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Selina Maycock

Where is BBC's Survivor filmed? Everything we know about the new reality show

BBC's Survivor, Joel Dommett.

Reality show fans tuning in to watch a new gruelling survival show are wondering where is BBC's Survivor filmed.

Hosted by Joel Dommett, the show is back after a 20-year break and features 18 contestants who are dropped on a desert island, following the existing international show format. The 'castaways' are marooned on the island and must provide food, water, shelter, and fire for themselves - all the necessary things to survive and they'd be lucky if there were cheap family meals in sight.

But in addition to the basic life survival, contestants must take part in challenges in the hope of winning rewards or immunity from elimination. The person who lasts the longest is crowned 'Ultimate Survivor' and wins a huge cash prize of £100,000.

If you loved who's on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and wondered where is Celebrity SAS filmed you will be delighted that another physically and mentally challenging show has just started.

As we look at all you need to know about the show and where it's filmed...

Where is BBC's Survivor filmed?

BBC's Survivor is filmed in the Dominican Republic on a beach called Playa Caleton. This location is where no other Survivor season has ever been shot before. And it wasn't an idyllic holiday for the castaways as the temperatures soared to 34 degrees. Other international seasons of the show have been filmed in Malaysia, Thailand, Brazil, Panama, Samoa, and a range of other locations but it's remained in Fiji since 2016.

Earlier this year, viewers wanted to know who was voted off Survivor 44 as the 44th season of the US version returned to screens.

The Birmingham Mail reports, a source said: “Joel has made no secret of the fact he is a Survivor super-fan, so discovering he’d landed the job last Christmas was a dream come true. 

"But he has really hit the jackpot because the show is being filmed in the Dominican. Joel will be out there in the sunshine for six weeks while the contestants do their thing."

(Image credit: BBC)

When was Survivor UK filmed?

Survivor UK was filmed over the summer of 2023 but that doesn't mean it was sunshine every day. The camps were hit by a massive storm during filming and Joel recalled, "It was really huge. I mean, it suddenly just came in and then you really see the importance of being able to make a shelter, and whether one camp had a shelter and one didn't. It is mad in these tropical places, it's like beautiful sunshine and then suddenly it's the most epic rain you've ever seen in your life, like thunder and lightning."

(Image credit: BBC)

Survivor UK 2023 cast

  • Richard Kinnear McKell, 36, from Dalkeith in Scotland (Voted out first)
  • Sabrina Pace-Humphreys, 45, from Stroud, England (second voted out)
  • Ashleigh Bishop, 34, London, England
  • Christopher Haul, 36, Bridgend, Wales
  • Douglas 'Doug' Swinbanks, 32, Isle of Mull
  • Hannah Baptiste, 30, London, England
  • Jess Woburn, 38, London, England
  • Laurence-Maximilian Cardwell, 29, London, England
  • Lee Reeves, 28, Limerick, Ireland
  • Leilani Sen, 45, Hertford, England
  • Matthew Haywood, 21, Cumbria, England
  • Nathan Dyke, 35, Manchester, England
  • Pegleg Bennett, 54, St Agnes, England
  • Rachel Golding, 40, Whitstable, England
  • Rachel "Rach" Carstairs, 23, Glasgow, Scotland
  • Ren Elvidge, 28, London, England
  • Shai Ravindra, 33, London, England
  • Tinuke Oyediran, 30, London, England

Speaking about the line-up, which includes a mix of people from all walks of life, host Joel Dommett said it was important to have that eclectic mix of characters, he said, "Yeah, I think it's really important. And also without phones, without communication, they're just there surviving which is fascinating to watch. It was amazing and, I think, completely life-changing for everyone that was in there. I mean it was life-changing for me, let alone the people who were torn away from their homes for seven weeks. I think once you've done something like Survivor, you'll never forget it."

When asked how competitive it gets between the cast, he replied, "Really very competitive, especially between the tribes! They become, very quickly, very loyal to their bunch. Of course, that's what makes Survivor exciting because then it gets to the point where both tribes merge together and become one tribe and that's very exciting because it puts an entirely different dynamic on things."

(Image credit: BBC)

In other entertainment news, you might be wondering where was All the Light We Cannot See filmed as we reveal filming locations of the new Netflix drama, and if you're watching Nyad you might want to know where is Diana Nyad now. 

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