Survivor Tries to Up Ratings Using Race

Chicago Tribune | The Watcher: "Originally posted: August 23, 2006
The next edition of 'Survivor' attracts buzz and brickbats
Reality programs have always courted controversy, but the CBS show �Survivor� is going where even the Fox network has not dared to tread.

When �Survivor: Cook Islands� debuts on Sept. 14, the 20 contestants on the show will be divided into four different teams -- based on race.
For the 13th edition of the show, there will be an Asian-American team (which will include Lake Forest resident Jenny Guzon-Bae), an African-American team, a Hispanic team and a white team. Eventually the team members will unite to form diverse teams.
�The idea for this actually came from the criticism that �Survivor� was not ethnically diverse enough,� host Jeff Probst told Harry Smith of CBS� �Early Show� Wednesday. �I think it fits in perfectly with what �Survivor� does - it is a social experiment. And this is adding another layer to that experiment, which is taking the show to a completely different level.�

�Are the producers utterly clueless about this issue, or are they utterly soulless in that they�re willing to engage this issue for the sake of ratings and buzz?� asked Lisa Navarrete, spokeswoman for the Latino advocacy group the National Council of La Raza. �It is really unconscionable and irresponsible.�
The decision to divide contestants by race may be part of a strategy by CBS to gain renewed notice for the reality show, which debuted in 2000 and has seen its ratings decline in recent years. Most editions of the show have had more than 20 million viewers and �Survivor� has been a fixture in the Nielsen ratings top 10.
However, average ratings have dipped below 20 million for some recent editions of the show, and the finale for its most...."