So, Survivor found a new way to make itself appear socially relevant. By dividing contestants according to their race and pitting them against other teams of another race.

Oh yes, the show that invented Reality TV is ready to be all-out racy.

"The idea for this actually came from the criticism that Survivor was not ethnically diverse enough, because for whatever reason, we always have a low number of minority applicants apply for the show," host Jeff Probst tells us.

That idea turned into a ballfire of a totally different (?) concept for the next series. Mark Burnett is quick to defend that to the less-than-open minded person, it is very easy to trash this twist. But of course, there will be critics ready to berate this very idea of putting ethnic races under the microscope and letting us see how prejudices will fly like firecrackers for our entertainment.

"It’s like a return back to segregated leagues in sports. The unseemly interest this will invite certainly is not worth the dramatic elements it’s going to bring." says one from a group, which actually study the effects of TV on social norms.

But hey, no one can deny that this is good television. And they call it diversity, while others brand it as going back to the Nazi years.

Like Amptoons who says: "I know this is largely a publicity stunt for the show, and my main problem is that the publicity surrounding the show may inadvertantly promote the idea that people are more strongly divided by race than they really are. There is a fine line to walk."

Say what you want, though, it’s clear with all the buzz it’s getting that people are going to watch the racially-segregated contestants clash against each other. This season of the Survivor already spells huge ratings simply because, well, it has piqued our curiosity.

I for one would like to see how the complexity of the Asian race is represented. Will there be an Arab guy? Will religion be an issue in the selection?

Very interesting, don’t you agree? Once again it will be proven that talking about and trashing a crappy show will only translate into success.

[Will Survivor win the Emmy Best Reality TV Show? Bet on Emmy props and more Entertainment Odds at BetOnline Sporstbook.]

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