The show's executive producer, Mark Burnett, had scoured the world before settling on Pulau Tiga.

CNN: Have Footage, Will Travel

More than 6, 000 people applied to be one of the eight men and eight women "marooned" on Pulau Tiga.

CNN: Have Footage, Will Travel

And though the group will be confined to a secluded area, Pulau Tiga already maintains a park headquarters and a system of trails.

CNN: Have Footage, Will Travel

Local attractions include the stone-carved Hindu temples in the Batu Caves, the aboriginal communities at Pulau Carey and international sporting events like Formula One and yacht races.

BBC: The Maldives meets Dubai, in Malaysia

Still, Pulau Tiga isn't quite the hostile jungle some might imagine.

CNN: Have Footage, Will Travel

The most heated arguments concern the price of the water Singapore buys from Malaysia and sovereignty over a small rock in the Singapore strait, known as Pedra Blanca or Pulau Batu Putih, depending on your point of view.

ECONOMIST: A truce across the Johor strait