Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Survivor: Cook Islands

13:26 / 24.08.06

Yes, you read the summary right, in the new season of Survivor the contestants will initially be separated by race into four tribes - Caucasian, African-American, Asian, and Hispanic. Besides the obvious motivation of boosting ratings for a flagging show, the producers claim that the original idea was to rectify the show's lack of racial diversity... and from racial diversity they somehow just stumbled into the idea of racial divisions.

Part of me is a little tickled by the taboo-busting nature of this idea - in the US most people are uncomfortable admitting that there are racial divisions in our country - but the venue, the setup, and most likely the execution are all wrong. For starters the show's tribal setup is going to be icky in this context, although it was already fairly icky even with the nearly all white cast they had in seasons past. And there's no reason to believe the show is going to actually deal with or address racial issues... I just can't see how this isn't going to be a trainwreck at every turn. Thoughts?

16:12 / 24.08.06

And there's no reason to believe the show is going to actually deal with or address racial issues...

...in any but the worst possible way.

19:16 / 24.08.06

After Pirates of a Racially Divided Carribean I can see Barbelith is going to love this.

Is anyone else hoping Jake Jordan has to be parachuted in by episode 3?

22:01 / 24.08.06

Jesus Christ, this show is still on?

All Acting Regiment

10:31 / 25.08.06

Dear dear. It's probably going to aggravate racial tensions in contestants who might have gone into the show without any, and if someone went into the show, already holding some dodgy beleifs, I imagine they'd have a field day.

13:59 / 25.08.06

I am putting up $10 right now that says before the end of the series, someone will be branded as a "race traitor" -- as in, "You're not really [insert ethnicity]! You're one of THEM!"

Within the strictures of the show, this is inevitable.

Henningjohnathan

21:27 / 25.08.06

This is a little racist, but my girlfriend is Thai and works at a Sushi restaurant run by Koreans that hires Japanese, Korean, Thai (and one Mexican) chefs so I gotta say, from watching that experience, I can't see how the "Asian" team is really going to cohere as well as the White American and African American teams.

For that matter, a "Hispanic" team made up of Mexicans, Salvadoreans, Peruvians, Cubans, Peurto Ricans, Argentinians and so on seems about as diverse as if you just formed them without considering ethnic divisions.

21:35 / 25.08.06

Henning, it says you've posted 219 times on Barbelith yet by coming out with "this is a little racist" this is obviously your first day.

Correct?

05:07 / 26.08.06

I'm guessing this is just their way of reminding us that Survivor still exists.

00:25 / 28.08.06

I've watched Survivor for a few years... I was boyfriended into a group that has a betting pool and watches together every week. I don't really see what about it is any lamer than any other reality show, particularly the popular yet spectactularly boring Amazing Race.

Anyway, I'm betting that the racial segregation is only going to last an episode or two. I doubt the contestants were told of this organization before the first day of taping. In the last season, the opening "twist" of separating the cast by age group and gender was revealed to them when they got to the island. Most were disgruntled by this, especially the older women who saw themselves as being at a considerable disadvantage physically compared to the younger male team. The producers found a way to dismantle it by the second or third episode.

18:27 / 28.08.06

I am putting up $10 right now that says before the end of the series, someone will be branded as a "race traitor"

Not only are you correct, sir, but with the miracles of modern television editing, I suspect it will happen nearly every week. Perhaps, they can do one of those corporate sponsorship spotlight thingies: "This week's Ford F-150 Survivor Race Traitor of the Week is Tommy!"