Working Crew on Survivor Reality Show

Survivor Reality Show crew driving an ATV

Survivor Thailand – Unit Department crew loading containers

Working Crew on Survivor TV Show: pt 7 – It’s a Wrap!

A very peculiar aspect of the Survivor Reality Show production, for me, was that halfway through filming, my department heads were already planning the packing-up and shipping-out of the containers and crew. In fact, some of the Unit Department staff had already begun repacking several containers and closing them in preparation for shipping. Everyone seemed to be thinking about ‘the end’.

survivor thailand - filming - Koh Tarutao

Survivor Thailand – filming on the beach at Koh Tarutao Island

On the other hand, I felt like we were exactly in the thick of things. And in fact, we were. We had just completed three weeks of intense filming and had three weeks to go. What’s more, the island was swarming with film crew: all the camera, sound, lighting, editing, grips, and art department crew, plus all the directors and producers were there diligently working away. I had no sense whatsoever that things were winding down

But most other people in my Unit Department were certainly on that wave length, which inevitably made me occasionally think of ‘the end’ approaching too. I imagined that after such an intense 3-month experience, with so many interesting people, having this film life suddenly ‘vanish’ would be a huge shock! SLAM! Back to my former travel life it would be.

But for the moment, I still had three fun-filled weeks ‘in the heat of things’ to socialize, drink cocktails, make plans to visit people in Australia, cut hair and, as the official Survivor Bicycle Mechanic, to fix bikes.

some of the cameramen on Survivor

During the last two weeks of filming a few people started leaving: a couple camera guys, a couple marine guys, excess crew who were no longer needed as we approached the end of filming. Gradually, the end began drawing closer.

The last day of filming was set for July 18th. Immediately after, things would suddenly become frantic. The entire camera /sound/ lighting/ production and directing crews would all depart en mass on July 19th and 20th, leaving behind just the Art Department crew and Unit Department crew (my dept.) to pack up over 200 tents, many miles of electrical lines, interiors, and film sets including the Tribal Council and several Challenge sets. We were obliged to return Koh Tarutao Island National Park to the clean, undisturbed state we’d found it in three months earlier.

Survivor TV Show- hundreds of tents - Survivor Thailand

more tents set up under shady trees on Survivor Thailand

Apparently we had only nine days to tear down the entire city we’d build, pack it into containers and get it shipped off. On July 27th our departments were scheduled to seal up the final containers, move them onto the pier for customs inspection and promptly all leave the island together.

Our frantic pack-up started the day after the filming wrap and our big crew party on the evening of July 18th. That day had its own frantic activities. A Thai events company arrived and erected a huge stage and video screen. The catering crew prepared a big feast. The bar crew busily set up a new bar at the stage. And my crew got a jump on taking down vacant tents and cleaning empty bungalows.

The huge crew party got started around 9:00 pm with a big buffet meal, free drinks all night and a Thai band, which turned out to be more mainstream and dull than we’d hoped. The dj’s music between sets was better at least.

visiting some camera pals on their day off

No matter. Everyone was happily chatting, reminiscing, discussing next plans and exchanging contact info. We were also treated to a funny video that some camera guys made of the crew surfing the past month. How did they ever find time to make that video?

The party continued until 3:30 am when a big group of camera guys gathered at the pier to depart the island and go on their merry way… I stayed up long enough to see them off then headed to bed.

My crew had to start our major tent demolition at 9:00 am. Ouch! Meanwhile, unbeknownst to us, most of the remaining film crew left at 6:00 am. By the time we got up the place was deserted. Astoundingly, even the huge stage was already packed up and gone.

Thai crew packing up tents

At 9 am, on 4 hours of sleep and way too much alcohol, my crew began the long exhausting process of clearing out and packing up nearly 200 tents. It didn’t help that the weather was absolutely scorching. Thanks, weather. Somehow we staggered along until nearly 7:00 pm.

All day I could think of nothing better than to get to sleep that night. Near the end of our shift, however, I found out it was the very last night for our crew bar! Damn, I couldn’t miss that. I dragged myself over to the bar, where I was relieved to discover it was a quiet night with only one table full of too-tired-to-be-lively crew. I had one drink and got to bed fairly early. Still it was not enough sleep for the next long, hot day of tent demolition.

I wasn’t able to get enough sleep the following nights either. Reason being that nearly every day some crew or other was departing, which meant the night before was their last night on the island, which, naturally, I couldn’t miss.

Marine Department with transport boat – Survivor Thailand

The second night of tent demolition was the last night for the Marine Department, my favorite buddies on the show. I was somewhat distraught at their departure the next day, even though they were just transplanted to the mainland pier to pack up boats. Perhaps I had some chance to see them again.

Another day the grips left, also good pals. Then the Art Department crew. The lighting crew. A few of our own crew… Things were rapidly unwinding.

Meanwhile we spent the days slaving away in the hot sun, packing it all up: cots, mattresses, cabinets, tables and chairs, brooms and dustpans, linens and pillows, and nearly 200 big heavy tents.

But the worst part about the rapid unwinding of the production was the departure of our great catering service. They were replaced by the local Thai caterers. Suddenly our food was horrible! It was literally difficult to find anything edible. That was quite amazing since the Thai cooks had been cooking with our catering staff for two months. Hadn’t they learn anything? Even their Thai food was bad. What the H?!!$! That alone made me eager to get off the island- to get a decent meal.

Ruby re-organizing tents – Survivor Thailand

Despite the heat, 200 tents to take down and pack up, plus many bungalows to empty and clean, the demolition still wasn’t as horrible or exhausting as I’d anticipated. We got all the tents down and packed up in just four days. So the remaining 4 1/2 days were comparably cruise-y.

We did have pack up all the tent and bungalow contents, but that wasn’t too physically demanding. In fact, our work load was less that usual. We generally ended up working 10 hours instead of 12. I even had time and energy to go jogging and stretch during the last 3 days.

part of the fleet of bicycles I was in charge of maintaining on Survivor Thailand

I did have some final bicycle mechanic jobs to attend to: fine-tuning, breaking down and boxing 5 bikes to be kept by the Survivor production. I also rounded up about 50 bikes to be auctioned off. Oh, all those bikes I had lovingly cared for, were not to be kept for the next filming. Of those 50 bikes, we donated 10 to the National Park. I spent a frantic last morning tuning them all up. Some were fairly wrecked. Finally I packed away my trusty bike repair kit into the container… Bye bye bikes.

And so our week wound down with final groups of people departing, food degenerating, and the whole city we’d created breaking down and disappearing into containers ready to be shipped off.

Thai crew with Ruby and myself on Survivor Thailand

When all the tents had come down, my crew had to be relocated into park bungalows, all sharing rooms, dormitory style, as space was meager. I just knew I couldn’t possibly cope with neighbors and roommates. So the day the last tents came down (my own tent being one of the last two, and which I took down myself) I promptly went back to our former tent field and set up my own travel tent in the same spot I’d been living on crew.

I thought it was going to be lonely and eerie out there with all my neighbors’ tents gone. Instead I felt a great sense of freedom and peace. Aahhh, nature and solitude again. And so I slept out there alone every night. Just me, sand, scrubby bushes and the soothing sound of crashing waves.

here I am at my tent on Survivor Thailand

On July 27th, the designated departure day, our crew had already so thoroughly completed our tasks that we only had to work 1 1/2 hours, gathering up last linens. Suddenly, we were work-less. We put our Thai crew on ‘stand by’.

I headed to the beach for a jog, swim and stretch until lunchtime. After lunch, with nothing to do again, I had an excellent 2-hour suntanning session on the beach followed by a final reminiscent stroll along the beach, past the now empty fields which just a week ago held nearly 200 tents, and past the beach spot, back in April, where I’d pitched my own tent as a traveler to Koh Tarutao Island. I’d enjoyed the park’s great outdoor beach shower… the very same shower my crew had used, in fact.

My reminiscing was abruptly interrupted. It was time to leave! Buses were being loaded up, our crew were boarding… Yikes! I had to race into the shower and dash to the van. And so I departed with a sudden, hectic finale to 3 months of life on a film production and island.

Survivor Thailand – waiting to leave

We all left together on a boat back to the mainland. Most of the crew went to Songkla city for a big dinner and drinking bash. I stayed at the pier town, Satun, to visit with the ‘marines’.

From there I had fully intended to dash off on my merry traveling way, but… Well, I wasn’t quite ready to tear away from the crew just yet. Instead I cycled over to HatYai city, the ‘center of operations’ for the production, where several crew members were still working.

Lash with Thai crew on Survivor Thailand

That night 20 of us, including many of my Thai crew, went out to a huge disco. We were treated to an Mtv type rock performance, big video screens and swarms of young Thais. Naturally, I danced madly all night. And then….

I ended up staying in Hat Yai nearly one week, gradually making a mental transition from film life to solo travels again. I treated myself to a ‘luxury’ hotel complete with hot shower, room service and cable tv: mtv, movies, Discovery and Nat. Geo. channels. I had a few massages, visited the production offices, and of course, went out in the evenings with various crew for many fun nights.

Gradually I began getting restless in HatYai. I began spending more and more time on my own exploring, cycling, and even going out at night on my own. I returned to the big disco where I befriended and hung out with the band, as usual.

Cycling in South Thailand’s national parks

Then one day I was ready to ‘make the break’ – to leave Hat Yai and the production behind for good. I packed up my bags, watched my last Mtv video and took a van out of Hat Yai to Krabi, my favorite spot in Thailand.

I was a little concerned that I’d feel upset upon my final departure from the production, but instead I felt quite free. I do love my solo travel life. I was also excited for my up-coming adventures at Railey (Asia’s rock climbing mecca and my old stomping grounds) followed by a return to Bali for their great August dance season. So off I went…

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If you enjoyed this story, you might want to check out the whole series of my crew life on Survivor Thailand to catch up on all the action prior to the ‘Wrap’.

Catch even more behind the scenes action from my series on crewing Survivor Amazon

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