Canadians are now eligible to compete on Survivor.
The series’ longtime host Jeff Probst shared the news to ET Canada‘s Sangita Patel on Wednesday.
“Finally I can say to Canadians, ‘You should apply to be on Survivor because you can be,” Probst declared. “For the first time ever, we’re looking to have Canadians on the show.”
“This is a big deal because Canada is like our brother and our sister in terms of viewership,” he continued. “Canadians have been so good to Survivor and for years said, ‘When can we play?’ and we finally figured it out, how to make it happen and we are actively seeking Canadians to play Survivor. We are looking for you, apply, you’ll figure it out if you want to be on this show but it’s the real deal. We’re ready.”
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The Survivor host thinks Canadians are up to the challenge.
“I think Canadians will do great and honestly because they understand the game. Survivor is a game in addition to having to survive the elements – which Canadians know how to do – you have to know how to play this game and it’s exciting for us, if I’m being quite candid because we have a whole new country to find people from.”
“It’s hard to get on Survivor”, he said. “We’re super picky, we’re looking for really compelling people and interesting stories and I’ve seen so many people over the years apply and then I find out, ‘Oh man, they’re Canadian and we can’t do it.’ Those days are gone,” Probst said.
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After watching so many contestants over the years, Probst has a few tips on how Canadian applicants can stand out from the crowd.
“Authenticity is the only thing you have to have and I know that sounds like a vague answer, but what I am saying is you don’t have to be a filmmaker. We don’t care. You don’t have to jump off buildings unless that’s what you do. If you’re a mom who has decided, ‘We have 2 kids of 3 kids or 1 and I’m gonna stay at home, I’m gonna raise the family and run the home. My husband and the dad is gonna go out and earn the money.’ Okay, that’s an interesting story,” he says. “Tell us about your life. What’s a day in your life look like and why do you want to do Survivor? Maybe the answer is ‘Because I want to get away from the kids.’”
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“We just want to get a sense of who you are so we can begin to figure out how you would fit on the show,” Probst adds. “That’s all we’re doing is we’re meeting people and saying, ‘Okay how would they fit?’. Like this season, David and Goliath started to emerge and then we start looking at people and thinking, ‘Huh, are they a David or Goliath? Do we have anybody like them? If we do let’s wait for them and put them on next season.’ It’ll be the same process.”
“Just be yourself, and that’s really it,” he says.
Canadians interested in applying for season 39 of Survivor should email SurvivorCastingCanada@cbs.com with the following requirements:
Applicants must include an UNLISTED YouTube link of their audition video and basic information below:
-Name
-Age
-Location
-Occupation
-Relationship Status
-Phone Number
-A brief description on why you want to be on Survivor
‘Survivor: David Vs. Goliath’ premieres on Global on Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.