Internet 'savages` take to the bush

Johannesburg, 20 Aug 2001

The success of reality television shows like Survivor has spawned a host of similar ventures and now AfriCam takes the concept onto the Internet and into the heart of a South African game reserve.

On the morning of 9 September, six volunteers will step out of a game ranger`s vehicle and into the African bush of Djuma game reserve. The aim is to survive two weeks and overcome a range of challenges, with 24-hour live coverage streamed onto the Internet. The progress of the 'savages`, as the contestants will be known, will be broadcast on www.AfriCam.com.

AfriCam, which broadcasts wildlife images from a range of South African game parks, has partnered with Endemol, creator of the Big Brother series, to run the project as a pilot with the possibility of turning the idea into a television series.

The current team of 'savages` is made up of an expert in bush survival from the SANDF Special Forces unit and five civilians. The two male and three female novices will enter the bush with only the bare essentials.

Besides the bush conditions that the contestants will have to overcome, they will also face the dangers posed by lion, buffalo, rhino, leopard, elephant, scorpions and snakes. Djuma rangers will, however, patrol the bush to ensure that the larger species will pose only a limited threat to the participants.

Stephanie Hawkins, GM of AfriCam, says Endemol decided to join with AfriCam because the company has previous experience of broadcasting from "robust" conditions.

Hawkins says there will be seven cameras following the action, including two head-mounted cameras that will be shared between the contestants, as well as one roving cameraman. The remaining cameras will be statically placed.

While anyone with Internet access can watch the live cameras and follow the story, subscribers to the AfriCam Select package will be able to access the cameras with live streaming video and sound, and will also be invited to vote for their favourite contender. The winner will be the one who has scored the most points through challenges and from the audience by the final day.

Hawkins says although the current crop of contestants will not compete for prizes, the overall winner of the two-week contest will earn a place in the proposed television version of the competition.

Contestants will have to undergo challenges, just like the competitors on Survivor, although these will be more survival-oriented, says Hawkins.

"The challenges will be very different to those on Survivor, and contestants will not just shoot at plates and things like that. The challenges will be specifically survival-related and will be educational," she says. The competitors will face tasks such as making fires, building shelters and fishing, for which they will get food rewards.