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Cape Town – Something like this could only happen in TV land.
In 2016 British television network Channel 4 produced a survival reality show, Eden.
For a year 23 contestants were shipped to a remote part of Scotland to build a self-sufficient community.
The show was billed to be a social experiment to see if people could build a community away from modern life and technology.
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Filming of the show began in March 2016 with footage obtained from rigged cameras, go pros and four contestants who acted as camera operators.
Watch the trailer here:
The first cracks in the show happened in September 2016 when 8 contestants left the show.
The Press and Journal reported that hunger, tiredness and boredom were the main causes of the exodus.
According to The Guardian sexual jealousy, infighting and hunger were also reported throughout the year. And in the end a total of 13 contestants left the show.
Meanwhile back in the UK the show first aired in July 2016 but was cancelled after just 4 episodes after bad ratings.
The remaining contestants on the other hand lived in the isolated community for the full year and were not told that the show had been cancelled. It was reported that the contestants returned home on 23 March.
Channel 4 however remains adamant that the show will screen later this year.
In an official statement they said: "The appeal of Eden is that it was a real experiment and when filming began we had no idea what the results would be and how those taking part would react to being isolated for months in a remote part of the British Isles. That’s why we did it and the story of their time, including the highs and the lows, will be shown later this year."
