Mark Burnett & Bear Grylls to Bring Back Eco-Challenge

Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice, Shark Tank) and Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild, Running Wild) have teamed up to revive the competition series Eco-Challenge.

The series, a pre-cursor to Survivor, ran for ten editions over eight years. Eco-Challenge was created by Burnett in 1992. The series gave him his first Emmy Award.

Grylls will host and executive produce the new Eco-Challenge.

The series will select a location and television partner and look to start shooting in late 2019.

Burnett commented: “The most asked question in my entire career is ‘Will you ever bring back Eco-Challenge?’ and I’d always known we needed the correct authentic figurehead to lead us forward effectively. Bear Grylls is that leader. He’s tough, he’s smart and he’s extremely capable in both the wilderness and in the boardroom. He’s my friend and I couldn’t be happier and I’d gladly follow him.”

Burnett and Grylls jointly commented: “Eco-Challenge is not a reality series, it’s a real expedition with a stopwatch. It’s extremely difficult and you will suffer. If you don’t want to suffer, don’t apply.”

Grylls added: “Eco-Challenge is the ultimate global survival-adventure race, against the elements, against the clock, and against some of the greatest extreme athletes the world has ever seen. I am so proud to have partnered with MGM Television and the legendary Mark Burnett to bring this incredible adventure series to the world. This is raw human endeavor at its most powerful.”