CBS and Global TV are no longer planning on airing Survivor’s Season 41 this fall.
CBS has pulled Survivor from its fall 2020-2021 lineup as the coronavirus pandemic continues to halt production on the long-running competition series.
The show’s producers “are continuing to work with officials in Fiji on the appropriate time to start production,” CBS said in a statement.
Production for Season 41, which will take place in Fiji, was delayed in March and officials in Fiji are still evaluating the best time to start production again due to the safety for everyone involved.
Survivor is the first show to be pulled from CBS’s fall TV schedule.
CBS originally said that filming for Survivor‘s Season 41 was scheduled to begin in March in Fiji, but production was pushed back to May 19. As events have unfolded, producers weren’t able to make that date.
Earlier in the year, when producers decided to delay production, producer and host Jeff Probst wrote a letter to the show’s crew, explaining the delay of the next season.
“Due to growing short-term uncertainty surrounding the global spread of COVID-19 and the corresponding desire for the continued well-being of our amazing crew, we have decided to push back our start date for Survivor Season 41,” Probst’s letter began.
“Though Fiji has no reported cases and is beautifully remote, our crew numbers over 400 and are flying in from over 20 different countries, creating a need for more time to fully analyze and create our new production safety plan.”
Probst said the “situation is unprecedented, and we are learning more information every day.”
“It is out of concern for the well-being of all of you that we have taken this step.”
Probst added that the “intention” of postponing the show is to “begin production after the S40 live show.”
The producers have said they still intend to shoot both seasons 41 and 42.
Probst called his team “the most experienced international television team in the world” and added that over the last 20 years, “we have calmly and successfully managed a variety of production issues.”
“We will navigate this one the same way. Thank you for understanding our need for this extra time to create our plan,” Probst concluded.
“Due to concerns and uncertainty surrounding the spread of COVID-19 globally, CBS and the producers of Survivor have taken the precautionary measure to delay production on the 41st season,” CBS said earlier this year when production was suspended. “The health and safety of the castaways and production members is our top priority.”
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