Amazon picks up survival reality series with Bear Grylls

Cape Town – Amazon Studios is reviving the survival-adventure race reality series Eco-Challenge, picking up the show that this time will feature survivalist Bear Grylls and MGM's Mark Burnett producing.

The new Eco-Challenge that originally ran on the Discovery Channel since 1995 for 8 years, will now roll out on Amazon Prime Video worldwide.

The location of the show that will be filmed in September 2019 hasn't been revealed but the producers will choose 50 to 60 teams from 20 to 25 different countries, who have to consist out of 4 people each and with every team including men and women.

If someone from a team quits, in what is billed as "the toughest global outdoor multi-sport endurance race on Earth", the whole team gets eliminated.

'THE TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH'

In the 10-episode season, contestants will take part in whitewater rafting, mountaineering, horseback riding, scuba diving, mountain biking and more across 563 kilometres.

"[Eco-Challenge] started my entire TV career and afforded me my first Emmy. I’ve been asked one question over and over. When is it coming back? Now it is," says Burnett who is also MGM Worldwide Television Group chairperson," in a statement.

"With Bear Grylls at the helm and the Amazon Prime Video team delivering it to a worldwide audience, we will make an amazing team, and the audience will see that this little race eats Ironmen for breakfast."

"Mark Burnett and Bear Grylls are a dream pairing when it comes to the world of ultimate survival.  The stakes and the emotions will run high for the teams on Eco-Challenge 2019,” says Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios.

"Our Prime Video audience is in for a high-octane edge-of-your-seat experience as these fierce competitors find their limits and are asked to push beyond them in an adventure unlike any other."

Grylls says: "Eco-Challenge is the ultimate survival-adventure race, against the elements, against the clock, and against some of the greatest extreme athletes the world has ever seen".

Eco-Challenge 2019 is produced by MGM Television with Mark Burnett and Lisa Hennessy executive producing. Bear Grylls is also an executive producer.