How to Watch Survivor UK in the US For Free to See the First Season Since 2002

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If you’re a die-hard Survivor super fan, you might want to know how to watch Survivor UK in the US since the British reality TV show hasn’t been on air since 2002. BBC rebooted the show in December 2023 to bring back all of the outwitting, outplaying, and outlasting that makes Survivor so beloved and action-packed.

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Survivor UK is based on the international Survivor format and follows a similar set of rules. So if you’ve watched American Survivor, Australian Survivor, or any of the other spin-offs, you’ll understand the premise of the show. If not, here’s a short and sweet summary of the format: Given no food or shelter—and sometimes no fire—contestants must live together and learn to make do with what they have in order to survive. What are they competing for? Just a huge monetary prize and the title of “Sole Survivor.” To make it to the end and be the last one standing, players must work together and alone to win physical and mental challenges, such as obstacle courses and puzzles. Losing puts castaways in danger of going to Tribal Council, where a tribe votes one of their own off of the show.

Watch ‘Survivor UK’

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While seasons 1 and 2 of Survivor UK came up short in terms of ratings and a loyal viewership, BBC decided to take the reigns from ITV to give the show a fresh start in 2023. Season 3 took place in the Dominican Republic, lasted for 34 days, started with 18 castaways (two tribes of nine players), and ended in a 6-1-1 final vote.

If survival, social strategy, and competition interest you, then Survivor UK belongs up next on your watchlist. Keep scrolling to learn how to watch Survivor UK in the US online for free to catch up on all three seasons and see who wins each one.

Matthew Haywood from Survivor UK Season 3
Matthew Haywood (Season 3). Photo: BBC.

How to watch Survivor UK in the US

How can Americans watch Survivor UK in the US? Survivor UK is available to stream on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. To watch the show in the US, however, Americans will need a VPN (virtual private network), a service that allows users to set their computer’s location to another country and access websites that would otherwise be restricted by location. The most popular VPNs are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, AtlasVPN, and PureVPN, all of which offer a 30-day money back guarantee. Keep on reading ahead to find out how to sign up for them to watch Survivor UK in the US.

Watch Survivor UK in the US with ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPN services, and the one we recommend above all others for a simple reason. The service—which allows users to set their location to more than 160 locations in 90 countries with unlimited bandwidth—offers a 30-day-money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN also has a current deal where users can subscribe for $6.67 per month with three months free for 12 months. Without any deals, ExpressVPN costs $12.95 per month for its monthly plan and $9.99 per month for its six-month plan. Each plan includes a 30-day-money-back guarantee.

Express VPN—which takes about five minutes to set up—also promises lightning-quick connectivity, 24-hour live-chat support and allows users to connect to any device, from computers to phones to tablets. Of course, users can do more than watch international events and shows in the US with a VPN. VPNs also allow users to access international versions of Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max (which have different content than in the US) as well as stream international services like Hayu, which has access to programs like the Real Housewives, Below Deck, The Bachelor and hundreds of other reality TV shows.

Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch Survivor UK in the US with ExpressVPN.

Watch ‘Survivor UK’ with ExpressVPN

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  1. Sign up for ExpressVPN and create an account

  2. Log into your ExpressVPN account and click “Download” on the “Dashboard” or in “Set Up Your Devices”

  3. Once you’ve installed ExpressVPN, enter the “Activation Code” from the “Dashboard” or in “Set Up Your Devices”

  4. Once ExpressVPN is set up, change your location to the UK by clicking the connect icon to read “Connected” and selecting the country in the “Smart Location” menu

  5. Visit Survivor UK‘s page on BBC

  6. Create a BBC account, sign in, and start watching Survivor UK in the US

Watch Survivor UK in the US with AtlasVPN

AtlasVPN—which offers a 30-day-money-back guarantee—costs $11.99 per month for a monthly plan, $3.29 per month for a yearly plan, and $1.64 per month for a two-year plan with an extra six months free. AtlasVPN offers more than 1,000 high-speed VPN servers, unlimited devices, 24/7 support, WireGuard protocol and passwordless login. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch Survivor UK in the US with AtlasVPN.

Watch ‘Survivor UK’ With AtlasVPN

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  1. Sign up for AtlasVPN and create an account

  2. Once finished, click “Go Premium” which will direct you to the downloads page

  3. Click “Get Atlas” for the platform of your choice

  4. Click “Download Now”

  5. Locate the file on your computer and follow the prompts to install AtlasVPN

  6. Click “Connect”

  7. Once AtlasVPN is set up, change your location to the UK by clicking the server in the right bar

  8. Visit Survivor UK‘s page on BBC

  9. Create a BBC account, sign in, and start watching Survivor UK in the US

Watch Survivor UK in the US with NordVPN

NordVPN is another popular VPN service recommended by YouTubers like PewDiePie, Casey Neistat and Philip DeFranco. The service—which offers a 30-day-money-back guarantee—costs $12.99 per month for a Standard monthly plan; $4.49 per month for a Standard one-year plan, with three extra months free; and $2.99 per month for a Standard two-year plan with three extra months free. Along with access to more than 59 countries, NordVPN also allows users to connect to multiple devices (from computers to phones to tablets) and offers 24-hour live-chat support. Read on for step-by-step instructions for how to watch Survivor UK in the US with NordVPN.

Watch ‘Survivor UK’ With NordVPN

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  1. Sign up for NordVPN and create an account

  2. Log into your NordVPN account and click “Downloads” on the left-side menu

  3. Once you’ve installed NordVPN, log into your account

  4. Once NordVPN is set up, change your location to the UK by clicking “Quick Connect” or searching the country in the menu

  5. Visit Survivor UK‘s page on BBC

  6. Create a BBC account, sign in, and start watching Survivor UK in the US

Watch Survivor UK in the US with PureVPN

Another popular VPN service is Pure VPN, which offers a 31-day-money-back guarantee. PureVPN’s Max plans cost $20.45 per month for a monthly plan, $4.96 per month with three extra months free for a one-year plan, and $3.44 per month with three months free for a two-year plan. Pure VPN offers more than 6,5000 servers in over 78 countries across the world, as well as 24-hour live-chat support. Read on for step-by-step instructions for how to watch Survivor UK in the US with PureVPN.

Watch ‘Survivor’ With PureVPN

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  1. Sign up for PureVPN and create an account

  2. Once you’ve created your account, scroll to the bottom of PureVPN’s homepage and select the VPN that fits your device: Windows, MAC, IOS, etc.

  3. Click “Download the app”

  4. Once you’ve installed PureVPN, log into your account

  5. Once PureVPN is set up, change your location to the UK by searching for the country in the right bar

  6. Visit Survivor UK‘s page on BBC

  7. Create a BBC account, sign in, and start watching Survivor UK in the US

Leilani Sen (Season 3). <em>Photo: BBC.</em>
Leilani Sen (Season 3). Photo: BBC.

How does Survivor UK work?

The show starts out with multiple groups of players called tribes (usually two or three tribes and anywhere from 16 to 18 castaways total). Tribes compete against each other to win reward challenges (more often than not, these involve food) and immunity challenges (avoid going to Tribal Council). When a tribe loses an immunity challenge, they must head to Tribal Council and vote one of their own tribe mates off of the show. In the second half of the season, all of the tribes become one; this is know as “the merge.” Once the tribes have merged, contestants compete on their own until the final two or three players remain.

The finalists go to Final Tribal Council, where they can present their case to the jury, which is made up of contestants that got voted off that season. The jury then votes on who deserves the monetary prize and the title of “Sole Survivor.” This requires adapting to the climate and conditions presented to them on the island for anywhere from 34 to 40 days, creating a social strategy, and competing in rigorous challenges. The monetary prize on the 2001–2002 ITV iteration was £1,000,000, while the 2023 BBC iteration offered a £100,000 check.

Where is Survivor UK filmed?

Survivor UK is filmed all around the world, but tends to take place on remote, tropical islands.

  • Season 1: Pulau Tiga, Sabah in Malaysia

  • Season 2: Bocas del Toro in Panama

  • Season 3: Playa Caleton in Dominican Republic

How many seasons of Survivor UK are there?

There have been three seasons of Survivor UK so far. The first season started in May 2001, the second season started in March 2022, and the third season started in December 2023. ITV cancelled the series after its first two seasons due to ratings and viewership concerns. But in September 2022, BBC announced that it would be rebooting the reality TV show in 2023.

Who hosts Survivor UK?

Each season of Survivor UK has had a different host. English journalist and television presenter Mark Austin hosted season 1, English cricket commentator and former cricketer and broadcaster Mark Nicholas hosted season 2, and English comedian, television presenter, and actor Joel Dommett hosted season 3.

Watch ‘Survivor UK’

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