Production problems hit ‘Survivor: Gabon’

updated 3:45 p.m. ET June 16, 2008

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Jeff Probst says the upcoming season of “Survivor” has already hit a few snags.

“Survivor: Gabon — Earth’s Last Eden” has been plagued with several preproduction problems, Probst said at the opening of the new restaurant Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood on Wednesday. The dilemmas for the 17th season of the CBS reality show, which begins filming in Africa later this month, range from encroaching animals to slow shipments.

“Our shipping has been really delayed,” Probst said. “One aspect of ‘Survivor’ that is different from a lot of shows is that we have to ship throughout the season, and we’re about 30 days behind now, which is a major problem. We’re going to be fine on the show, but the crew housing is not there. We’re going to be in tents.”

Other than the habitation hindrance, Probst also said a crane had fallen over and a cargo hold containing about $100,000 worth of food had gone missing. The lumber used for building props and set pieces for challenges and Tribal Council, however, had safely arrived. Probst said the “Survivor” crew was also having an issue with something that was already present: wildlife.

“We have a danger problem with animals that we’re trying to figure out how to handle,” the “Survivor” host said. “There’s so much truly wild life out there, we’re not sure what to do. We don’t want the animals around for a safety reasons, but we’d love to have a hippo sneak in every so often. I just got a call from our executive producer that we’ve got hippo tracks at base camp.”

“Survivor: Gabon,” which will feature 18 castaways living in the wilderness in the West African country, will be filmed in high-definition and is slated to premiere in the fall. It’s the first time the competitive reality series has returned to Africa since its Kenya-set third season. Probst said he doesn’t think the snafus will halt production.

“These things for us usually have a way of turning into good things,” he said.

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