Fourth season of 'Survivor' to take place on South Pacific island Nuku Hiva

NEW YORK (AP) _ ``Survivor'' is heading back to the beach. <br><br>The fourth season of the reality game show will take place on the South Pacific island of Nuku Hiva, CBS spokeswoman Colleen Sullivan

Thursday, October 25th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ ``Survivor'' is heading back to the beach.

The fourth season of the reality game show will take place on the South Pacific island of Nuku Hiva, CBS spokeswoman Colleen Sullivan said Thursday. Nuku Hiva is the largest island in the volcanic Marquesas Archipelago of French Polynesia.

``Survivor'' pits 16 strangers against each another in a remote setting, where they compete in physical challenges and scheme in pursuit of a $1 million prize.

The first two seasons dominated the ratings, typically placing at or near the top of the Nielsen list. The finale for the original ``Survivor,'' which took place on an island in the South China Sea, drew 51 million viewers. The second season, which ended in April and took place in the Australian Outback, averaged 28.7 million viewers.

The numbers have dipped for the current season, ``Survivor: Africa,'' now in its third week. It reached the top 10 in the ratings the first two weeks, with about 20 million viewers.

With the secrecy that's characterized the series since its inception, Sullivan declined to say when contestants would be chosen and shooting would begin on the fourth ``Survivor.'' She said it would begin airing after the 2002 Winter Olympics.