Survivor is reportedly venturing into uncharted territory.
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The long-running CBS reality series will film its nineteenth and twentieth editions back-to-back in Samoa over the next three-and-a-half months, The Los Angeles Times reported Monday, adding the decision was made due to "budget cuts."
CBS had formally ordered the two Survivor editions for broadcast during the upcoming 2009-2010 season in February and announced Samoa as the setting of the show's nineteenth season at the conclusion of May's Survivor: Tocantins reunion show.
The production scheduling will represent the first time Survivor will ever film back-to-back seasons and be the first time the show has filmed consecutive seasons in the same country since Fall 2003's Survivor: Pearl Islands and Spring 2004's Survivor: All-Stars were both filmed in Panama's Pearl Islands.
While Survivor's fall editions traditionally film during the summer, the show's spring editions are usually filmed in November and early December and wrap production just prior to CBS' broadcast of the fall edition's finale.
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Although he hadn't disclosed the filming location of the twentieth edition -- which CBS has begun noting will be the "10th anniversary edition" of the show, which premiered in Summer 2000 -- Survivor host Jeff Probst had recently revealed that the show's next two installments would film back-to-back this summer.
"I can't even start shooting [Live for the Moment] until the end of September, when I'm back from double duty on Survivor," he told The New York Post while discussing his new Live for the Moment reality series last week. "The earliest I could have episodes done would be January."
Probst has helmed Survivor since its debut in May 2000, and his current contract expires following filming for the show's twentieth season.
While Survivor producer Mark Burnett told The Times that he considers Probst to be "the face of the show," Probst said he has yet to decide if he wants to renew his contract.
About The Author: Steven Rogers