UPDATE 08/27/2009: Meet the cast of Survivor: Samoa here.
UPDATE 09/10/2009: Get a prevew of Episode 1 of Survivor: Samoa here.
For nearly ten years, Survivor has taken viewers to exotic and breath-taking locales around the world, and produced some of the most memorable characters and moments in reality TV history. After eighteen seasons, the highly-acclaimed series still attracts an impressive average of twelve million US viewers per week.
Filming of the series’ nineteenth edition, Survivor: Samoa, concluded last Sunday and the contestants returned to the US shortly after. With the premiere still about a month and a half away, the buzz surrounding this season has been relatively non-existent, as on-line fans have been much more excited about the twentieth edition, which will feature some of the show’s biggest names in a tenth-anniversary All-Star special.
Here’s a recap of what is known so far about Season 19, Survivor: Samoa:
Conditions in Samoa
Every season, the castaways face different hardships in their struggle for survival, whether it be extreme heat, torrential downpours, or simply lack of food. Though Samoa certainly fits the description of a tropical paradise, the castaways may not have agreed, as they were frequently pummelled by heavy rain and thunderstorms throughout their 39-day adventure. Bug bites were also a major difficulty this season, but one thing that should not have been a problem is food. The island is abundant in edible fruit and sea life (ranging from breadfruit to crabs to urchins), and there are plenty of coconuts as well. Local Samoans were hired to retrieve coconuts from trees and scatter them around the beach for the castaways, due to fears of falling coconuts potentially injuring a player.
Tribe Colors
As first posted by guatemala fanfic on Survivor Sucks, Survivor: Samoa will begin with two tribes, wearing purple and yellow. The merged tribe will reportedly be blue. Images of the new buffs can be found at PlanetBuff.com and BuffWear.com.
Survivor: Samoa Cast
According to CBS previews, Survivor: Samoa will feature a cast of 20 of the “wildest and wackiest” contestants yet. While little is known about their identities at this time, one contestant has been revealed by DanieuBleau at Survivor Skills. Her name is Ashley Trainer, and she is a 22 year-old student from Osseo, Minnesota. As someone who has attended Survivor events and finale parties, Ashley has interacted and been photographed with numerous past contestants on the show. She also enjoys basketball and kickboxing.
CBS will officially announce the 20 castaways on Thursday, August 27, 2009.
Filming Locations and Possible Rewards
The majority of the production was filmed on the island of Upolu (one of two major islands). The two tribes lived on separate beaches located in close proximity to one another on the south-western shores of the island; however, crew members also traveled to several hotspots on the neighboring island of Savaii, either as part of scenery filming or reward getaways. Such places include the To Sua Ocean Trench, the Alofaaga Blowholes (the Taga Blowholes), the lava fields/lava tubes (a cave-like environment), and the Satoalepai Wetlands, where one can swim with sea turtles at a sanctuary.
There may also be a reward filmed at the Tradewinds Hotel in nearby American Samoa. The hotel is owned by the same individuals who own the Samoan land on which the season was filmed. As part of negotiations, they wanted a reward to be filmed at their resort; however, the producers were unsure whether they should allow this, probably because the resort’s grand size and appearance go against the notion of the castaways being completely cut off from civilization. It is still unclear which party got their way in this matter.
It is also likely that a traditional pig roast will be a part of one of the rewards this season, probably a visit to a Samoan village.
Filming Back-to-Back in Samoa
Survivor 20, which will also be filmed in Samoa, will utilize different beaches in order to ensure that the two Samoa seasons each have a distinct look and feel. The All-Stars participating in this tenth-anniversary edition will travel to Samoa on August 3rd and filming will begin shortly after. It is expected to wrap up in mid-September, just in time for Survivor: Samoa’s premiere in the US.
When to Watch
Survivor: Samoa will kick off Thursday, September 17th at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
Are you looking forward to the new season? What twists do you expect?
Steven Fife - I am a fourth-year university student from Ontario, who has always had an interest in writing both fiction and non-fiction. I have written ...
Join the Conversation