Competition reality shows are having a moment. From the arrival of The Traitors at the end of 2022, to the return of Race Across The World, to the upcoming Squid Game: The Challenge; it seems all we really want to watch on telly is a bunch of normal people take part in a variety of difficult challenges, with a healthy dose of gossip and team tactics thrown in, all in the hopes of walking away with a mega crash prize. So it seems only right we add another show to this growing genre. Introducing: Survivor UK.
Survivor UK sees 18 castaways, divided into two tribes, attempt to survive on a tropical island with a limited amount of supplies, in order to compete for the title of 'Sole Survivor' (and a casual £100,000.) They also face numerous challenges along the way, where they are pitted against the other tribe and compete to win prizes and immunity. If they win immunity in a challenge, the other tribe must come together in a 'tribal council' and vote one of their team mates out by a secret ballot.
Think the concept sounds familiar? Well the show actually aired in the UK for two seasons back in the early 2000s before going off air, and there currently are over 20 international editions in the works or currently airing. The American version is on its 45th season and has a seriously devoted cult following.
So what does it take to survive in such a tense competition show? And are they really just left in the wild to survive with no possessions? We asked two of this season's castaways to find out what it's really like to go on Survivor UK.
"I started watching Survivor religiously in lockdown and always said to my partner I would love to do it," 30-year-old Survivor contestant Hannah told Cosmopolitan UK. "And then the Survivor UK advert came up on my social media and I thought 'this can't be real, this is mad' so obviously I had to apply."
Hannah quickly submitted her application, which involved answering questions and submitting a video of herself, which she filmed in the loos at her office job, explaining why she wanted to be on the show.
For 23-year-old personal trainer Rach, her journey to Survivor UK was a little different. "After I was approached in January, my boyfriend and I binge watched all of the Australian season, and I just knew by the end of the first episode, I wanted to do this. I enjoy travelling and I like being in the outdoors. And the mystery behind it really intrigued me."
After submitting applications, the hopeful candidates are put through a "mini version" of Survivor to test their skills. "You do a challenge and then tribal council. And then you have a psych test and sit down with one of the producers to find out more about the show. Then you have all the fitness tests, bleep tests, running tests, and swimming tests - they were a nightmare," Hannah explains.
Cast members had around two weeks between finding out they had got on the show and heading out. In that time, they all focused heavily on training. For Rach, that meant stepping up her fitness regime and increasing her food intake. For Hannah, who plays football semi-professionally, she regularly trained, and played as many puzzle games on her phone as possible.
Filming took place in summer earlier this year for two months in the Dominican Republic, but as the cast quickly discovered, this was no holiday. All the castaways could take with them was their one pre-planned outfit and a selection of extra clothing items.
"I took a rain coat, a hoodie and a pair of long trousers," Hannah said. "So in the morning, you'll see me wake up in long trousers and a hoodie, but then I'll be wearing the shorts [I arrived in] for the rest of the day."
And forget delicious camp meals; the cast mainly survived on a ration of plain rice and beans. And if you've ever wondered, it really isn't a gourmet meal. "I really missed seasoning, the rice and bean are pretty bland. It got to a point where you're [adding] sea water just to give it some salt," Hannah said.
The castaways slept on bamboo makeshifts beds compete with palm leaves. Erm, what happens if you get cold? Well production are definitely not on hand giving out blankets. Instead, the castaways simply cuddled up closer. There's also no showers, with castaways often opting to wash in the sea or in the well reserved for drinking water.
In the first scene of the new season, we see the cast members meet each other and host Joel Dommett for the first time on a boat. "That really was the first time we met each other on the boat, which was scary. We didn't even know each other's names until Joel got on the boat," Rach says.
They got to know each other pretty fast, and with many of them struggling the most with being away from friends and family, the tribes built a strong bond. "We all had a good laugh," Rach adds. "A lot of us opened up about our home life and we tried to get know each other on more of a personal level."
But while people may be close with their teammates, there is surprisingly little interaction with the other tribe, with the two groups only ever seeing each other at challenges.
The castaways were filmed 24/7 and had to keep themselves occupied in between filming of the challenges.
Speaking of challenges, castaways are kept in the dark about what they entail until they reach the challenge area, where Joel would explain the rules, and then a member of production would go over it again to ensure they understood. For the losers of the challenge, they head to the tribal council area later that day, where they must vote off one of their teammates.
"It takes a lot longer to film than it appears on TV and during the filming people do get up and have sneaky chats with each other," Rach explained.
So is going on Survivor UK worth it? For Rach, it seems like an easy answer, "I learnt so much about myself, I'm capable of doing a lot more than I tell myself I can," she said.
Survivor UK continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
