Parvati Shallow won the $1m prize in Survivor: Micronesia, the show's 16th season. She has competed three times.
Parvati Shallow won the $1m prize in Survivor: Micronesia, the show's 16th season. She has competed three times.
A New Zealand adaptation of long-running hit reality show Survivor has been confirmed by TV2 - and it was instantly mocked on Twitter.
Applications have opened for those wanting to be contestants on the show, a statement from TV2 said.
The hit reality show makes teams live in tribes on remote islands and compete in challenges with limited food and supplies, with contestants forming alliances and eliminating each other one by one.
The last remaining survivor wins US$1 million, although TV2 hasn't yet confirmed prize money, the location or host. Applicants need a current passport to apply.
Survivor's contestants are usually buff, good-looking and aged between 20 and 35.
"Do you have what it takes to compete in the ultimate test of endurance, strength and strategy all in a far flung tropical location?" the statement asked.
"How much do you want to be the sole Survivor and walk away with a huge cash prize?
"This series will see Kiwi contestants battle it out, competing in reward and immunity challenges, with weekly eliminations by tribal vote. But only one will survive."
Applicants need to be over 18, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, no criminal record, have a current passport and be in "good physical and mental health".
Since its debut in 2000, Survivor has aired for 32 seasons in America, all hosted by Jeff Probst.
Probst's iconic blue safari shirts and quips - including "I'll count the votes ... I'll read the votes," and "Bring me your torch ... it's time for you to go" - have become synonymous with the show
Survivor's biggest characters have also gone on to become celebrities, including Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who starred in the show's second season and then became a familiar TV personality, and Richard Hatch, the controversial winner of season one.
Parvati Shallow won the $1m prize in Survivor: Micronesia, the show's 16th season. She has competed three times.
The show is also notorious for creating villains out of contestants, like Russell Hantz, who stole food and hid contestants' clothes and appeared on the show three times, and Phillip Sheppard, known for his aggressive gameplay, consant outbursts and lack of clothing.
TVNZ's General Manager of commissioning, production and acquisitions, Andrew Shaw said Survivor was "the big kahuna of reality event television".
While its the first time Survivor has been adapted in New Zealand, several seasons of the similarly-themed Celebrity Treasure Island and spin-offs aired in the late '90s and mid-2000s, featuring celebrities like Lana Coc-Kroft, Greer Robson, Matthew Ridge and Josh Kronfeld.
