CBS Gears Up for 4th 'Survivor'

With production soon to begin on the third installment of "Survivor" in Kenya, producer Mark Burnett and his crew have now begun work on a fourth edition. CBS posted applications Thursday for a fourth "Survivor" on its Web site.

A location has not been revealed, but online "Survivor" wanna-bes are notified they must be available for a seven-week shoot this November, December or January.

Considering the timing between the filming of the third version and the start of a fourth, it's not unlikely that Burnett will choose a site that he considered for past shows.

For example, Burnett has readily discussed scouting locations in South America, such as Peru and Brazil, in preparation for the third version, which landed in Africa.

Potential players must fill out the "Survivor" application and mail it to CBS, along with a three-minute videotape. All applications must be in by July 27. Then, Burnett and company will whittle down the tens of thousands of applications they'll receive.

For the Kenya trip, Burnett and his crew selected 16 contestants from 50,000 applications. And leading up to the second edition, set in Australia, some 49,000 people applied.

For the original version, set on a tiny island in the South China Sea, 6,000 people sent in applications and tapes.

Producers will select 500 candidates to be interviewed in August or September, leading to a group of 48 finalists. Those folks will then spend two weeks in Los Angeles, where they will be interviewed and tested again, to find the right 16 for the show.

Potential players must be 21 or older and in good mental and physical health, according to CBS' Web site.

"Building shelter and finding food will be much more taxing than a trip to your local hardware store or supermarket," according to the online rules.

"Our competitors will also need to be in excellent mental health so that they will be able to cope with the extreme change in environment and the tension of the competition."