With Yellowjackets Season 3 wrapping up, we’re already waiting with bated breath for the team’s next chapter.
While we may be holding out for some time, we can fill the space between by reading up about our favourite show. Specifically, what exactly inspired its twisty storyline — and how much of it is based in truth.
Related: What Yellowjackets’ Stars Have Said About the Show Being Renewed For Season 4
WARNING: This article contains mild spoilers for Yellowjackets.
Is Yellowjackets Based On A True Story?
Yellowjackets is not directly based on a true story, however, it was inspired by real-life events.
The series draws inspiration from the 1972 Flight 571 disaster, where 16 members and supporters of a Uruguayan rugby team managed to survive 72 days in the wilderness after their flight crashed in the Andes Mountains.
Of the total 45 people on the Uruguayan Airlines flight, the initial crash killed 12, with five more people dying during the first night and one more around a week later, leaving 27 still alive, according to Time. Similarly to in Yellowjackets, the survivors of the plane crash were ultimately forced to resort to cannibalism in order to survive.
The show’s co-creator, Ashley Lyle also cited William Golding’s classic novel, Lord of the Flies, as a reference for the concept. Speaking to the New York Times in 2021, Lyle recalled reading an article about a gender-swapped remake of the book that had been planned. Many commenters on the article did not believe girls would “descend into such barbarianism,” a point Lyle disagreed with.
Is Yellowjackets Filmed In The Same Place As The Real Crash?
While Flight 571 crashed in a remote part of the Andes mountains in Argentina (near the Chilean border), Yellowjackets was primarily filmed in the United States and Canada.
Most of Yellowjackets was not shot on location and instead came to life at Bridge Studios in Burnaby near Vancouver. Further, the scene where Jackie, Shauna and their teammates regroup after surviving the crash was not actually filmed in the wilderness at all, but rather at a paintball park — specifically, Panther Paintball & Airsoft Sports Park in British Columbia — that sits on 57 acres of woods.
Where to Watch Yellowjackets In Australia
In Australia, all episodes of Yellowjackets are available to stream on Paramount+.
Season 1 only is also available to stream on Netflix.
