CamSur to host 'Survivor USA'

MANILA, Philippines - It’s now official. The Caramoan islands in Camarines Sur would be the location of the 25th season of the hit reality television show “Survivor USA.”

This was announced by Jeff Probst, the show’s host, during the broadcast of the season 24 finale to a live audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City yesterday.

Probst also announced the 25th season, dubbed as “Survivor: Philippines,” recently wrapped up filming in the Caramoan islands.

The shoot started last March and was a big production, which involved some 400 locals hired by the show’s producers.

What is considered as its comeback season will start airing this September in the US on major television network CBS.

It will not be the first time that the rugged but scenic Caramoan islands, known for its fine white sand, turquoise waters, lush vegetation and jungle areas, serves as the location for a “Survivor” series.

In 2008, it was the location for the show’s French edition, followed by editions from Israel, Bulgaria and Serbia in 2009.

The Sweden edition was shot there in 2010, followed last year by the Denmark, Norway, Belgium and India edition.

It would also not be the last time, as the show’s 26th season will also be shot in Caramoan.

The show’s 25th and 26th seasons combined would amount to over 30 hours of broadcast on primetime television in the US that will showcase the beauty of Caramoan and the Philippines.

Caramoan has been a source of pride and satisfaction for Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte, who said they have been tirelessly promoting the islands since 2004.

Villafuerte was mentioned by Probst during the live broadcast of the 24th season finale for his invaluable support to the show’s production, which apparently was key to the producers’ decision to choose Caramoan.

“We really worked hard for this. We did everything possible to get the nod of the producers of this reality TV show, which through the years has had anywhere from 13 million to almost 30 million viewers, with the highest viewership during the 2000-2001 season when it ranked number one.

“This means enormous exposure worldwide for Caramoan islands and Camarines Sur in particular, and the Philippines in general, and would certainly boost our tourism potential,” Villafuerte said.

Seasonal rankings, based on average total viewers per episode of the US version of “Survivor” on CBS, reveal the reality show has consistently been among the top 20 most watched shows through its first 18 seasons and from season 21 to the present. 

Caramoan islands has also emerged as a top destination for water sport enthusiasts all over the world, and was recently chosen as one of the 10 best islands and beaches in the Philippines by CNNGo, a television and online travel magazine of the largest international cable news network CNN.