white rice

i stopped watching survivor a few seasons ago when the twists and turns took away from the once simple yet brilliant concept. but with all the controversy surrounding the latest installment, i had to tune in to see what all the hype was about. in case you've been living in a bubble the last few weeks, you know what i'm talking about: burnett's questionable decision to split tribes along racial lines.

an interesting concept in theory, some say cbs is taking a huge risk by letting viewers see how this will play out on national television. host probst calls it "a social experiment." indeed it may seem that way, but i wonder how much we can really learn from this.

the unknowing group of 20 is split into four tribes: aitutaki (latino), manihiki (african-american), puka puka (asian-american), and rarotonga (caucasian).

what is truly interesting is how each tribe reacts to the news. all are shocked, but some are more excited than others. manihiki is ready to break down stereotypes, while puka puka thinks this will feed into stereotypes. aitutaki and rarotonga just seem to think it's crazy but it won't affect their game. as much as they all seem like they don't want to play into stereotypes, within the first 5 mins, aitutaki talks about how weird it is to be rowing to an island when their parents were trying to leave an island, manihiki makes a reference to the "ghetto", puka puka talks about white rice, and rarotonga refers to themselves as the "whiteys".

now i'm sure editing played a huge factor in all this, but i can't help but wonder how much of a role ethnicity will play in this game, especially during the next few weeks when the tribes remain split by race. it seems that for now anyone that makes a racial comment will be referring to their own tribemates since the tribes are kept pretty much separate until any sort of merge. that's not to say it wasn't a little bit awkward when puka puka won the first challenge that involved solving puzzles while manihiki came in dead last...

i guess we'll just have to wait and see how it will play out once tribes are merged. will contestants stick with their tribe and by default their own race? or will they stick with their race and by default their original tribe? it's hard to say which is the case. in survivors past, it has been beneficial and strategic to stick with your original alliance. in this season, it could be interpreted as sticking with your race. on the other hand, if you ditch your tribe for a more favorable alliance, will it be viewed as turning your back on your race? all i'm saying is that if judgements are going to be made, it's important to understand how the game of survivor works.

i only had the intention of watching the first episode, curious as to how it would be received. and well i'm already hooked. let's be honest - i was hooked as soon as i heard the opening theme music.

sidenote: anyone else find it odd that the caucasian tribe has a girl named parvati? last i checked, that's an indian name. can you say plot twist?

if you missed last night's premiere, but want to see what all the fuss is about, click here for a recap and tune in next thursday at 8pm on CBS.