The highly anticipated second season of video producer Fritz Meinecke’s YouTube survival show “7 vs. Wild” airs Saturday. In this reality TV show, seven contestants are left in the wild and film how they survive in nature to the finals with only a few tools.
The first season, filmed in late August 2021, took place on a lake in Sweden. At the beginning of this year, however, the producers agreed that new participants had to come first and second a new location. A YouTube video from producer David “Dave” Henrichs now shows the search for a perfect location for the new season, which faced some dangerous challenges.
Where exactly was it filmed?
Actually, Fritz Meinecke was thinking of shooting locations like Canada or Alaska, because it had to be “windy, rainy and cold”. The partner and sponsor Wandermut, on the other hand, suggested an island in the tropics: Isla San Jose in southern Panama.
This island meets all the criteria: it is isolated, yet relatively close to civilization at a distance of 80 kilometers from the mainland. It is large enough so that participants do not accidentally cross each other and is not heavily built up. There are enough essential resources such as water and coconuts – but not too many, so that it is not made too easy for the participants.
Yet it was immediately clear to the producers that there were dangers on the island. There would be crocodiles and sharks on the coast, while poisonous snakes would live on the island itself. Sometimes the mosquitoes near the water are “unbearable”. Poisonous fruits can also be found on the island.
Dangerous turn just before shooting starts
Everyone was raving about the island until dangerous information was leaked to the producers. The project almost had to be abandoned, at least at this location. Organizer Paddy van Wandermut reports:
Means: Up to 3000 bombs were not detonated at that time. This fact raised serious concerns and doubts among those responsible – one cannot send the participants to an area where they may encounter duds.
The goal now was to find out where the six test zones were located. An American investigative reporter, after persistent persuasion from Paddy, agreed to broadcast a report and map showing the danger zones, which were not intended for the public.
After looking at the map, Paddy was relieved: “The six test zones were inland”, and while some are terrifyingly close to shore, the participants’ spots are “untouched”. In addition, they would later have been given water samples, “they were all fine.” So nothing stood in the way of the second season.
Renting the island was so expensive
For the whole island including a hotel complex where the team is to be housed, the producers had to pay a huge amount that would have been in the six-figure range. But that didn’t stop her either:
Source: Watson
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
