Survivor SA is really, really good this year

TV REVIEW

Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets

M-Net (DStv channel 101)

Thursday, 7pm

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The seventh season of Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets is sumptuous television, not necessarily because of the latest batch of contestants, but because it has been produced with care. The crew now has enough experience to be able to focus on doing even the small things better.

Besides being immersive enough to make you forget you’re watching a constructed reality in Samoa, lecturers at film schools should use this season’s episodes as an example of what can be accomplished in South African TV – especially when producers are given the space and money to grow and upskill by working on the same show for multiple seasons.

The pacing, editing and sound of Survivor SA is the best of the series yet. It’s produced by Afrokaans Film & Television with Handrie Basson as executive producer and Leroux Botha as creative producer on the Castaway Television format held by Banijay Rights.

The host: Nico Panagio

Host Nico Panagio is a pro now and needs little direction to needle the contestants into saying what they don’t want to at tribal council. The brain and brawn games in challenges are still there, but are novel and don’t feel recycled from earlier seasons.

It also seems as if the contestants have been allowed to get away with wearing even more of what they want (although to their detriment), from necklaces to embellished clothes. They’re a diverse and entertaining bunch, although still not as reflective in terms of race in South Africa as they could be.

A criticism that’s been levelled against the past few seasons of the American Survivor is that there are too many immunity idols and new elements added to the game. Survivor SA has stayed away from that and kept it simple.

Interestingly, the contestants are also playing a better game, with more scheming happening sooner.

This season’s contestants are quicker to play the game, with more scheming happening sooner

While the first season of something might fall flat and not work out according to viewer expectation, it’s crucial to view it as an investment into a long-term viewing experience.

M-Net didn’t take a group of journalists to Samoa this year for a set visit, as in the past, so it’s impossible to get a feel of how the production levelled up behind the scenes, but what’s on screen is the best it’s been yet. It’s no small feat considering it was done on the other side of the world where incessant rain and other unforeseen issues posed production challenges.

Survivor SA is great, because it could grow instead of becoming just another adaptation that got voted off the South African TV island after a first season.

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