Canberra isn't exactly a remote tropical island, but that didn't stop Daniel Moore from creating the capital's own version of Survivor.
The online series is the latest in several fan-made Survivor-style series to find their way onto YouTube, such as Melbourne Survivor and Backyard Survivor in Perth.
It was watching these series during the first part of the pandemic that inspired Moore to set about creating one here.
"It was a great hobby during COVID-19 when everyone was staying at home because organising it was a distraction. Other people got into baking bread and I got into organising a YouTube version of Survivor," Moore says.
"Originally I was going to host by myself but after speaking to [friend] Olivia Dyriw and hearing that she was excited to be involved, I knew she'd be a great co-host - she has a great presence and a nice, clear speaking voice."
It should come as no surprise that Moore is a big Survivor fan. He has been watching the franchise since season one of the American series first aired in Australia.
Although he admits he was a bit of a closeted fan when he was younger - "it wasn't cool to be a Survivor fan" - he eventually found a niche community of superfans.
It was here that Moore started looking for participants in Survivor Canberra, using social media and in particular superfan Facebook groups, to encourage people to apply.
"One of the things I love most about Survivor is that every player on the season has a story to tell; whether they're the winner or they're voted out first," he says.
"My goal with casting is finding 16 different people, all with 16 different stories to tell. We're not necessarily looking for the biggest Survivor fans to play, we're looking for engaging people that will have a unique take on how to play the game.
"I think it's a great way to give the everyday Australian a taste of Survivor; because let's face it, not all of us are former AFL players or Instagram influencers that are getting cast on the real thing."
The first type of Survivor-style challenge that comes to mind usually involves a beach. With Canberra obviously lacking in sandy beaches - and Lake Burley Griffin too cold for contestants - Moore looked to what the capital did have on offer. The natural landscape. Moore chose to film at Murray's Corner because of the river that runs by it, and the hills you can see from it.
"The show was completely self-funded so for the most part the challenges were quite low-budget," Moore says.
"I think the most important thing when coming up with Survivor challenges is to vary them. You want to give everyone's strengths a chance to shine, whether someone is good at puzzles, or speed, or throwing, balance etc. I think there should just be something for everyone."
Survivor Canberra's YouTube channel has already started dropping the introduction videos for each of the 16 contestants - some of whom travelled to Canberra especially for the series, and others who have participated in a fan-made Survivor series previously.
The main episodes will premiere on the channel on February 4.
