The 14 Chosen Ones are currently en route to Panama via Madrid in a gruelling, three-day journey which will pale in comparison to the horrors that await them when filming for Survivor: South Africa begins shortly.
After a rigorous, whirlwind selection process which saw 14 South Africans selected from the thousands who entered the show last month, all that remains is for the cameras to roll, the catfighting to start and the cash to be dispensed.
M-Net is keeping draconian watch over the identities of the contestants and only those closest to them know where they are for the next month.
"It's very difficult to keep a secret as big as the fact that you've been chosen as a Survivor South Africa contestant, but it's vital for the success of the show," said M-Net Publicity Manager Lani Lombard on the evening of departure, Sunday 4 June.
"Events that transpire on the island during and after the competition are also protected by the agreements they signed, which penalise them heavily should they not comply."
If the
Media Survivor Day Of Hell is anything to go by the actual Survivor: SA contestants are in for a torrid time in Panama.
A TVSA source tells us that the cast and crew will use a number of interconnecting flights to get to first Madrid then Panama City, before a short flight to an island off the coast of Panama, where filming will begin.
Lombard seems confident that a good group of contestants has been chosen.
"There are 14
very different people taking part in Survivor South Africa, from diverse backgrounds – a surefire hit for creating a fantastic show," she said.
TVSA correspondent Thinus Ferreira will be travelling to Panama and will spend 10 days on the island, observing the filming and sitting in on daily cast interviews.
The TV ace will report back with exclusive coverage for TVSA readers.
Survivor: South Africa will premiere on M-Net at 18h00 on 3 September.