DUBAI: MBC’s reality survival game show “Million Dollar Land” has returned for a second season, with 30 contestants from across the Arab world navigating grueling challenges in Saudi Arabia’s NEOM desert for a shot at the grand $1 million prize.

The show, comprising 13 episodes and 60 dailies, promises unpredictable and jaw-dropping twists as participants compete over 30 days in new games that will be revealed throughout the series.

“The second season brings with it numerous surprises — from structural changes to the format, to new layers of competition, narrative, and thrill,” said Bassam Al-Braikan, general manager of public relations and corporate communications at MBC Group.

He noted that the second season comes after the show’s overwhelming success two years ago, with updates and enhancements introduced.

The game show, a spin-off of the Dutch “Million Dollar Island” from Talpa Studios, will see participants from different countries and professions partaking in challenges that test their endurance in the harsh desert life, survival skills and mental and physical resilience.

Upon arrival, participants receive bracelets worth $10,000 each. Their goal is to collect as many bracelets as possible through various challenges.

To survive, they need to form the right alliances, friendships, and secret pacts as they chase the grand prize.

“While the main rules of building alliances and strategies to gather the biggest number of bracelets are the same in the second season, viewers can expect new twists and turns. There are changes in the gameplay, unexpected twists, and new clashes among contestants,” Jenane Mandour, the show’s director, told Arab News at the program’s exclusive screening at Vox Cinemas at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.

Mandour added that the number of contestants has been reduced to 30 from the first season’s 100 participants “to introduce a change from the first season and to get to know each and every candidate more and focus on their stories.”

Contestants were selected through a wide casting search of candidates between 18 and 70 years old, provided they had no pre-existing health issues.

“Conditions are harsh in the desert, and not anyone can handle the hot and dry climate. Participants need to have mental resilience and strategic thinking to be able to gather as many bracelets as possible,” said Mandour.

However, to ensure players’ safety, organizers set clear guidelines and kept a 24-hour medical team on site for any emergencies.

On the question of whether only one winner walks away with the grand prize, Mandour said “you have to watch till the end to know.

“Like in all game shows, participants have to play hard and well to earn the $1 million.”

The Dubai-based TV company Blue Engine Studios executive produced the Arabic version of the show for MBC and the third season of the Dutch “Million Dollar Desert” for NET5 in NEOM, which has emerged as a burgeoning audiovisual production hub.

Ziad Kebbe, CEO of Blue Engine Studios, said that “Million Dollar Land” fills a gap in regional reality TV and aims to respond to viewer demand.

“Reality competitions are a major component of television content globally. These shows put everyday people in unpredictable and sometimes harsh conditions, prompting the audience to ask: ‘What would I do in their place?’,” said Kebbe.

On choosing NEOM as the filming location, Kebbe described it as “visually cinematic and historically significant. It’s not just filming a show; it’s capturing the story of a nation reinventing itself.”

Saudi actor Mohammed Al-Shehri, who hosted the show, told Arab News that “Million Dollar Land” presented “a mini model of reality,” making it a layered social experiment.

“It was fascinating to see how people changed on a daily basis physically and mentally under pressure.”

The reaction of contestants to participants who withdrew also served as a reminder of the impact people make on each other, said Al-Shehri.

“What surprised me consistently was seeing people cry when someone withdraws even though they haven’t known each other for a long time. Difficult conditions create powerful bonds, and the reason why people cried over some people and not others reminded me that it’s the impact you have on people that makes you unforgettable,” he added.

The program also highlighted the importance of withholding judgment, he said. “Viewers might see a participant’s choice as wrong, but in that moment — with limited information — it may have been their only option. Right or wrong is subjective.”

For Al-Shehri, the show helped expand his reach to different audiences across the Arab world, beyond Saudi Arabia.

The second season of “Million Dollar Land” will broadcast every Wednesday night on MBC Group’s TV channels and on Shahid from April 9.

MANILA: When Princess Habibah Sarip-Paudac first appeared on national television in 2012, she made history — not only as the Philippines’ first presenter to wear a hijab, but also as the first person from the country’s Muslim south to deliver the national news.

A native of Marawi, one of the main cities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, home to much of the Philippines’ minority Muslim community, Paudac traveled to Manila to audition at the People’s Television Network.

She won the contest and on Aug. 8, 2012, the flagship state broadcaster took her on air. Everyone back home was glued to their TVs.

“It was the first time. Everyone was so happy. Everyone was like cheering for me that day. And I feel that it was a big responsibility,” Paudac told Arab News.

“A lot of people were so surprised that I was able to pave the way for Muslim women in the national mainstream media. So, for its impact, for the people, of course, it was so big.”

Paudac, a college teacher and community worker, had no training in broadcast news but from the very first day at PTV was thrown in at the deep end.

“I really made (sure to) see to it that I would be learning day by day through this job,” she said. “I think the love for journalism started from there.”

Paudac quickly picked up the rules of journalism and reporting, studied the current news, and learnt how to read and deliver it perfectly. But as time went by, she realized there was also another task in front of her — one that was not related to her job.

As the only Muslim in the newsroom, her colleagues would often ask her about her religion and background, and to explain to them the things they did not know about Islam and about her homeland in Mindanao.

“For them, it came s a surprise that I was able to speak Tagalog, that I was able to speak English ... And I was like, no, people in Bangsamoro are well educated, and we have good education there, and I’m just one of the many successful women out there. We have lawyers, we have doctors, we have teachers. Now we have a news anchor,” she said.

“It became like an eye-opener for me. I was like: ‘I think this is my purpose. This is what Allah wants me to do.”

As her career advanced, besides being a news anchor, Paudac also became a host at Salaam TV and Salaam Radio — PTV’s channels focused on Filipino Muslims.

She also grew increasingly active in her role of challenging stereotypes about Muslim women and has managed to make them be seen and recognized as professionals.

Now she hopes that more of them will feel encouraged and empowered to pursue high-profile careers.

“I hope that they can get something from me, from my representation. And this job is very noble. You can learn a lot from it. You can give more into your community through this, you are a representative not just of your community, but your faith as well. And you can educate a lot of people,” Paudac said.

Her message to fellow Muslim women is clear — that they can excel and redefine spaces while staying true to their faith and identity.

And for that, she has some advice: “Please, take care of your hijabs. Take care of yourselves. Make yourself a resourceful person. Learn a lot ... most importantly, never ever leave behind your faith, your identity.”