by Thinus Ferreira
9 TVs
Done during the Covid-19 pandemic and the production challenges it brings it is remarkable and astounding that the 8th season of Survivor South Africa, entitled Survivor SA: Immunity Island, is clearly the local adaptation's best ever yet.
Survivor SA: Immunity Island, with Handrie Basson as executive producer and Leroux Botha as creative producer and series director, dials up the drama in the latest season of the
local adaptation of the reality franchise on M-Net (DStv 101) to its maximum level, together with astounding visual and conniving castaways effect.
With the brilliant production's
dishwasher setting immediately turned to the most extreme one possible, the show
delivers a can’t-look-away and jaw-dropping TV experience that washes over a
completely crazy collection of castaways with more spray, water everywhere and
added sparkle than ever before.
As immediately irresistible television, with
castaways antics you have to see to believe for yourself, Survivor SA: Immunity
Island might very well be this beautifully shot show's best season yet.
Again produced by Afrokaans and with Nico Panagio back as the host together with a new oddball collection of contestants, Survivor SA: Immunity Island wastes no time to up the ante on the castaways' side where the scheming, finger-pointing and backstabbing starts immediately and much quicker than in any previous seasons.
In terms of the interpersonal dynamics, intra-tribe politik and emotional quotient (EQ) - or the lack thereof - on full display, Survivor SA's 8th season feels like a turbo-charged adrenalin-injection you simply can't look away from.
Kudo's to the team of content producers who somehow managed to create the very best Survivor SA season yet when it comes to effectively capturing and following multiple yarns of jaw-dropping interpersonal interactions and conversations.
Kudo's too, to M-Net that has stuck with Survivor SA, continued to invest in a local production to allow it to do multiple seasons until it can fire on all production cylinders like this show, to build and grow a local audience and community around it, and to develop it into a real ongoing M-Net local TV franchise that not just looks terrific but that viewers trust and enjoy taking part in.
The castaway characters of Survivor SA: Immunity Island are utterly unbelievable in what they do and say this season, yet come across as very real - with their heightened melodrama and irresistible intrigue that they create right from the get-go that feels complete as if Mama June went to Survivor to give them all some of Honey Boo Boo's go-go juice.
It makes Survivor SA: Immunity Island sterling reality television.
Production-wise Survivor SA: Immunity Island looks and feels just like an American season, in the best sense of the word, but one that's just populated by South African characters - an incredible achievement for a South African reality format show.
Although filmed in a stretch of the Wild Coast on the Eastern Cape in South Africa, the scenic drone shots, aerial vistas, challenges, the "immunity island" and tribe encampments in Survivor SA: Immunity Island look otherworldly and could just as well have been filmed on an island on the other side of the world.
The cinematography is great and the cameramen capture action and whispers ("Help me") from unbelievable angles, but it's the exceptional editing that has the TV adventure truly brimming with excitement, anticipation, suspense and hilarity.
It's however the incredibly smart and meticulously cut-and-sewn editing work and sound effects (especially during tribal council to heighten the drama, irony and suspense) that truly elevates Survivor SA: Immunity Island's production values.
Nico Panagio still overtalks a bit too much during the play-by-play commentary on challenges for viewers who can see but right from the very first challenge viewers will become emotionally invested in which tribe they want to win (expect surprises throughout, as usual).
The "immunity island" game mechanics - how it all works and the rules - is a bit intricate and slightly overwhelming to absorb like the first day at a new school but viewers will likely figure out its arcana through repetition.
The latest tribal council area looks beautifully made, adding atmospheric cadence to the castaways' squabbling, rationalisation and self-justifications while Nico makes them squirm with pointed Judy Judy-style questions that the deer-in-torchlight can't escape from.
As with any reality show the trick is to get the viewer to care and to become emotionally invested in the life or future outcome of one or more of the characters.
Survivor SA: Immunity Island on M-Net deftly manages to capture the viewer's attention, to draw you into the set stakes, and demands that you stay tuned in for this eye-popping and emotional Lord of the Flies TV reality rollercoaster.
Survivor SA: Immunity Island is on M-Net (DStv 101) on Thursdays at 19:30, starting 3 June 2021.
