SBS survival series Alone Australia has returned to screens and this time contestants have been tasked with trying to endure the icy climes of New Zealand’s South Island.
The gruelling program sees 10 survivalists dropped in the wilderness, where they must outlast their competition for the chance to win $250,000.
But fans have been left outraged over the decision to film the Aussie show across the ditch.
‘Why is it called Alone Australia if it’s in New Zealand? You guys claiming the whole country now?’ one fan wrote.
‘Trying to get my head around #AloneAustralia being filmed in NZ,’ another remarked.
Fans of Alone Australia left outraged over decision to film this season in New Zealand
‘So this is Alone New Zealand then. Australia is such a huge country, surely you could of found somewhere in our own country to be a genuine Alone Australia,’ another user raged.
The SBS Australia Instagram account responded to the various comments, validating the network’s decision.
‘If you’ve seen other seasons of Alone, you’ll know that they’re not necessarily shot inside the same country and are actually filmed all over the place – it’s mainly about the participants being from Australia,’ they said in a statement.
‘The American version of Alone has been shot all over the place including Canada, Patagonia and even Mongolia!’
The gruelling program sees 10 survivalists dropped in the wilderness, where they must outlast their competition for the chance to win $250,000
Head of unscripted programs at SBS, Joseph Maxwell, told The Guardian last year that the season one location, Tasmania, had strict hunting regulations which led the producers to search for a new location
Season one saw the contestants take on the challenging conditions of Tasmania during a ‘polar blast’.
However, head of unscripted programs at SBS, Joseph Maxwell, told The Guardian last year that Tasmania’s strict hunting regulations led the producers to search for a new location for this year’s season.
‘We absolutely loved the innovation we saw in Tasmania, but there’s some pretty strict hunting regulations there,’ he revealed.
Fans have been left outraged over the decision to film the Australian show across the ditch
He added that New Zealand’s spectacular landscape sold the producers.
‘By choosing New Zealand, we’re able to introduce bows and arrows, which brings in whole new strategies and skill sets…. and it is an absolutely stunning location,’ he said.
‘Tasmania had a real, claustrophobic intensity about it, New Zealand is a place of grandeur. It is absolutely stunning,’ he said.
Alone Australia airs Wednesdays 7:30pm on SBS.
Alone Australia airs Wednesdays 7:30pm on SBS
