Sep 14, 2006 5:43 pm US/Eastern
'Survivor' Premieres With A Brand New Twist
by Anne-Marie Green
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Survivor kicks off Thursday night with a brand new, interesting twist.
CBS
The controversial new season of 'Survivor, Cook Islands' debuts Thursday night on CBS 3 and the latest version the reality TV hit may start a new debate about racial diversity.
There is a new twist this season; four tribes, divided by race: African American, Asian, Hispanic and white.
"It really came from we wanted to be more diverse and that's a good thing, and when we had people in the room we realized we had a theme here, ethnic pride," said host, Jeff Probst.
"It will definitely start conversations, watercolors will be packed with people talking about Survivor," said Asst. Professor Marc Hill of Temple University.
However, Asst. Professor Hill says those who watch should remember, it may be reality TV but it's still edited to entertain.
"It's tricky and it's dangerous in that it has the potential to teach us a lot about race, it has the potential to teach us a lot about human nature and human interaction," said Hill, adding, "Unfortunately reality television has never really done a good job at being socially responsible."
Survivor veterans Gervase Peterson and Stephenie LaGrossa have high hopes for the new season.
Peterson says at least with race based tribes, there are more minorities on the show than ever before.
"Your either going to reinforce stereotypes or dispel them, and that's good because all black people don't act the same; all Asians, Hispanic don't act the same," said Peterson.
LaGrossa appeared twice on the show and she says even a ratings powerhouse like Survivor has to mix it up to keep viewers interested
"A lot of people who never watched the show before are going to say, 'hey what's this all about, this is crazy,' so I'm excited," said LaGrossa.
The racial divisions won't last the whole season. A few weeks in, the tribes are usually rearranged.
Producers hope who ever tuned in because they liked the new twist, will keep watching.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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