Plenty of people are BASHING Mark Burnett et al for the structure of this year's Survivor season. To wit, the decision to split the tribes into four groups on racial/cultural lines of Black, White, Asian and "Latino." IMHO, Latino is the sketchiest in terms of a "racial" category inasmuch as there are plenty of Black Latinos and Latinas thank you very much...
I actually have a different view on this issue. In the rare Survivor seasons where there were two non-white competitors of the same ethnic group, they never allied with one another. Alliance-building has been a key component of Survivor and Big Brother so a (non-White) racial alliance runs counter to the generally accepted strategies of the show. However, with four tribes divided by race, each race will have a chance to develop WITHOUT the 800 lb. gorilla of race affecting alliances. Each racial group shares the focus... in the game AND on the show.
Between the tribes, the competition will boil down to standard tribal rivalries, but INSIDE the tribes, we'll get to see more of the dynamic play out WITHOUT the typical moaning about being the fifth wheel. By the time the tribes merge, a new dynamic will emerge that will challenge old alliances in a potentially refreshing way. Will like personalities trump the exisiting racial alliances? Which savvy players will recognize another tribe's leader to hitch their star to?
I'm not a big Survivor fan anyway, but I will watch an early episode or two to see if my hypothesis is borne out.
P.S. It figures a Black dude would get the boot first... Damn, you Burnett! 8^)
I actually have a different view on this issue. In the rare Survivor seasons where there were two non-white competitors of the same ethnic group, they never allied with one another. Alliance-building has been a key component of Survivor and Big Brother so a (non-White) racial alliance runs counter to the generally accepted strategies of the show. However, with four tribes divided by race, each race will have a chance to develop WITHOUT the 800 lb. gorilla of race affecting alliances. Each racial group shares the focus... in the game AND on the show.
Between the tribes, the competition will boil down to standard tribal rivalries, but INSIDE the tribes, we'll get to see more of the dynamic play out WITHOUT the typical moaning about being the fifth wheel. By the time the tribes merge, a new dynamic will emerge that will challenge old alliances in a potentially refreshing way. Will like personalities trump the exisiting racial alliances? Which savvy players will recognize another tribe's leader to hitch their star to?
I'm not a big Survivor fan anyway, but I will watch an early episode or two to see if my hypothesis is borne out.
P.S. It figures a Black dude would get the boot first... Damn, you Burnett! 8^)
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