Survivor has begun the casting process for the hit reality show's future seasons, and it's super easy to apply from home. The seven-time Emmy Award winning competition series places a group of strangers on a deserted island, where they must figure out a way to provide food, warmth and shelter for themselves. The contestants are often placed in challenges that test their physical and mental abilities for rewards, such as immunity from elimination. As filming continues, contestants vote each other out until the last remaining wins a grand prize of $1 million.
The international competition franchise also happens to be the reality program with the most annual applicants. According to Uswitch's Google research, nearly 80,000 applicants searched for Survivor's application form during the timeframe of May 2020 to June 2021. In that same 12-month period, The Bachelor ranked second in applications with just over 40,000 searches, and The Amazing Race came in third with almost 35,000 searches. Now, the CBS show is looking for its next Sole Survivor.
According to Survivor's official Twitter page, casting directors are currently hosting a virtual "open call" audition to find the contestants that will compete in the show's 43rd and 44th seasons. The application requires could-be contestants to complete the entire form in one sitting. In order to accomplish that, applicants will need to have a photograph of themselves handy, and pre-shoot a video under three minutes that showcases their personalities. "We want to get to know who you are as a person," the casting site reads. "How will your life experience help you win the game? How will you interact with the other tribe members? When describing yourself, remember to cite real-life examples. We love a good story!"
In order to be eligible, Survivor hopefuls must be 16 years or older with a valid U.S. or Canadian passport to apply. After filling out the application in its entirety, calls will only be made to those contestants whom CBS is interested in moving forward with to discuss the next round of casting. Due to the large amount of submissions, casting directors will not be able to contact each applicant individually. That said, if an applicant has applied for previous seasons, the Survivor casting team encourages them to re-apply with a new video. "After we cast each season, those videos and applications go into storage and you need to re-apply and re-submit a new video each season," the casting site read. "However, if you have applied in the past 12 months, you do not need to apply again. We have saved all of those submissions. We will refresh the site this Fall and you will be able to apply again, if you have applied before that."
It's a once in a lifetime experience to step outside one's comfort zone and participate in a popular TV show, and although it can be frightening at first, many new reality stars forget the cameras are even rolling after just a few days on set. That said, there are other things to consider before pressing send to the casting team. Though filming dates are currently tentative for the next two seasons of Survivor, the time commitment for filming and travel is about 46 days.
Survivor season 41 premieres September 22 at 8pm EST on CBS.
Source: Survivor/Twitter, Uswitch