The Canary Islands are consolidated as a set for filming national and international reality shows. In 2021, 64 programs were recorded on the Islands, most of them contests. Pilar Rubio has been presenting ‘Discovering Canary Islands’ since October on Rakuten TV before an audience of 110 million households in 43 European countries.
Canary Islands has become territory reality show. During the last decade, the eight islands have served as a set for the recording of numerous television formats, both national and international, which, in many cases, in addition to being an interesting source of income for various audiovisual or service companies, also serve to promote the benefits of Archipelago beyond the seas.
They are not all those who are or are, sure, all those who are, but the starting signal for this television trend was given by the reality show A prince for Corina, a hugely successful format broadcast on Cuatro in 2013 and which was recorded in different locations in Tenerife, from La Orotava to Puerto de la Cruz passing through Los Realejos. Between that first experience and the current situation, it is worth mentioningr Discovering Canary Islands, an adventure reality show presented by Pilar Rubio and has been broadcast on Rakuten TV since October before an audience of more than 110 million households in 43 European countries.
According to data from the Government of the Canary Islands, of the 155 filmings carried out in 2021 in the Archipelago, which left 98 million euros in the Islands, 64 correspond to television contests. Most are reality shows that, although they cannot benefit from the tax incentives offered by the autonomous community, have found a hub in the Islands where they shoot different seasons.
The high level of Canarian professionals, to which are added the impressive landscapes, security and a top quality accommodation plant, are enough attractions for companies from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Finland , Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg and Spain opt for our Islands.
Continuing with the history of realities recorded on the islands, it is necessary to review look who jumpsa Spanish contest that adapted the American format Stars in Danger-High Diving, where celebrities such as Falete, Álvaro Múñoz Escasi or Lidia Lozano had to compete each week to jump from a springboard from the pool in Santa Lucía de Tirajana, in Gran Canaria .
With ‘A prince for Corina’ the filming of reality shows begins on the islands, where ‘Look who jumps’ or ‘Love Island’ have also been filmed
The third edition of the Cuatro reality show Who wants to marry my son? It was partially filmed in Tenerife, in 2014, and a year later the participants of the Swedish format The Bachelor landed in the south of Gran Canaria, a successful program broadcast by Channel 7 of the Nordic country, where silicone and testosterone coexist before the cameras. There’s no more.
It was also recorded in 2014, but this time in the Majorero enclaves of Pájara and La Oliva, the contest Ex, what would you do for your children?, an experiment that did not work as expected where ten separated couples got together again —some of them came even to reconcile— to achieve a prize of 100,000 euros for their children in common by completing physical tests and competing against other separated marriages.
Jobs generated
According to data from the regional government, the jobs generated by this activity were 4,000 hires in 2021, generally technical and artistic personnel from the Islands, “double that of 2018”, they clarify from the Executive.
However, this amount does not include the 5,000 extras who have participated in any of these audiovisual productions, which are not only contests, nor the hiring of suppliers, among others.
«We are surprised on many occasions when foreign production companies hire us to record two consecutive seasons. With that they cheapen costs a lot and they will already broadcast them in their countries each in a different year, ”explains the person in charge of one of the service companies dedicated to this type of format. “They usually choose spectacular villas, with impressive views and with a pool, of course, because almost all the game of the program ends up taking place in the pools and the bedrooms,” he adds.
«They choose to shoot spectacular villas with swimming pools, of course; the whole game of the program ends up taking place there and in the bedrooms, ”explains a Canarian producer
Continuing with the formats recorded in the Canary Islands, it is worth noting the filming in 2021 of the German version of Love Island, which took place entirely in Tenerife, specifically in the town of Fasnia.
The same format was moved, also in 2021, to Gran Canaria to record a new installment on this other island. The television Cristina Pedroche was in charge of presenting it. Last year it was the turn of the Finns from Paradise Hotel to settle in the Canary Islands to record their program, a hybrid format similar to the Spanish La isla de las tentaciones and Gran Hermano.
Flooxer also recorded in Gran Canaria last year Rage: The Curse of the Far West, the continuation of Commando Squad: Rage which, after four seasons, acquired a cowboy identity in this new installment, for which this kind of reality show was filmed with shades of adolescent soap opera in the mythical Sioux City of San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
The summary list of the formats of reality shows filmed in the Canary Islands, and where we must add, among others, the recordings of tests in talents such as Masterchef in its various modalities, which has already traveled to Gran Canaria and Tenerife, must conclude with the already mentioned Discovering Canary Islands, the adventure reality show recorded in the eight Canary Islands presented by Pilar Rubio.
The contest, which has eight participants, has as its leitmotiv to locate the ninth and mysterious Canary Island, San Borondón. Through physical tests and cultural activities, the participants get to know our land and, incidentally, millions of spectators from half the world as well.
