Survivor returns to Fiji as first overseas TV production since Covid pandemic

Fiji's Minister for Tourism and Trade welcomed the return of film production. Photo / Suppied, Film Fiji

The hit US TV show depicting survival in paradise returns to film in Fiji, after Coronavirus threatened to put an end to its 20 year run.

On Thursday the Fijian Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport said it would "soon welcome back the United States reality show Survivor to begin production in the country."

With no cases of community transmission for over 300 days the Pacific islands have been cautious to re-open borders to overseas film workers. The US TV show will be the first international production to return to Fiji since the start of the pandemic.

Under the new framework to allow film production to resume in Fiji contestants, crew and all other overseas workers on the series must first provide negative Covid test results pre-departure and isolate for 14 days in a government approved quarantine facility.

Production company SEG Holdco, which has made the show for CBS since 2000, has been given the go ahead to film its 41st and 42nd series in Fiji, back-to-back. Eight of the previous seasons have been made in the islands.

Survivor contestants will return to the Covid-free paradise of Fiji. Photo / Supplied

Survivor's return to the Covid-free paradise was an obvious choice, "with the risk of even a single case shutting down multi-million-dollar projects" said Fiji's Trade and Tourism Minister, Faiyaz Koya.

"Fiji is a Covid-Contained country, with no local cases of the virus for more than 300 days we have safely restored freedom of movement and association. We offer the world's most serene and spectacular natural settings," he said.

Filming is set to begin this month, with the first non-Fijian workers having already been tested and booked into quarantine facilities.

"We are excited as Survivor fans everywhere to welcome the production back to Fiji, and we look forward to welcoming other productions, in line with our COVID-safe protocols, that put more Fijians back to work," said Koya.

Jeff Probst, producer and host of Survivor: FIJI - Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

In March last year, Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst announced it would be delaying production until they could safely return to the islands.

While Fiji had "no reported cases and is beautifully remote," Probst said that the amount of travel and international workforce brought risks, "creating a need for more time to fully analyse and create our new production safety plan."

With over 100 million viewers worldwide, Survivor lives on to a 21st year of production. Showing a group of marooned strangers competing to avoid elimination and win a cash prize of US $1million – it is just the desert island escapism much of the world is longing for while overseas travel is largely suspended.