Survivor: Race Wars?

I haven't watched the TV reality show Survivor since the All Stars edition. I've enjoyed this show in the past, but recently I've found it too repetitive to find interesting. They pretty much do the same things every season. Also, while not a huge reason for my disinterest, the show really wasn't too racially diverse in its casting. But I figured that was because it was mostly white people who applied for these shows anyway.

Well lo and behold! This season's Survivor will feature 4 teams of 5 members each...divided by race! That's right! You'll have a white team, a black team, a Latino team, and an Asian team! Needless to say, I was kind of shocked when I saw this news. I mean, with racial sensitivity in the US at such a high point and with political correctness ruling all media, to explicitly pit one race against another in a TV show is quite daring, to say the least.

The way Mark Burnett explains it, he's deciding to address the many complaints about his show regarding lack of minorities head on by featuring the most racially diverse TV cast and pitting them against each other. A very bold and risky decision.

And let's face it. After so many years, Survivor definitely needed a makeover to keep viewers. At least for me, it'll get me watching so Burnett has already succeeded.

This could be a very important footnote in TV history and I'm impressed with the decision. Now let's see if it works. Will race become an issue during the show and will stereotypes come forward? We'll see!

Link to article: Survivor Article