U.S. TV show Survivor to film on Cambodia's Koh Rong Island [This is good news for Cambodian tourism, but one French "Survivor" contestant died about a year ago when they filmed the French episode on Kong Rong Island]

 

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) -- American TV reality game show Survivor, which premiered its 30th season Wednesday night in the United States, will begin shooting its next two seasons in Cambodia's tropical island resort of Koh Rong, Cambodian officials said Thursday.

The show, derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson, debuted in 2000.

It maroons a group of strangers at an isolated location where they must fend for themselves, finding food, water and shelter while competing in challenges, with 1 million U.S. dollars awarded to the last person standing.

"The U.S. show Survivor will begin filming in March at Koh Rong Island off the coast of Preah Sihanouk province and currently, their crews have been preparing scenes and installing equipment on the island," Preah Sihanouk provincial governor Chhit Sokhon told Xinhua via telephone, adding that the shooting will run until July.

With recent seasons topping 13 million viewers, the governor said Survivor filming in Cambodia will greatly help attract foreign tourists to Cambodia's coastal areas.

The American version of Survivor has been shot at many locations around the world since the first season, usually favoring warm and tropical climates. The current series is being filmed in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

Preah Sihanouk provincial tourism chief Nou Sophal said the two seasons will also be screened on a Cambodian television CTN.

"This is a big promotion of Cambodia's tourism potential to foreigners," he told Xinhua.