RTE is searching for 16 people willing to face the challenge of a lifetime in Treasure Island, a new series produced by COCO Television.
Sixteen people will be chosen from the thousands expected to enter for the chance of a lifetime, to be brought to an island in the South Pacific to search for a hidden £50,000 prize, a spokeswoman for COCO said.
A spokeswoman for RTE said last night the COCO plan was known to the national broadcaster and was "authentic".
The COCO spokeswoman said somewhere in the South Pacific was the uninhabited island that would become a home for up to four weeks for the 16 contestants who make it through the selection process.
When they get to the island, they will be divided into two teams.
These teams will then be sent to live on opposite ends of the island with minimal food and only the shelter they can build for themselves from the surrounding habitat.
While they are on "Treasure Island" the teams will have to outwit, outrun and outlast each other to complete a complex series of tasks and challenges to find the treasure buried by a band of "pirates" marooned on the island.
Every week on the show, those who are not up to the challenges will be eliminated, Big Brother-style, and the final programme will come down to two contestants and a race for the buried treasure, which will net the winner a prize of £50,000.
To take part, applicants must be over 18, up for a challenge and available to take time off work or study for 30 days some time between April and July of this year.
Anyone interested can apply online at www.rte.ie/treasureisland or call 1890 33 53 53 in the Republic (caller pays local call rates) or 0800 039 1213 from Northern Ireland.
The closing date for applications is April 13th.