GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Everyone knows the reality show “The Bachelor” – a series which has captivated plenty an audience and has kept them glued to their seats waiting to find out who said bachelor will choose as his true love.

What some residents of the Garden Route might not be aware of though, is that the Finnish version of the show is coming to the area, and will be filming an entire season at locations from Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay.

The Fins apparently love the Garden Route so much that this will be the third time the show is filmed in the area. 

This time the crew and participants will spend an entire month filming in the area, from 1 to 30 November.

According to Patrick Walton, producer at ShootAway Productions – the South African contingent of the crew – the show first filmed only eight episodes of the series when they first came to the Garden Route, “but this time they will be shooting the entire series here – a total of 12 episodes”.

“The Garden Route has so much to offer, it’s no wonder they keep coming back. 

"This time around we’ll be filming at over 40 locations doing a whole range of activities. There is even going to be a charity day as part of the show, where locals will be able to join in the action,” said Walton.

He added that the filming would bring more than R2-million to the local economy, with a large amount of South Africans making up part of the crew and catering and props being sourced from local companies.

“I also make sure that about 15% of the crew are students as development within the industry is very important. 

"These students will come from iKasi Media, a not-for-profit film production and training organisation based in rural Western Cape,” he said.

Walton said that Sedgefield and Plettenberg Bay Tourism have been instrumental in finding suitable locations. 

ARTICLE: STEFAN GOOSEN, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST

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