It's the first time in the show's history that the entire cast had to be pulled from the game due to a cyclone on the filming location.
- Sep 8, 2016
AceShowbiz - "Survivor" crew are always prepared for medical emergency, but they faced a situation they had never experienced before during the filming of "Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X". Host Jeff Probst reveals that the entire cast of the upcoming season had to be temporarily pulled from the game due to a cyclone in Fiji, where the show was filmed.
Tropical Cyclone Zena hit on April 6, day two of the filming, forcing production to evacuate the contestants and crew to safety. "Weather does play a part in the show, and you will see the part it plays, and it's a first. And it was scary," Probst tells EW.
It was the first time in the show's history that the entire cast had to be evacuated due to severe weather. "For 32 seasons of 'Survivor', we've been very lucky to have escaped some severe storms," Probst says. "This time, the storm caught us. It was only day two and in a matter of hours, a nice afternoon turned into a severe rainstorm that kept growing in intensity by the hour."
He continues sharing, "We were monitoring the weather minute by minute back at base camp. When the national Fijian weather service upgraded it to a cyclone, we had to evacuate both tribes from their beaches and get them to safety. We have never had to evacuate tribes in 32 seasons of 'Survivor'."
How the cast reacted to the crisis? Probst recalls, "It was very interesting how the two groups responded to the news. The Gen X tribe was responsible and very concerned about their well being. The Millennials were less concerned about their safety and more excited that they were making 'Survivor' history."
The 33rd season of "Survivor" kicks off September 21 at 8 P.M. ET on CBS.
