The Turks and Caicos in Movies, TV, Music, and Popular Culture

Quite a few films and television shows have been filmed in the Turks and Caicos. One interesting trait of the more modern productions shot here is that they really don’t show the amazing beaches, water, and marine environment that make the islands famous. Two exceptions are the 1941 film Bahama Passage and the Le trésor de Pago Pago French television program, both of which feature incredible locations.

Visiting Movie Stars and Celebrities

The Turks and Caicos has hosted a truly impressive collection of heads of state and celebrities, many of whom have stayed at exclusive retreats such as COMO Parrot Cay Resort on Parrot Cay and Amanyara on Providenciales.

However, the number of celebrities who have actually acted in films and shows in the Turks and Caicos is far lower than those who have simply visited and vacationed here.

Bahama Passage

The Turks and Caicos was the location for the early full feature film Bahama Passage. This 1941 Technicolor film was shot on Salt Cay when the sea salt industry was still in full operation.

Le trésor de Pago Pago

Without question, the film project that left the most behind in the Turks and Caicos was the unique French game show Le trésor de Pago Pago. This survivor challenge show shot several episodes in the early 1990s at beautiful Malcolm’s Road Beach on Providenciales.

The show built a set on the breathtaking and then very remote Malcolm’s Road Beach, which included a tiki hut village (on the low cliffs where Amanyara resort now stands) and a massive underwater steel Thunderdome cage and rope bridge climbing array for their challenges. The project also brought in a dugout canoe for races as well.

Paradise Virus

The 2003 Paradise Virus movie was a low-budget, made-for-TV drama thriller almost entirely shot on Grand Turk. This movie, filmed prior to the construction of the Grand Turk Cruise Center, has poor production quality, writing, and acting. But if you know the Turks and Caicos and Grand Turk, watching the movie to spot familiar locations and points of interest can be entertaining.

Life’s a Beach

The second Hollywood film shot in the Turks and Caicos was Life’s a Beach. Originally filmed in 2000 and titled Jungle Juice, the movie was shelved and released more than a decade later in 2012. The story is about a groom who gets stood up at his wedding and then decides to go on the honeymoon with his best friend instead.

Life’s a Beach was primarily shot at the Ramada/Turquoise Reef/Allegro Resort, which was later demolished and is the site of the current Seven Stars Resort.

Keeping up with the Kardashians

The Kardashians have visited the Turks and Caicos multiple times, staying at Amanyara and also at private luxury beach villas.

Too Hot to Handle

Netflix’s popular dating show Too Hot To Handle has filmed several seasons in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Seasons 2 and 3 were filmed in Turtle Tail at the sprawling Turtle Tail Estate (now closed). The villa from Seasons 4 and 5 of Too Hot To Handle is actually the Emerald Pavilion in Leeward, Providenciales, which is also not accepting rentals.

Worricker Trilogy: Turks and Caicos

This film is part of the Worricker Trilogy and features ex-MI5 officer Johnny Worricker (played by Bill Nighy) hiding out in the Turks and Caicos. Part of the plot revolves around a scheme by a shady American businessman played by Christopher Walken.

Filming locations include Long Bay Beach, Blue Hills, and Amanyara.

The Fosters

Season 5 Episode 21 of The Fosters, titled Turks & Caicos, was primarily shot at Beaches Turks & Caicos and features the wedding of two characters on the show.

Movie Mentions

• The Pink Panther (2006) labels one screen as being in “Turks and Caicos, The Bahamas” although this was not shot in the country.
• An episode from the TV series Suits has lawyer Louis Litt complaining that his colleagues are "off vacationing in Turks and Caicos."
• Turks and Caicos features in an episode of Miami Vice.
• In Season 9, Episode 15 of the U.S. sitcom The Office, character Andy states that “it’s not hard to get high-speed internet in Turks and Caicos, people. It’s in every Bembe café.” For the sake of accuracy, the Turks and Caicos does not have any Bembe (a type of percussion music) cafés.
• In the 2021 Netflix movie He's All That, Padgett Sawyer (played by Addison Rae) talks about how they spent her friend's sweet sixteen "at the beach... in Turks and Caicos."

Song Mentions

• Priyanka Chopra’s song Exotic featuring Pitbull mentions visiting the Turks and Caicos.
• Jay Z’s song What More Can I Say? discusses taking “private jets down to Turks and Caicos.”
• DJ Khaled mentions the Turks and Caicos in No New Friends.
• Drake has frequently rapped about the Turks and Caicos in songs like Desires, Pain 1993, and Popstar.

International Products

The Turks and Caicos has inspired a number of international brands to name or design their products around the natural beauty or culture of the islands.

• Essie, a division of cosmetic giant L'Oréal, has a turquoise shade of nail polish called Turquoise and Caicos.
• Ankona Boats, a U.S.-based manufacturer that specializes in producing power skiffs and flats boats for shallow water use, offers the Caicos model, which is inspired by and designed for the incredible shallows of the Caicos Islands and Caicos Banks.
• Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin has produced a Turks and Caicos variant of their iconic Journey Arrow Edition Brut champagne in a yellow can.
• Harriotts’ Legacy is a U.S.-based beverage brand that has a story and products that are directly related to the Turks and Caicos, particularly the island of Salt Cay. The company was started by one of the descendants of the Harriott family, a family that was once a major producer of sea salt and built the Harriott White House on Salt Cay. The company offers several alcoholic beverages, including a ginger beer, hard lemonade, and a mango mimosa.