Prerna Singh
‘The Challenge: Double Agents’ is the thirty-sixth season of the reality show ‘The Challenge, a spin-off of two other reality shows called ‘The Real World’ and ‘Road Rules.’ The show began with contestants from the two shows competing in ‘The Challenge,’ which eventually opened up to alumni from other shows as well. In each season of the show, contestants compete in some thrilling tasks challenges to avoid elimination.
The team that wins the competition shares a cash prize of one million dollars. A big part of the thrilling adventure series is finding the right location to serve the purpose. The black sand beaches, waterfalls, glaciers, and volcanoes – we get to see all this in season 36. Where do you think it is filmed? Well, let’s find out!
The Challenge: Double Agents Filming Locations
Season 36 of ‘The Challenge’ has been filmed from August to November 2020 during the ongoing pandemic. Filming this particular season of ‘The Challenge’ became a challenge by itself. Let us take you through the details!
Reykjavik, Iceland
‘The Challenge: Double Agents’ is filmed in Reykjavik, Iceland. The country, known as the “Land of Fire and Ice,” is situated on an active volcanic fissure called “The Icelandic Plume.” With a history that is strongly associated with the Vikings, Reykjavik seems perfect for a series that tests physical and mental resilience.
The area experiences extremes in temperatures, and while season 36 was being filmed, temperatures possibly went as high as 55 degrees and as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Iceland offers memorable experiences to adrenaline junkies who may enjoy scuba diving, ice climbing, glacier hiking, snorkeling, river rafting, and skydiving. You may also see some of this as a part of season 36.
The show pulled up quite a daring stunt by filming through the pandemic. Owing to the unprecedented situation, the production unit had to take extreme precautions, considering the show’s nature that requires filming in challenging locations with a sizeable number of contestants.
The contestants were required to quarantine in the same hotel, with no knowledge of who their competitors would be. It surely added to the intensity of the game. The cast was tested three times a week and had to have their temperature checked twice a day. A COVID-19 team with nurses were always available. It took a little getting used to, but the production team did their best to keep the contestants healthy and happy.
They also built a club exclusively for the contestants since they could not go out into the city as they would usually have. The club was constructed separately from the house the contestants were living in. Filming ‘The Challenge: Double Agents’ also required significant changes, including the way the equipment was used. Different camera lenses were used for close-ups since the crew maintained the six-foot distance.
The cast members were also required to put on microphones whenever possible to be audible in the video footage. The show’s camera crew has to be in perfect physical shape themselves to capture all the action. However, for season 36, the added challenge was doing all of that in PPE. To avoid over-exertion of the crew, regular breaks were taken, and everyone was required to step outside from time to time so that they did not remain in an enclosed space together for prolonged periods.
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