Survivor

I shall endeavor to update this blog with comments on my favourite show, Survivor. I have been asked by several people what I think of the racial tribes this season. What do I think? I think Mark Burnett is a brilliant spin doctor and marketing genius. In one swoop, he has managed to answer all previous criticisms about race on Survivor, and create a ratings buzz that rivals Richard Hatch winning the first season! What he has done is say to the critics, "the people will prove whether Survivor is racist," and compelled many people to tune in, just to see how this plays out. I agree with some reviewers, who've said that, in the end, Survivor is all about singular greed. Starting off with racial tribes does nothing but guarantee interesting water-cooler chat. The participants may start off thinking about representing, but will have to emerge as individual combatants, to gain Ultimate Survivor status. I find it more interesting that the tribes seem to be dividing more along gender lines, even with the awareness that they are "representing." Despite the common race, the tribes are splitting along the familiar men/women dynamic that Survivor has seen many times before. I do find it annoying that critics seem more upset by racial division than gender division. There's no real difference - both segregate a portion of society and consider them less. And so far, my favourites are women (as it usually is when I watch Survivor, with the exception of Tom from Season 5); Stephanie, the two Latino women (can't remember their names!), and one man, Yul. The person I find most interesting to watch, yet I wouldn't want him to win, is Cao Boi. I doubt he'll even get to the final four, but he is fascinating to watch. The only skill, though, that he really has is his survival through Vietnam. But I don't really think he can stand up to Sundra or Stephanie or Yul, when it comes to strategy (or people skills!).