Mateship and Romance on Australian Survivor

The Aussie remake of the hit reality series is expected to feature “mateship” and romance according to Executive Producer Stephen Tate.

Production is currently underway in Samoa for Network Ten’s adaptation of Survivor, and last week, the show’s Executive Producer Stephen Tate divulged some details of what to expect from the new series. Tate is also the Head of Entertainment and Factual Programming for Network Ten, and over the years has produced series such as Australian Idol, Big Brother, and MasterChef Austrailia.

Speaking to MCN.com, Tate revealed that the major difference between the Australian cast, compared to their international counterparts, is that they put much more value into “mateship.” While we are used to backstabbing and deception on American Survivor, Tate stated that some of the Aussie cast members “…are genuinely conflicted when it comes to voting out a mate.” Even though that might suggest a less compelling show to an American audience, Tate believes that it gives Australian Survivor “a lot of depth and heart.”

That’s not to say Australian Survivor is going to be all flowers and rainbows. “They are tough and funny and just as competitive as any international Survivor cast,” Tate said, with “…a few scoundrels thrown in for good measure.” Regarding what they have filmed so far, Tate said to expect: “Spectacular challenges with nail-biting finishes, camp sites washed away by king tides, alliances tested, brilliant blindsides at tribal council, and the discovery of secret immunity idols.” That sounds like all the ingredients of a great Survivor season. It even has what Tate described as “the Holy Grail” – a budding romance.

Over 15,000 people applied to be on the new series, with 24 making the official cast – which Tate said is a “diverse group aged from 22 to 62.” The season is filming in a remote area of Samoa, which Tate described as “breathtaking,” and will last for 55 days. Aussie actor Jonathan LaPaglia will host the show.

An official airdate has yet to be announced.

 


Written by

Martin Holmes

Martin is a freelance writer from England. He’s represented by Berlin Associates for comedy writing and writes about TV and entertainment, currently for TV Insider and Vulture, previously Digital Spy, ET Canada, and Yahoo. A finalist for the Shortlist Sitcom Search in 2012 for “Siblings,” Martin received his BA in English with Creative Writing from The University of Hull. Martin is the owner and editor-in-chief of Insider Survivor.


3 responses to “Mateship and Romance on Australian Survivor”

  1. They’ve been in game for almost a month now. I was told that the game started on Monday, May 16th.

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