Season finale of Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts on M-Net plunges 62% as show sheds thousands of DStv subscribers who couldn't keep up with disastrous scheduling moves.

by Thinus Ferreira

The latest season of Survivor South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) was a ratings dud with a much lower viewership during the season, and the viewership of the Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts finale last week which plunged a shocking 62% from the season 8 finale a year ago.

The finale of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts on M-Net on Thursday 25 August pulled only 38 988 DStv subscribers to tune in to the linear TV broadcast conclusion of the season.

It means that the Afrokaans-produced reality competition series shed close to two-thirds of the overall audience which the series pulled for the season finale of Survivor SA: Immunity Island a year ago on 16 September 2021 when it still drew 102 290 viewers to the 19:30-timeslot.

According to the ratings supplied by the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA), the season finale of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts lost a shocking 63 302 linear TV viewers compared to the finale of Survivor SA: Immunity Island.

It's not just the finale of the latest local season of the Banijay-format show that had lacklustre ratings, with the show's viewership that tanked right from the get-go.

Survivor SA's viewership crumbled this season with M-Net's disastrous scheduling move to both a much earlier timeslot at 18:00, as well as stacking four episodes weekly. 

It gave Survivor SA a much smaller potential audience not yet home or not ready to watch TV for an hour.

Many DStv subscribers also quickly fell behind and couldn't keep up with the stacking of episodes for a serialised show with viewers reluctant to watch a new episode before having watched everything to date. 

Other viewers abandoned the show when they got the vote result as a spoiler before they had watched it, and with just 24 hours before yet a new episodes arrived - similar to a sport match's score, it is something that decreases the desire to watch the actual match content. 

The drop in ratings is exactly what TVwithThinus predicted would happen with Survivor SA months ago.

For its debut the viewership of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts also plummeted, losing 43% of its total viewers, with only 43 306 DStv subscribers who tuned in for the start on 18 July on M-Net according to the BRCSA, compared to the 75 770 viewers who watched the start of the previous season.

ALSO READ: TV ratings for Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts plummet 43% after M-Net's earlier and daily timeslot move.

ALSO READ: How season 9 of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts on M-Net got pirated for global free viewing faster than ever before. 

ALSO READ: M-Net dumps Survivor South Africa post-show press briefing for season 9's Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts. 

ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. How M-Net's big mistake with season 9 of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts and the daily stacking of episodes will damage fan buzz, viewer retention, media coverage and ratings. 

ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. How M-Net dropped the ball on PR for Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts and snuffed out publicity and media exposure for the ratings-tanked 9th season.

TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. How M-Net dropped the ball on PR for Survivor SA Return of the Outcasts and snuffed out publicity and media exposure for the ratings-tanked 9th season.

by Thinus Ferreira 

It's not just the bad closed-eyes publicity photos. The publicity team of M-Net (DStv 101) badly dropped the ball on Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts - the 9th season of the localised Survivor SA version of the Banijay reality competition format produced by Afrokaans.

With the buzz-less, press coverage-poor, TV ratings-tanked and apathetic season of Survivor SA bowing out on Thursday evening which South Africa's media have largely deemed irrelevant and ignored, M-Net's PR team has a lot to answer for over its apparently failed communication strategy and mindboggling PR decisions that yielded worse results than ever before when it comes to media exposure, media relations and ratings.

For Survivor SA, as a local TV show, M-Net keeps doing less and less effort when it comes to interacting with the media but somehow apparently expects the same media-play outcome.

While M-Net for previous seasons had journalists and publications do set visits for a day or two on-location it was obviously not possible for seasons 8 and 9 filmed in South Africa's Eastern Cape due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The lack and impossibility of any set visits for Survivor SA this year and in 2021 is definitely not any fault of M-Net or Afrokaans, with the pay-TV channel's PR division and former M-Net head of publicity, Lani Lombard, who worked hard in seasons past, stretching budgets to fly some media worldwide to sample the show on-location and to do interviews with host and crew, and to observe the cast during challenges and tribal council.

The trouble M-Net has with getting proper media buy-in for Survivor SA, and that M-Net is and has been deliberately causing with its bad, inexplicable and apparently inexperienced PR decisions, however, start here:

Survivor SA media launch

In previous years, ever since the very first season Survivor SA season, M-Net has held a Survivor South Africa media launch event - and before some seasons even additional panel sessions with producers when M-Net did programming upfronts and allocated a slot to Survivor SA producers to talk to the media and to hype up the show. 

Don't forget the "Let's play Survivor SA" media events M-Net structured in the past for the country's media to compete against each other to see who would be guaranteed a set visit to whatever secret locale or island that the show would end up using.

Cue this year, where the underwhelming and hardly reported on Survivor South Africa media launch was held in the Eastern Cape and for only certain media - with M-Net, MultiChoice, the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), Eastern Cape government officials, as well as Survivor SA producers and talent attending but not the journalists and publications which have supported the show and M-Net in the past and continue to try to cover it.

Cue M-Net's PR team (in the business of communicating) deciding to deliberately be cagey, secret and dishonest and to not tell a lot of journalists that there was a Survivor SA media launch happening, and actively executing decisions not to invite members of the media for whatever reasons.

Even after the Survivor SA media launch at the Mpekweni Beach Resort near Port Alfred where the season was filmed there was nothing - zero - from M-Net regarding any photos, any transcripts or recordings of what was said and happened there, and the only output from junior media who did attend, doing superficial reporting like asking host Nico Panagio three questions.

If you don't really want to work with media and journalists and publications and sites, communicate that and tell them - that's your actual job description. 

Also keep in mind that if you deliberately don't want to have them at your media launch you're disrespecting them, and signalling they don't matter to you. Just then don't somehow magically expect coverage from them, or the type of coverage you want, or complain about the type of coverage there is.

Castaway interviews

A basic Google search by anyone with a connected computer shows M-Net's horrific failure this season regarding exit interviews in the media. Where are they? 

While several media in previous seasons would talk to and do interviews with players who got voted out, you'll have to search hard for almost any interviews in the South African press with Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts outcasts. They simply didn't happen.

What exactly was M-Net's publicity strategy to get press and exposure for people voted out, and how exactly did M-Net think it was going to work harder and smarter to keep up, maintain and get placement for this season's voted-out castaways when there are multiple Survivor SA episodes per week? 

Making it harder for media to keep up, meant media checked out - and M-Net had no plan to keep media motivated to cover, or to keep covering the show.

Banal, badly done, generic, one-size fits all press releases

Something big went wrong with M-Net press releases for Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts with dull and generic e-mail blasts done to media (when they were done), and complete lack of interactive and dynamic engagement from M-Net's side with media on their specific needs, or M-Net asking how it could help them to cover Survivor SA this season.

While it's fine to send out basic information likely received from the show's production team, M-Net made no attempt to individually reach out during the course of the show to specific media, or to customise the information to the needs of specific media outlets and journalists in terms of what they need and how they require it to make it easier to engage with and use.

Some weeks: One Survivor SA e-mail blast as a press release summary. One week: Apparently a generic press release daily. Then: Nothing again. 

No rhyme or reason whatsoever, no communication about future planning, no phone calls or messages. 

Publicity photos could be added as its own damaging and disappointing subheader but let's bring that up here: The Survivor SA season 9 photography was badly done, and while it possibly was always bad, at least the media never knew about it, or received it. Photos were curated. 

This season nobody at M-Net could be bothered to apparently screen images. The media just got a photo dump of Survivor SA photos to wade through, often lacking photos of specific moments, and literally "Kiteo, his eyes closed".

Post-show media briefing

The Covid-19 pandemic is over and M-Net couldn't bother and doesn't want to return to doing the traditional post-finale in-person press conference for Survivor SA this year.

It could easily have been done after maybe a physical watch party or physical screening for Survivor SA.

It's apparently also too much effort for M-Net's PR team (or not worth the effort or too difficult?) to do a virtual press briefing on Zoom, and to get South Africa's media together that way.

This is, and has always been an important part of the play-by-play structure and media buy-in for a show like Survivor SA. 

While media found it functional, useful and beneficial, M-Net got exposure, the winner got exposure, fans and viewers got additional information, and show sponsors got exposure.

Yet M-Net doesn't deem it necessary or important to make the Survivor SA Afrokaans producers, the winner, the runner-up and M-Net executives available as a group for a collective post-show media briefing to the country's press at the conclusion of it.

Media are expected to start telling the beginning of the story, and must then struggle to try and tell the end (and the vast majority just don't bother).

South Africa's journalists covering television, now on almost a daily basis speak on the phone to publicists from London and America for overseas shows of international TV channels, as well as  streaming services and distributors, do Zoom interviews and attend virtual roundtable sessions with casts and crews.

Yet South African publicists like with Survivor SA are leisurely sitting back and just wasting away chances and opportunity after opportunity in which they could have engaged meaningfully with the media to unlock value and coverage for locally-produced, South African TV shows.

Why the laziness and lack of focus and energy to give South African TV shows like Survivor SA the PR support it needs to be successful? 

Broke what worked and forgot what came before

With the ongoing exit of talent from Randburg it is understandable that M-Net marketing and publicity people working on Survivor SA (or who've never worked on it) possibly forgot what came before it in terms of media liaison and how it worked and why it worked.

Or perhaps M-Net decided to deliberately broke things or stop certain things, without creating an effective replacement for what got taken away.

None of these are valid excuses. Read up, do past coverage searches, ask around. Phone people. Ask the media. To have a show like Survivor SA and not support it effectively in terms of publicity and well-informed, energy-added media relations is a real shame.

The level of non-support and low-support in terms of PR around an asset like Survivor SA is how the SABC's failed and often non-existent PR approach has often been for over a decade for television shows on the broken public broadcaster. 

It's not been M-Net's legacy and it's sad to see and experience in real-time how things have slipped, disappeared and are done worse, not better, as basic standards and expectations are not being maintained.

If a decision is made to cancel Survivor SA, with M-Net citing a lack of media interest, a lack of media coverage and a lack of buzz that will not be the South African media's fault. 

It would be M-Net's own "self-fulfilling prophecy" PR mistake of doing little or nothing, not properly liaising with the media, sitting back, and then complaining about there being little or nothing. 

ALSO READ: M-Net dumps Survivor South Africa post-show press briefing for season 9's Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts.

ALSO READ: TV ratings for Survivor South Africa Return of the Outcasts plummet 43% after M-Net's earlier and daily timeslot move. 

ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. How M-Net's big mistake with season 9 of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts and the daily stacking of episodes will damage fan buzz, viewer retension, media coverage and ratings.

M-Net dumps Survivor South Africa post-show press briefing for season 9's Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts.

by Thinus Ferreira

In another stark change from the way it used to be in the past, M-Net is dropping the Survivor South Africa post-show media briefing, with the upcoming finale of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts which was also filmed months ago on-location in the Eastern Cape, and which will air without the usual live-in-studio audience.

M-Net is hosting no collective in-person or virtual group press conference with the winner after that.

M-Net (DStv 101) confirmed to TVwithThinus that the Thursday night finale of the 9th season, entitled Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts and produced by Afrokaans, won't have the usual off-screen press conference with the winner, producers and channel execs after the season's low-key conclusion this week.

For the previous 8th season finale of Survivor SA in August 2021, pre-recorded in a Cape Town studio, M-Net also scuttled the studio audience and in-person post-show media briefing but that was done since the season took place during the Covid 19-pandemic with stringent in-door restrictions limiting the number of people regarding studio attendance and making it impractical and unsafe. 

Nothing however prevents M-Net from doing a post-show media briefing this season in the way there was an in-person Survivor SA media launch held this season in the Eastern Cape, or bringing the country's press together for a virtual press conference following the conclusion of the season.

After journalists asked about how the media logistics for Thursday would work after hearing nothing and not getting any guidance from M-Net publicity, on Tuesday M-Net admitted to media that there won't be a post-show press conference like in the past anymore, and that the finale was pre-recorded, on-set in the Eastern Cape months ago.

Nadine Moonsamy, M-Net publicity manager, in response to a media query, confirmed to TVwithThinus that "there will be no formal press conference, as per last year, but additional questions may be directed to us for answering". It means that there won't be any group opportunity to ask questions collectively of the winner, producers or M-Net executives.

The finale of a largely buzz-less Survivor SA will cap a little-watched 9th season on M-Net that saw its viewership plunge by 43% for the season premiere compared to the previous season at the same time last year.

It following the show's shift to a much earlier timeslot and the decision to stack the Survivor SA season as multiple episodes weekly, making it hard for DStv subscribers and media to follow and keep up. 

In previous seasons, media from across South Africa would attend the Survivor SA season finale - originally held in Johannesburg with sand flown in and in Cape Town in later seasons - with journalists who were part of the live-in-studio audience, together with sponsors, lucky DStv subscribers and ticket winners, family members of contestants, as well as previous Survivor SA season alums.

At the post-finale Survivor SA press conference the winner and runner-up got their moment to shine and field questions from the press, while media also posed questions to M-Net content executives, sponsors and the Survivor SA producers. 

In previous seasons - also axed - there also used to be Survivor SA "pre-dinks" events hosted by M-Net for the media before the studio recording of the finale, as well as Survivor SA "after-parties" after season finales for the castaways.

These after-show celebrations ranged from modest to lavish over the years, where M-Net's event organising teams would lay out a Survivor SA-themed venue with a drinks and snacks buffet as Survivor SA contestants from several seasons, media, and sponsors mingled until midnight.

Thursday night's pre-recorded Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts finale won't have any so-called "after-party" after its conclusion. 

"For the first time in Survivor SA history, the show's finale was filmed on Day 40 on the Sunshine Coast, with the castaways returning to share their journeys and vote for - and reveal - the redemption of one of their fellow former players," M-Net says.

"This means that the winner announcement will take place on location, for the first time ever."

ALSO READ: TV ratings for Survivor South Africa Return of the Outcasts plummet 43% after M-Net's earlier and daily timeslot move.

ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. How M-Net dropped the ball on PR for Survivor SA Return of the Outcasts and snuffed out publicity and media exposure for the ratings-tanked 9th season.

ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. How M-Net's big mistake with season 9 of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts and the daily stacking of episodes will damage fan buzz, viewer retension, media coverage and ratings.

How season 9 of Survivor SA Return of the Outcasts on M-Net got pirated for global free viewing faster than ever before.

by Thinus Ferreira

Online TV pirates are outwitting, outplaying and outlasting the latest 9th season of Survivor South Africa on M-Net, after they instantly captured and have since been downloading and sharing episodes from right after the broadcast debut of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts last week as part of DStv's premium pay-TV content offering.

In June 2021 it still took just over a day but less than two, for the first episode of the 8th season, entitled Survivor SA: Immunity Island, to find its way to the internet through illegally uploaded copies, followed by the rest of the season's episodes.

This year - and as M-Net switched Survivor SA to 4 episodes per week - the pirating process was even quicker. 

The first episode of Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts made its pirate debut last week online on Monday night, mere hours after it started its premiere linear broadcast run on M-Net (DStv 101) on Monday evening. 

TVwithThinus won't mention any pirate sites offering the episodes but checked the validity and quality of the uploaded and shared episodes of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts online which pirates are making available for direct download as well as torrents.

These digital downloads of episodes and torrents of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts are of pristine quality - high-definition (HD) episodes, with clear video and audio, without any watermarks and without any M-Net or other corner channel marker logos. 

After less than 5 minutes of searching online, TVwithThinus last week found that a popular file-sharing site that hosts content and files as a free cloud storage service, already had the first episode of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts on offer to downloaders around the world within hours - and even quicker than last year.

The web address of this folder as well as the password is freely shared in online message boards for South African and global viewers who are now watching and following the show in droves online but who are bypassing DStv and M-Net. This is just one site and one cloud storage service folder containing the pirated content.

All of the other available episodes so far - produced by Afrokaans and meant for MultiChoice's DStv Premium subscribers who are paying the most for access to M-Net's content as its flagship pay-TV channel - have been uploaded and shared for download or torrenting.

Besides M-Net, Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts is also being shown simultaneously on Australia's 10play, the live-stream and catch-up service of that country's Network Ten commercial TV channel.

M-Net and Irdeto, MultiChoice's broadcast encryption technology division, say that pirating TV content damages the TV industry and they are now investigating the matter after being made aware of it.

M-Net was asked where pirates find the versions of Survivor SA episodes and if it is from South African or Australian sources, why Survivor SA is specifically targeted by pirates, and also what M-Net is doing, or able to do to prevent or remove pirated content online.

M-Net didn't answer any of the specific questions but in response to the media query sent TVwithThinus the same statement it did last year, saying "Survivor is a global phenomenon and in recent years the South African version has gained vast popularity among fans abroad".

"M-Net was made aware of the illegal downloading and sharing of the series and we are investigating the matter."

"M-Net strongly condemns our content being pirated in any format. Piracy negatively impacts the development of the local television and film industries and undermines the investment of broadcasters and sponsors. We encourage viewers to report illegal downloads or streaming to piracy@multichoice.co.za".

TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. How M-Net's big mistake with season 9 of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts and the daily stacking of episodes will damage fan buzz, viewer retension, media coverage and ratings.

by Thinus Ferreira

If you haven't had a chance yet to watch the first episode of the new 9th season of Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts on M-Net (DStv 101) that aired on Monday night, I've got some bad news for you - M-Net and MultiChoice already have another episode on the way on Tuesday night. And another on Wednesday. And another on Thursday.

Besides your daily work and chores, and you know - living - including Eskom electricity blackouts in the evening and all your other must-do's and must-give-attention-to's, M-Net now expects you to watch Survivor South Africa daily... and if you don't ... well, sorry for you.

No more getting a breather to discuss - you know - castaways' strategies, potential power rankings, foolish and accidental mistakes, germinating alliances, would-be-could-be alliances, alliances, backstabbings and betrayals, and what actually happened in an episode for a few days. 

M-Net and MultiChoice are now giving you just 24 hours to watch a Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts episode - or you fall behind. 

And even worse: Perhaps getting last night's Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts episode spoilt through things like who-got-voted-out spoilers or other details which all make you less, not more inclined to watch an episode, or to keep following and watching the season.

It's not clear what exactly whoever at M-Net was thinking, but a show like Survivor - just like the torch of the final winner - is a slow-burn.

Survivor SA is not a show like MasterChef with M-Net that also switched that show to a daily programming schedule on its linear TV channel line-up earlier this year. 

For a show like MasterChef South Africa daily episodes are fine. MasterChef is about individual chefs competing against each other, yes, but much more competing against themselves. 

They don't huddle in whispers, they don't disappear two-two to a beach or secluded spot to gossip, create alliances or fight for their chance to remain in the show at a Tribal Council.

M-Net doesn't seem to fundamentally grasp the difference.

With Survivor SA, M-Net seems to now want to mindlessly burn off Survivor SA episodes like Netflix dropping a stacked full season of a show, to be binge-watched and be done over a weekend. 

The approach of Disney+, dropping an episode of Star Wars: The Mandalorian per week works much, much better - letting the audience congregate around a single episode, letting all viewers get up to speed with the narrative-building story and enjoying the single-episode release buzz together.

For a week viewers get to buzz, speculate and TV commune together about Baby Yoda, possible easter eggs and clues, foreshadowing symbolism, characters and the story. 

With some shows, what happens after the broadcast or release of an episode is often as important and as integral to building and growing audience retention as the episode itself. 

When exactly are DStv subscribers supposed to talk about an episode of Survivor South Africa: The Return of the Outcasts? On the night after broadcast when not everybody has yet seen it? The next morning? The next afternoon? The weekend when there are already the four episodes of that week in existence?

M-Net and Survivor SA made a big mistake this season by diluting the value of the potential community and buzz around the show by deciding to apparently burn through it roughshod with little or no thought of how the South African and global community following Survivor SA consumes episodes.

Even very ordinary viewers will struggle to keep up as casual or moderately interested DStv subscribers. And if you've missed Wednesday evening's episode, will you be less or more likely to tune in on Thursday if you haven't yet had any chance to watch Wednesday's episode?

M-Net and MultiChoice will also be getting way less press and coverage for Survivor SA. Show me the journalist that's going to sit and do exit interviews every single day, instead of trying to fit in weekly interviews with whoever left Survivor SA (which was already a tall order) like before in previous seasons?

Who wants to hear from Contestant C, voted out Tuesday, in an interview on Wednesday when Contestant D and Contestant E have also been already voted out on Wednesday and Thursday irrevocably altering the balance of power dynamics throughout the whole game? It's old news.

How many journalists covering television and TV critics are going to simply be able to fit in yet another hourlong daily show into their already packed schedule of watching and reporting about TV? Even the most ardent, hard-working journos simply don't have the time, even if they have the willingness.

M-Net really shortchanged Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts by making it a Days of Our Lives Beach Life daily show, reducing its potential traction under fans, the ability of ordinary viewers and DStv subscribers to keep up, and the media.

A TV show - any show - shouldn't make the viewer or the fan like it's homework and a type of "you better watch this now because you're going to fall behind". It's supposed to be something to enjoy, to treasure and to savour. To get a chance to talk about with friends or fans who are also watching it.

Maybe if there's a 10th season from Afrokaans sanity will prevail and Survivor SA will be turned back into a weekly show the way it's supposed to be - with time to breathe and discuss the intricacies, strategies, alliances and blindsides of a wonderful and genius TV show.

REVEALED: M-Net reveals the 20 castaways of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts - confirming what Survivor fans already discovered months ago.

by Thinus Ferreira

The 20 former Survivor South Africa castaways who are returning for the 9th season of the reality series called Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts on M-Net (DStv 101) from 18 July, include contestants from 5 previous seasons who all have "demons" they want to lay to rest.

Battling each other in Survivor SA tribes called Yontau, and Masu after merge, and once again filmed in South Africa's Eastern Cape province and its Sunshine Coast, M-Net revealed the names of the 20 castaways of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts on Sunday night.

There are a whopping 13 castaways under the chosen contestants who are 30-somethings, with five who are all aged 31.

Important to note, is that the Inside Survivor fan site got the rumoured season 9 cast and location exactly correct as leaked to that site in March this year.

Nico Panagio is also once again returning as host.

The massive leaks from the Afrokaans production company damaged M-Net's press machine, with the pay-TV broadcaster that was no longer willing to engage with media around any queries about the upcoming season to try and deflect media attention and exposure of the production secret which turned out to be 100% accurate.

It led to media not being able to do the "the latest season of Survivor SA has wrapped filming" type stories similar to after previous seasons had completed principal photography, since M-Net feared questions about the rumoured but correct Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts cast reveal.

M-Net didn't respond to questions posed in a media query about Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts made on 25 May, the second media query about the upcoming season made this year after the show had finished filming.

In a prepared general statement from M-Net about the upcoming season, quoting Leroux Botha, executive and creative producer of Survivor SA, he says the Sunshine Coast "is the ideal setting for this daring and different season".

"We saw last season that the Wild Coast lived up to its name and presented the castaways with plenty of unique challenges – just because the location is closer to home, doesn't make it any more familiar. The Sunshine Coast lives up to its name most of the year, but it also has a tempestuous and brooding side that can change the game at a moment’s notice."

Leroux Botha further says "This isn't an 'All Stars' season – in fact, it’s a totally unique concept."

"All of the castaways returning to the game this season have demons to lay to rest, with the added challenge of everyone knowing exactly how everyone else played their game, before."

Shireez Latief, M-Net senior marketing and publicity manager, says in the statement "We've drawn castaways from across almost all previous seasons and brought them together on the Sunshine Coast to give them a chance to play their games again – but this time, everyone knows their style of play, who they shared alliances with and who they double-crossed during their season".

"All bets are off and it'll be a brutal game, despite the cordial-sounding location."

M-Net is scheduling four episodes of Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts per week from Mondays to Thursdays, starting on 18 July and ending with its finale on 25 August.

"Having four hours a week to explore the full intricacy of the game is going to lay bare every machination. It's also a great way for newcomers to the magic of Survivor SA to get to know these returning Castaways and appreciate why they’re such masters of the game," Shireez Latief says.

The 20 returning players for Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts, and their bio descriptions, are:

Chappies Chapman (31)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island (S8)

Hometown: Centurion

Job description: Entrepreneur

Chappies is "addicted to growth" and has a strong strive to improve in all aspects of his life, most notably in fitness, which he takes very seriously. He lives in Centurion with his wife and son and is involved in various online businesses, real estate and in the motivational speaking space.

Since becoming a father, Chappies has a renewed lease on life and is in constant pursuit of purpose. He is calmer and more at peace than before, partly due to his son's arrival – but also because he no longer feels the need to prove his worth as a Survivor player.

From his previous experience, he has learnt to think before he speaks, to avoid alienating people. That was his pattern at the start of his season – which ultimately put him on the back foot because he couldn't reconcile with them when he needed to work with them.

Danté de Villiers (31)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (S7)

Hometown: Dwarskersbos

Job description: Podcaster

Loner Danté has travelled the world, living in Thailand and Israel – but has now returned home to the Cape West Coast, where he grew up. The outdoorsy ocean lover believes he can provide for his tribe and excel in the physical challenges – putting him in a winning position.

Having previously owned and operated a coffee shop in Velddrif, he now hosts a podcast dedicated to interesting outlier personalities who are making a difference in the world, however big or small.

In his previous season, he felt like he didn’t have the words to convince people to believe him. That meant he struggled to befriend other castaways, putting him on the back foot and forcing him to play a defensive game. This time, he'll be looking to give himself more personal time and space in the early mornings, so that he can recharge to participate more in the social game at camp, during the day.

Dino Paulo (31)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island (S8)

Hometown: Johannesburg

Job description: Live escape game owner

The charming and likeable Dino's infectious, child-like enthusiasm belies a powerful tenacity. He has been in a relationship with his lawyer girlfriend - now fiancé - Kirsten for 11 years.

An escape game franchise co-owner, he was forced to pivot during lockdown like so many South Africans and successfully took the concept online. His work is a perfect match for his competitive nature, which has also made him the perfect team player in sports like soccer and rowing – while skydiving fuels his insatiable need for adrenaline.

From his previous Survivor experience, he has learned to rely more on his game knowledge and instinct and to curb his paranoia. He feels that since he has nothing to lose, there’s less pressure on him this time around – so he’ll be playing with more freedom.

Felix Godlo (32)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (S7)

Hometown: Pretoria

Job description: Key account manager

A proud Xhosa man from a very traditional family, Felix is married with two children and is devoted to being a good father and role model.

A natural leader and great sportsperson, his mission in life is to succeed to provide for his family and make them proud of him.

Having been humbled by his early exit in his previous season, he did a lot of introspection and has grown, personally. 

He feels that he had a strategy for the game but didn't execute it because he wasn’t in the right state of mind to play the game. Suppressing his natural leadership instincts led to him growing frustrated and acting out of character – so this time he's aiming to communicate better and working on connecting with his fellow castaways on a deeper level.

Killarney Jones (51)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Champions (S5)

Hometown: Johannesburg

Job description: Martial artist

Killarney has competed in martial arts internationally from a young age and has black belts in various disciplines. She's climbed Kilimanjaro and has a degree in Fine Arts.

She grew up in a tight-knit family that travelled extensively throughout Africa. Killarney is tough and talkative, determined and dedicated and will fight to the bitter end.

When she competed in her previous season, she didn’t understand the game well and expected to power through on the back of her physical prowess – and was duly brought down by her neglect of the social and strategic aspects of the game. 

This time around, she understands the concept better and will still be looking to compete physically but will be bringing a softer touch to the social side of the game.

Marian de Vos (32)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Champions (S5)

Hometown: Cape Town

Job description: Fashion buyer

Marian studied Fashion at the College of Fashion Design in Cape Town and now works as a buyer in the retail industry. She grew up in a big family and is the youngest of 5 siblings.

Marian is probably the biggest Survivor fan in South Africa. She’s followed each season closely and has been a particularly vocal commentator about the show, online. She knows the game inside and out, but still struggled on her season when the addition of captains put her off her game.

Despite that, she still made her mark on the game as Survivor SA’s first true female villain – confident that she had a better grasp of the game than her fellow castaways and was more astute than them. Her biggest challenge this season will be adapting to the way the game has changed in the 8 years since she played.

Meryl Szolkiewicz (31)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (S7)

Hometown: Centurion

Job description: Holistic movement coach

Meryl studied toward a musical theatre degree and started her career as a musician and performer, but that fell away after she met and married her husband, and they had their three sons.

She saw her chance to appear on her season of Survivor SA as a chance to hit the reset button – which she duly did, rediscovering her strength and a newfound joy that has permeated all aspects of her life.

She is a big Survivor fan but understood after her season that she is not the biggest – despite Survivor being an institution in her household. This time around, she’s looking to play a more rooted game, be careful with her empathetic nature – and just have fun.

Palesa Tau (31)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Philippines (S6)

Hometown: Johannesburg

Job description: Radio presenter and producer

Palesa works as a radio presenter and producer, hosting her own health talk show and is also a voice-over artist. She comes from a close-knit family and spends a lot of time with her sister and mother.

Her appearance on Survivor South Africa: Philippines boosted her confidence personally and professionally, seeing her nominated for a number of radio industry awards over the last few years.

Palesa came into her season of Survivor South Africa without much knowledge of the game – with no pre-determined strategy, preferring to play instinctively. This time around, she’s aiming to be more social and try to be more intentional and proactive.

Phil Dickson (40)

Previous season: Survivor SA: Champions (S5)

Hometown: Johannesburg

Job description: Risk assessment manager

Phil is a firefighter and paramedic, originally from KwaZulu-Natal, but now working as a fire risk assessment manager in Johannesburg. He has two young children with his wife. 

Before graduating in the top 5 of his firefighting class, Phil lived in the USA for a while, where he was part of a popular church band. He counts fishing, running, and training among his hobbies and studied game theory to prepare for Survivor.

Phil is a likeable guy with a mischievous streak. Although he is now a dedicated husband and father, he still resembles that naughty trickster he was more than a decade ago in Survivor SA: Champions.

Phil says that you cannot compare the Survivor game of season 5 to the current version of it. He feels that in previous seasons, the castaways had a lot to learn about gameplay – which meant he was unprepared for the game and struggled at first to adapt.

Pinty Nkanjeni (30)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island (S8)

Hometown: Cape Town

Job description: Yacht crew member

Pinty grew up in the small rural town of Hogsback in the Eastern Cape, a magical town in the Amathole Mountains. After leaving school at 15, she moved to Cape Town and built herself up from scratch, receiving a scholarship to study UX design as well as getting her Divemaster certification.

After her work as a rope access technician was interrupted by lockdown, she got involved with a NPO that aims to unite hospitality businesses with healthcare workers at the frontline of the fight against Covid-19 to help them stay closer to where they are working – work in which she has found a lot of meaning.

She feels she has grown a lot in the few months since her season of Survivor, growing more self-aware and identifying and addressing her character flaws. She had a strong work ethic around camp and was equally valuable in challenges, but her lack of social finesse and confrontational behaviour tripped up her game.

PK Phetoe (29)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Philippines (S6)

Hometown: Lephalale

Job description: Mining engineer

Ambitious, driven mining engineer PK has been living and working in Lephalale in Limpopo for the past 2 years. He grew up in Mafikeng and lived with his mother in Centurion most of his teenage and young adult life.

PK has ambitions of starting his own mining consultancy company one day. He also wants to contribute to society and give something back. His job requires him to problem solve, adapt, and prioritize his actions to optimize outcomes. – skills he wants to bring to the game of Survivor.

Having originally thought Survivor was all about playing a strong physical game, his experience taught him the importance of the social side, which he splits into two parts: social for friendship and loyalty for political gain. 

Aiming to make people feel more comfortable around him this time, he’ll be looking to trust sooner to allow relationships to mature, to allow him to build a stronger alliance, earlier in the game.

Seamus Lind Holmes (29)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Philippines (S6)

Hometown: Durban

Job description: Sales manager

Seamus is a Durbanite who works as the regional sales manager of a commercial trucking equipment company. He channels his competitive nature into excelling at endurance sports.

He is a massive Survivor fan - he has researched the game, strategies, heroes, villains, and the game’s evolution over the years. He watches Survivor religiously with his mother and sees this as a big bonding experience for them.

Understanding that he played too hard, too fast in the Philippines, which meant he didn’t pay enough attention to his tribemates and how they were approaching the game. Seamus feels he has matured tremendously since his season and is in a far better mental space than before. With a second shot, he is determined to play the biggest game Survivor has ever seen.

Shane Hattingh (50)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Champions (S5)

Hometown: Cape Town

Job description: Set decorator

Shane has lived a very interesting, colourful, sometimes dangerous life. He has spent several years working in military counterintelligence, been a shoe designer, an outdoor advertising salesman, worked in the art department in the film industry and is currently a set dresser on an international reality show.

He has four children and admires their independence, critical thinking, rejection of societal norms and labels and proudly lists their achievements. He despises injustice, social prejudice, racism and exploitation of the vulnerable.

Having felt in control of the game in his season, he became complacent and allowed himself to get played. Losing out and being blindsided with idols in his pocket was a massive blow – and a mistake he won’t make again. 

Shona MacDonald (33)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Champions (S5)

Hometown: Cape Town

Job description: Entrepreneur

Shona is a successful, self-starting entrepreneur with a lingerie and swimwear brand she has been running for the last couple of years. She is also developing a new dating app and has been accepted to take this further at a tech incubator in South America this year.

She successfully pitched her business idea on Shark Tank and secured the investment she needed to boost her business when 3 of the 5 Sharks offered her capital. She is very proud of this moment, as she feels like she was seen as a strong, confident businesswoman.

Shona wants to make a difference in the world and advocates for body-positivity, independence and flying the South African flag. She feels it is her purpose and study to contribute to SA, its economy, and its people.

During her previous season, she was overwhelmed and struggled to make connections, with her self-awareness and insecurity taking over. Despite her strengths as a social player, being called out by her captain as a weak physical player set her game back in a way that she found she couldn’t come back from.

Steffi Brink (30)

Previous Season: Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (S7)

Hometown: Johannesburg

Job description: Fitness coach and model

Steffi is a former "beauty queen" - but she’s not your typical pageant princess. A self-proclaimed "jock", she has a long history of excelling in the sporting arena, too, making her a formidable castaway.

After her appearance on Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets, Steffi was called up to a training camp with the Blitzbokkies – the SA Women’s 7’s rugby team – but seriously injured her knee and had a long road to recovery.

She’s learned her lesson from her season and will be working harder on the social side of her game, this time around. She also struggled with the scrutiny of Tribal Council and so has worked hard on speaking up when she believes she needs to.

Tania Copeland (53)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (S7)

Hometown: Paternoster

Job description: Retired

Colourful Tania lives life on her own terms. Born in South Africa before relocating to the UK – and then returning when she was 21 – the now-retired business owner lives a quiet life on the coast.

An avid rock climber, she doesn’t let society’s rules and restrictions constrain her any less than she does, gravity. She has a strong bond with her children – 3 biological and some fostered – and her five dogs.

She learned a lot about herself and the game of Survivor in her season and is thrilled to get the chance to implement those learnings now. Whereas she spent a lot of time off on her own looking for Idols before, she plans to now spend more time with her tribemates. Tania is determined to win by aligning herself with the strong players and making herself valuable – at camp and as a vote.

Tejan Pillay (40)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Maldives (S4)

Hometown: Johannesburg

Job description: Engineer

Tejan is a 40-year-old electrical engineer with a master's degree in engineering – originally from Verulam but now calling Johannesburg home. The self-proclaimed "Prince of Darkness" has worked for Eskom for 21 years and has been with his partner for 11.

He says he lives and loves life, considering himself something of a Renaissance man and jack of all trades who enjoy the simple things in life. Tejan is in the best physical shape of his life and has trained hard for this moment to return to Survivor. He has a black belt in karate, a final brown in kickboxing and did some cage fighting.

He took pride in his status as one of Survivor SA’s early villains, getting a lot of validation from being part of the world’s greatest game. He’s accepted his ‘Survivor Conniver’ nickname and embraced the fact that his play made him a Castaway to be reckoned with. He’ll be keeping a keen eye out to see who he can trust – but doesn’t plan to give his trust away cheaply.

Tevin Naidu (28)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Philippines (S6)

Hometown: Cape Town

Job description: Medical doctor

Tevin qualified as a medical doctor at Stellenbosch University. He is interested in neuroscience and wants to specialize in that field of medicine.

Tevin won the Mr India South Africa title when he was 18 and was a presenter on Eastern Mosaic.

After a misguided social media post in the lead up to the Survivor South Africa: Philippines season finale saw him personally and professionally ostracised, he retreated to do some serious introspection and has matured since then.

He and his mom have watched Survivor together since he was 7 – he calls himself a ‘Survivor Encyclopaedia’. Tevin is determined to cement his place in the Survivor history books as one of the best the game has ever seen. He wants to be recognized and revered as one of the best players in the world and he will stop at nothing to achieve it.

Thoriso M-Afrika (37)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island (S8)

Hometown: Uitenhage

Job description: Marketing manager

Marketing manager Thoriso is the single mother of a son named Bulumko, meaning "wisdom" in Xhosa. Her name is a reflection of the high regard in which she holds education and the application of intellect.

As much as she’s a huge Survivor fan, her main aim for entering the game is to win the Sole Survivor’s prize money, to improve her financial situation. Last time around, she felt she had the ‘moves’ but not the social currency, playing herself out of the game. 

Now, she’s looking to play a more social game - even if it means pretending to like people. Thoriso says that meeting people who were smarter than her was a huge blow to her ego, which led to plenty of introspection – the lessons from which she’s bringing back to the game at her second attempt.

Toni Tebbutt (41)

Previous season: Survivor South Africa: Philippines (S6)

Hometown: Cape Town

Job description: Content developer

Content developer Toni feels that changes in her life post-Survivor SA: Philippines have released her to live her full life. The devoted fitness fiend made the move to Cape Town recently – part of her personal reinvention – and she says Survivor is an important part of her story.

Toni is incredibly active in the Survivor community, hosting online Survivor games, participating in Survivor fan events and is very vocal on social media platforms. Her straight-talking persona from the show is a reflection of her in real life, too. A bold character, she is someone who isn’t afraid to address conflict.

She feels she made too many emotional choices in her season, rather than listening to her gut. Understanding the need to form social bonds early in the game, she says she’s had to learn to stroke egos – and isn’t afraid to use that skill. She’s determined not to make the mistake of forcing herself to choose between loyalty and strategy again.