'Survivor's Season 38 Filming Location Will Give You Travel FOMO

Survivor wouldn't be the same show if every season wasn't on a seemingly deserted island with nothing but the ocean and jungle for survival. Season 38 is no different, but since each season is different in some way, fans might be wondering where Survivor Season 38 is. Edge of Extinction not only includes the requisite island for the castaways to live and compete on, but there's a separate area for the season's twist, so it has to be a fairly large location.

Although the show has taken its players all over the world throughout the years, the past few seasons, including Season 38, were filmed in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji. In the past, Survivor made a connect the dots map all over the world. Season 31 and 32 were filmed in Cambodia and before that the show spent two seasons each in the Philippines and Nicaragua. Some seasons have even been filmed in China and Kenya. But in 2017, ahead of Season 38, Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst told Entertainment Weekly that he hoped the show could remain in Fiji indefinitely.

"Fiji offers us everything that we want," Probst said at the time. "Incredibly beautiful water that you can see down 30 feet, beaches that are amazing, a government that is working with us, local labor that loves to say 'Bula!' every day because they’re just happy you’re here. And our crew has never been as happy. We actually have decent accommodations to do this show out in the jungle. It’s a win-win-win."

At the time, Survivor had already filmed in Fiji for four consecutive seasons and the fact that it's still in this particular tropical locale could mean the show has found its permanent home.

It's not clear yet if the plan is to stay in Fiji for the next several Survivor seasons, but, Probst explained, it makes more sense than moving to different islands each season. He reasoned that things are different in some of the locations Survivor may have filmed in during those early seasons and if the show has found success in Fiji, why mess with a good thing?

"The real truth of the world is, when we started Survivor 18 years ago, there were lots of places we could go," he told Entertainment Weekly. "It's been two decades. It’s a different world. There are not as many places we can go for lots of reasons — the economy, population, political unrest, weather patterns."

When you watch Survivor as a viewer, it makes sense why Season 38 is back in Fiji like the seasons before it. The white sandy beaches and clear water are aesthetically pleasing and for longtime fans, it might be almost comforting to see the same general location every season.

The only things that really needs to change every season are the competitions, the rewards, the twists, and the cast. Unless of course there are returning players, in which case, they are always welcome back for another go at that prize money. This season alone has seen some returning Survivor veterans that helped bring in viewers who may have been waiting to see their favorites return to the island. While the Survivor filming location is important because there is no sound stage like other TV shows, keeping things firmly planted in Fiji probably wouldn't make much of a difference to viewers.

If Survivor does remain in Fiji for the next several seasons, it certainly wouldn't be the worst thing. The reason the competition reality show has lasted so long isn't necessarily because of where it was filmed, but more so the game that makes up each season.