actionpacked and intense as the council on the Survivor show, surrounded by a circle of fire. We’re each handed our own torches and they’re set on fire before we sit down. Nico already knows everything that went on at the beach camp and he knows exactly which buttons to push to add drama. He even knows about things we’d rather leave buried in the beach sand… And it’s not surprising, given how many cameras follow us on the camp. You can’t lie with your answers either – Nico knows what you think, so you might as well say it in front of the other contestants. Then we vote – and it’s so cool! The votes are tallied and while usually only one person’s torch is snuffed out, two of us are sent packing. It’s late afternoon when we get back to camp – everyone is tired, moody and hungry. Do we really have to stay here with a half-built shelter? I’m tired of this so- called game already! [Laughs] Even better – a tropical cyclone is moving in for the next two days! Thank you for small miracles – the production team make the decision to end the game early “for safety reasons”, although it’s probably more out of sympathy for this sad bunch of castaways who don’t look like we’d make it through the night.
This was literally one day – and not even a full- on Survivor day. I can’t imagine getting to day 39! Even the boat ride back to the main island is rough. More so because we know what we think of each other. I can only imagine how awkward it is in the real game, going back to an island with someone who really hates you or stabbed you in the back. I can honestly say that having played the Survivor SA Experience, I will gladly let The Game beat me if it means getting to sleep in a comfy, clean bed after a hot shower! Outwit. Outplay. Outlast!