For the first time in Australian Survivor history, contestants are going head-to-head in the Australian outback.
WATCH BELOW: Australian Survivor 2021 comes to outback Queensland
But while fans might have expected the tribes to swelter, our on-set spy says temperatures were erratic!
“All the players were required to think ‘really cold’ and ‘really hot,’” says the insider.
“You won’t notice this on-screen, but there were a few chilly nights where thermals were handed out for health and safety reasons.”
New filming format
The new location brought with it more challenges, thanks to the beaming Aussie sun.
“Producers couldn’t have the contestants in the sun for too long – midday temps were as high as 45 degrees – and the Tribal Councils were also shot a lot faster,” says the source.
Cast shake-up!
Most of the cast were only given two weeks to get ready for the show. The insider says a host of former athletes, and even influencers, were constantly swapped in out and out due to changing casting needs.
Baz saves the day!
Production took a gamble moving from the ocean to the desert, with the
insider saying Network Ten executives were “extremely hesitant at first”.
However, savvy producers cut up some footage from Baz Luhrmann’s iconic film, Australia, in a bid to win over the network.
“They made their own mini trailer … immediately the location was locked in!” quips the source.
Next-level challenges
This season, the detailed sets and challenges took over four weeks to set up!
“There were multiple tech runs on all challenges – making sure they are exciting but safe,” says a production source, who adds that many of the challenges will be reimagined to be used for Big Brother Australia next year, as the two shows share a production team.
“The makers use Survivor as a bit of a testing ground,” explains the source.
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