Set in the Cook Islands, Mark Burnett and CBS have taken races to the extreme. By races, I mean ethnicity not competition. The 13th season of "Survivor" four tribes competing to win, all separated by ethnic lines into African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic and White.
Show producers say it's a huge gamble, but they aren't trying to start any race wars. "Survivor" host Jeff Probst was quoted on a CBS morning show that ""We've always had a low number of minority applicants ... apply to the show. So we set out and said, 'Let's turn this criticism into creative for the show.'"
It's a wonderful test for the CBS crew, get minorities to participate in their show. It's great for TV, it's great for representation on TV, but to separate by ethnicity taints the show. This stunt will obviously drum up tons of drama and hate mail, but that's what producers wanted. The ratings will without a doubt go up when the show premiers on Sept. 14.
But how can this not turn this into a three-ring circus? When people ultimately look at this set up -- despite the fact that later on the tribes merge to form one -- it's four races duking it out to see which team can win. It's the norm when the tribes combine to talk about how they are still dedicated to their original team. Instead of some random tribe name they will be saying they are still in an alliance with the Asian-American tribe or the Hispanic tribe and so on. Producers say that they've gotten rid of all the racists and people who would take this race separation seriously, but how can you not sound like a bigot after a statement regarding your original alliance?
Oh yeah, bets are already being taken and the White tribe is in the lead. I won't even comment on how I think betting on this season of "Survivor" is horribly wrong.
I commend "Survivor" for trying to do something different, but the idea that this could actually break down race barriers is crazy. It'll just amp it all up. There were plenty of ways to deal with race and get the rating back up. The creators could have still done their "social experiment" with minorities. Why not create four tribes with one person from each race comprising the tribe? Sure, not as shocking as pitting the races against one another, but still interesting television.
In the end, I don't know if I'll actually watch the show. Will I watch just to satisfy my curiosity? It's likely, but doubtful, that I'll stick around and watch it religiously. Hey, I might abstain from TV at that time to do some work and then flip on competing station ABC at 8 p.m. for "Grey's Anatomy."
Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.
However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.
Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson.
Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.
