In all honesty, I stopped watching SURVIVOR after SURVIVOR: AFRICA (with the exception of the ALL-STARS edition). That said, I know a lot of readers LOVE the original reality mega-hit, so here’s some news. Direct from the PR department of CBS:
CBS today announced the 20 new castaways who will compete in SURVIVOR: COOK ISLANDS when the 13th installment of the Emmy Award-winning series premieres Thursday, Sept. 14 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
SURVIVOR: COOK ISLANDS will feature the series’ most ethnically diverse cast to date. The castaways will initially be organized into four tribes divided along ethnic lines (African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic and White) before merging in a later episode.
In addition, throughout the series, at least one castaway each episode will be banished to a separate island (Exile Island) miles away from camp. While being separated from the tribe is not desirable, the castaways will learn that there is a hidden Immunity Idol somewhere on Exile Island. If found, this Immunity Idol could save an individual from being voted out at a future Tribal Council.
Looks like creator Mark Burnett is scraping the bottom of the barrel in a desperate attempt to generate buzz for the thirteenth season of SURVIVOR. While some may see this ‘division via ethnic lines’ as an interesting twist on a tired series, this TV addict sees it as more of a ratings ploy to gain some attention and media coverage. Honestly, after 12 seasons of SURVIVOR, mabye it’s time to take a rest for a season (or at least half a season). Is there really a need for two cycles of SURVIVOR every season? What’s next? SURVIVOR 14, with the cast divided by height? Wait, that won’t generate nearly enough media interest. How about SURVIVOR 14, the religious challenge. We’ll have the tribe divided into Christians, Jews, Muslims etc… Now there’s a reality show that will generate some serious controversy!
If you are still excited for SURVIVOR 14: ETHNIC DIVERSITY CHALLENGE, click over to the official CBS SURVIVOR site for the complete list of castaways. 