Survivor South Africa is the South African edition of the popular international reality series Survivor. Seasons have aired sporadically since 2006, though every season has consistently aired on M-Net from the very start. The most recent string of seasons, and currently the most popular, started in 2018 after Afrokaans Film & Television took over production duties from Endemol, with the sixth season, Philippines, being the first with the new production company.
The format is very similar to the American version of the series. A group of contestants (ranging from as few as 14 to as many as 21) are divided into tribes and made to live on an island. Earlier seasons were around 27 days in length, but the change in production company also led to a change to the more traditional 39-day structure seen in the American version. The winner is declared Ultimate Survivor and given a prize of R1 Million (or 1 million rand).
The first two seasons were hosted by Mark Bayley, while the third season onward have been hosted by Nico Panagio.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead are unmarked. You have been warned.
Massive WIP, any help is appreciated.
Recap (2006-present)
Survivor South Africa: Panama (2006)
- Location: Pearl Islands, Panama
- Number of castaways: 14
- Starting tribes: Rana and Aguila, Spanish for "frog" and "eagle" respectively.
- Merged tribe: Burba, Kuna for "soul".
- Winner: Vanessa Marawa of La Lucia, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Survivor South Africa: Malaysia (2007)
- Location: Johor, Malaysia
- Number of castaways: 16
- Starting tribes: Bajau and Iban, different ethnic groups from Malaysia.
- Merged tribe: Empu, a Malaysian honorific for scholars and artists.
- Winner: Lorette Mostert of Middleburg, Mpumalanga.
Survivor South Africa: Santa Carolina (2010)
- Location: Santa Carolina, Mozambique
- Number of castaways: 18
- Starting tribes: Chibudu and Timbila, Chopi for "harmony" and "togetherness" respectively.
- Merged tribe: Kululama, Chopi for "strength".
- Winner: GiGi van Schalkwyk of Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Survivor South Africa: Maldives (2011)
- Location: Addu Atoll, Maldives
- Number of castaways: 19
- Starting tribes: Goma and Raituhn, Dhivehi for "famous" and "public" respectively.
- Merged tribe: Eku, Dhivehi for "together".
- Winner: Hykie Berg of Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Survivor South Africa: Champions (2014)
- Location: Johor, Malaysia
- Number of castaways: 20
- Starting tribes: Selatan and Utara, Indonesian for "south" and "north" respectively.
- Additional tribe: Salvation, a tribe specifically for the season's titular "champions".
- Merged tribe: Juara, Indonesian for "champion".
- Winner: Graham Jenneker of Bellville, Western Cape.
Survivor South Africa: Philippines (2018)
- Location: El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
- Number of castaways: 18
- Starting tribes: Luzon, Mindanao and Visayas, The Philippines' three island groups.
- Merged tribe: Araw, Filipino for "sun".
- Winner: Tom Swartz of Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape.
Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (2019)
- Location: Upolu, Samoa
- Number of castaways: 21
- Starting tribes: Laumei, Sa'ula and Ta'alo, Samoan for "turtle", "swordfish" and "seahorse", respectively.
- Merged tribe: Manumalo, Samoan for "winner".
- Winner: Rob Bentele of Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.
Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island (2021)
- Location: Wild Coast, South Africa
- Number of castaways: 20
- Starting tribes: Vuna and Zamba, Zulu for "to harvest" and "to have dug," respectively.
- Merged tribe: Osindile, Zulu for "survivor."
- Winner: Nicole Wilmans of Somerset West, Western Cape.
Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts (2022)
Previously on... Survivor (South Africa)!
- Auction: There's occasionally an auction much like in the American version, where players will use local currencies to bid on items ranging from food to comforts, though on at least one occasion (Immunity Island), it's also been a source of drama and conflict.
- Bilingual Bonus: Most tribes are named after words in a commonly spoken language in the area. Players will also occasionally speak in languages other than English, reflecting South Africa's multicultural nature.
- Catchphrase: Mostly borrowed from the American version, given that they're effectively part of the Survivor brand at this point.
- Celebrity Edition: Santa Carolina was all celebrities, and Maldives featured both celebrities and civilians competing together.
- Champions also featured two athletes as the season’s titular Champions who didn’t play for the prize money or title, but still functioned as tribe captains and jurors among other things.
- Dark Horse Victory: Philippines and Immunity Island are notable for having extremely unconventional winners who didn't get heavy amounts of positive screen-time and were overshadowed by other players, with Tom being presented as abrasive and argumentative and Nicole being incredibly passive while also having the fewest confessionals of anyone in the Final 6. Interestingly, both also had the largest vote disparities at Final Tribal Council, winning all but a single vote.
- David vs. Goliath: The aforementioned Maldives, which pits South African celebrities against regular civilians.
- Elimination Statement: Players take the time to reflect on their game after they've been voted out, often showing the players' votes as they do so.
- Game Show Host: Nico Panagio has been the host since Season 3 after taking over from Mark Bayley, and he's notable for being one of the few international hosts who has kept their job through entire changes in production crew.
- My Greatest Second Chance: Return of the Outcasts features an assortment of players from across the series' history (from Maldives onward), each of whom never reached the Final Tribal Council on their first season. The tribes are split based on whether they were on the jury or not to add to the twist.
- Non-Gameplay Elimination:
- Sanele was medically evacuated in Panama. He would be followed by Vanessa in Maldives.
- Jude quit early on in Panama. She would be followed by Christina and Jub Jub in Santa Carolina, Jacques in Maldives and Marthunis in Philippines.
- Previously on…: Borrowed from the American version, including the same catchphrases.
- Product Placement: You'll occasionally see brands that are local to South Africa being advertised through reward challenges.
- Voted Off the Island: Of course.
