"Survivor's" Racial Profile
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"Survivor" kicked off its thirteenth edition last night, and the usual get-to-know-you material that usually fills much of the first hour of the season had a particular hue -- it was undeniably about race. And the producers of the show made certain that racial stereotypes came right to the forefront. Asian-American tribe member "Cao Boi" talked about no one suspecting "little people with slanted eyes," and a member of the black team suggested that "black people don't like to be told what to do."
The first Immunity Challenge -- kind of an island version of a Rubik's Cube -- involved assembling puzzle boats, which were then used to retrieve fire; back on shore, the tribes then had to solve four more puzzles which led to the finish line, signified by lighting fire barrels.
The Asian-American tribe won the Challenge efficiently, and the African-American tribe -- Manihiki -- came in last. The Asian-American team also won the Reward Challenge.
Host Jeff Probst called this season "a social experiment like never before." (The early ratings suggest that people are interested -- well over 17 million people tuned in last night.) TMZ will be keeping tabs on "Survivor" to see how the formulas and results from this experiment in racial profiling pan out.