filming the challenges on Survivor Thailand
Working Crew on Survivor TV Show: pt 6 – Filming
How does a Survivor TV show crew, like myself, spend an idle day off?
Why, watching the rehearsals and live filming, of course.
Who would miss the rare opportunity to get ‘back stage’ of the filming of one of America’s most famous and popular shows? Not me!
Whenever possible, I spent my entire day off going out to Survivor Thailand sets to observe and participate in the Challenges and/or Tribal Councils.
Setting up a Challenge – Survivor Thailand
[ For those of you unfamiliar with Survivor, the show consists of two teams of people left out in remote wilderness to survive ‘in the bush’. Every few days, the two teams are brought together to compete in some sort of whacky outdoor games, called Challenges.
They include races, treasure hunts, escapades, relay courses and other games. Basically, whatever the Survivor Challenge Department and Art Department crews come up with, the contestants must put themselves through. ]
Luckily for me, one particular day-off, the film crew were setting up, rehearsing, and filming one of the Challenges.
Survivor Thailand – camera scaffolding
I drove out to the Challenge film site with the ‘grips’ ( They set up platforms, scaffolding, tracks and other support equipment for the camera crew) When we arrived, I helped them set up a bit, though I probably got in their way more than anything. They were zany guys, though, so we had a very silly time of it.
Survivor Thailand – camera tent
I also helped the Art Department and Challenge Game ‘guinea pigs’ paint the set . Then I watched the camera assistants set up and clean the massive, sophisticated film cameras. One of the main camera guys (who has filmed many ’60 Minutes’ and ‘Nat Geo’ shows, and who I became buddies with) showed me how his camera works.
And then I watched them shoot the rehearsal. About 10 camera guys with assistants were stationed around the Challenge Set, shooting the action. Directors and department heads talked them through it. The ‘guinea pigs’ did their best to complete the Challenge. It was thrilling.
Afterward, we all drove back to the restaurant for lunch. Then we returned to the set to film the real Challenges Game.
Survivor Thailand – filming on the beach at Koh Tarutao Island
The Survivor Thailand contestants arrived from their remote camps. It was my first time to see the actual Survivor contestants. The stars of the show, in person! That was quite exciting and interesting in itself.
Soon the Challenges got underway, with show host, Jeff Probst, introducing the Challenge Game to the contestants and (what would be) TV audience.
During filming everyone had to be extremely quiet off-set. Those of us not actively participating in the filming had to stand behind ropes.
Unfortunately, that day the contestants didn’t swing through the Challenge as easily as the ‘guinea pigs’ had. As a result, the filming just dragged on and on…. literally until dusk, when everyone started getting nervous about the diminishing light.
The directors were forced to quickly call in the ‘electrics’ (lighting crew) to illuminate the set area. People began frantically unpacking equipment and building scaffolding…. Suddenly, at long last, one of the Survivor teams completed the challenge… Yeah! We were all utterly relieved.
Survivor Thailand – Challenges rehearsal
Then it was a mad scramble to pack up all the cameras, scaffolding, sound equipment, lights and materials. Since the Challenge lasted so long, the entire film crew had to immediately dash off to the evening’s filming. By then, that rehearsal was already an hour behind schedule.
I helped out my grip buddies pack up before we dashed off to the Tribal Council set on the far side of Koh Tarutao Island. Once there, everyone tried to grab a few handfuls of food from ‘catering’ before setting up filming for the Tribal Council.
[ For anyone unfamiliar with ‘Survivor’, every three days the Survivor team which lost the most recent Challenge has to gather at the main set (Tribal Council) along with show host, Jeff Probst, to discuss their situation and to vote off one member of their team. ]
Tribal Council set for Thailand Survivor – replica of a Thai temple
I had already visited the Thai Tribal Council set several times before (escorting linens to the transport boat). But that evening, it was my first time to see the set illuminated at night and to watch a Tribal Council filming.
I was hoping to sit in as a ‘guinea pig’ for the brief rehearsal, but that day they needed taller people. Instead, I chatted with the camera guys while they set up, looked through their cameras, and generally watched the rehearsal unfold.
Unfortunately, the grips started getting hassled for me being there (only crew really working the filming are allowed on set). I had to leave. Bummer.
Survivor Thailand Tribal Council – a Thai temple reconstruction
Someone suggested I go to the ‘control room,’ a small room near the set containing the sound equipment, TV monitors, and from which the directors guide the camera guys through the filming.
So I popped in there and sat down… And there in front of me was THE director! and THE ASSISTANT director, working away…
The A.D. kept glancing back at me nervously. I got the distinct vibe that I wasn’t supposed to be there. But I stayed put. I figured, “Hey, these guys aren’t exactly shy. If they don’t want me here, they’ll just say so, right?” So I just sat there smiling, watching the TV monitors and watching the director do his thing.
Finally, as the rehearsal ended and they were about ready to bring in the real Survivor contestants, the A.D. could take it (me) no longer. He finally told me I couldn’t stay. I was kicked out again.
That was ok. There was still more to see.
some of the cameramen on Survivor
On the hillside they had built a massive scaffolding tower to house huge flood lights to illuminate the set. Naturally I had to climb up and have a look. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed or not, but nobody stopped me, so I walked up the hillside in the dark and then up and up and up the scaffolding stairs.
At the very very top, I found one of the lighting guys. He was hanging out playing a computer game, waiting for filming to get underway. We had a lively chat, during which I told him about being in the control room and getting kicked out.
He informed me that he had never even been in the control room, even though he had already worked 4 Survivor shows. Perhaps more significantly, his dad works in the control room as head electric. Yet he had never been allowed to set foot inside. Oops, clearly I was not supposed to be in there!
Meanwhile, up on the scaffolding tower I had an astounding view down onto the beautifully illuminated Tribal Council set, surrounded by sea water and a huge looming rock.
Eventually I walked back down all the stairs, where I discovered yet another room full of TV monitors of the show in progress. So, I got to watch the Tribal Council filming live after all. I sat with the producers, wardrobe crew, make-up crew and a few camera guys.
here I am at my tent on Survivor Thailand
All in all, it was an excellent evening. However, it was very very late. The head of security gave me a lift back about 11:00 pm. I went directly to bed.
It had been an exceedingly long but exciting day. Although I certainly didn’t feel like I got a rest day, it was well worth it.
You might also want to read the previous stories in this series:
part 5 – Cruising on Crew
part 4 – Critical Mass Week and the Great Tent Catastrophe
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Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
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