Sekou Bunch, the first castaway to be booted on 'Survivor: Cook Islands'. (Photo Courtesy of CBS.)

Before they had watched even a single episode, critics decried the race twist on 'Survivor: Cook Islands'. Many thought it was just another case of Hollywood sensationalizing and exploitation a sensitive issue for cheap drama.

On that point, I must confess, I agreed. People are people no matter how different we are. I could see no benefit from packaging people into groups instead of portraying them as the individuals they are and then making a bad situation worse by pitting them against one another. I don't know how the critics will respond, but I will confess. Based on last night's episode, my assumptions were wrong.

For all the controversy surrounding the premiere, 'Survivor: Cook Islands' turned out to be a positive viewing experience as the players celebrated their ethnicity and more importantly, they didn't use the race twist as an excuse to trash talk or malign the other tribes in any way. The twist did introduce some fascinating issues into the tribal politics at each camp. Seeing "Cao Boi" (Cowboy) Bui singled out by his own tribe because he is older and honours the traditions of his homeland and then admitting that he is not accepted by the Asian community in the United States because he looks and acts differently was intriguing as was watching some tribes deal with whether they have an obligation to act as role models or not.

As crazy as it may sound, could the lack of controversial drama be a reason why television critics were not permitted to view a preview copy of the debut? Were Burnett and company rolling the dice thinking negative publicity would boost the ratings? Did they surmise that having the truth revealed beforehand would work against that goal when it was discovered that people's fears were for nought at least when it came to be debut broadcast? We may never know the truth.

What we do know now is that the Exile Island twist and Hidden Immunity Idol are back and because some of the players have clearly never watched the series before being cast, there certainly is a sense of the series returning it its roots which is why the opening sequence of the players scrambling for items on a cargo ship mirrored the first scene the ever played out on 'Survivor'.

The Survivors at the start of the broadcast were:

Hiki Tribe

1. Nathan Gonzales.
2. Rebecca Borman.
3. Sekou Bunch.
4. Stephannie Favor.
5. Sundra Oakley.

Puka Tribe

1. Anh-Tuan "Cao Boi" Bui .
2. Becky Lee.
3. Brad Virata .
4. Jenny Guzon-Bae .
5. Yul Kwon .

Rara Tribe

1. Adam Gentry .
2. Candice Woodcock.
3. Jonathan Penner .
4. Parvati Shallow .
5. Jessica Smith .


Aitu Tribe

1. Billy Garcia.
2. Cecilia Mansilla.
3. Cristina Coria.
4. John Calderon .
5. Oscar Lusth .

Pre-Game Happenings (Day One)

Buffeted by the wind and harried players, Probst attempts to give his usual spiel about this being...you guessed it... "an adventure of a lifetime". The players have two minutes to plunder the vessel and walk the plank. Chicken overboard! Yul dives over and saves the fowl from a watery grave. David Hasslehoff would be proud.

Ozzy thinks being divided by race may actually cause friction within the tribes themselves. Sundra scoffs at the twist. Surviving takes human effort and someone's background means nada when you are eating tree bark as a main course and following it up with slimy sea weed for dessert. Yul is worried about stereotypes. Parvati sees the twist as a "cool experiment".

It is out of the frying pan and into the fire for Yul's chicken as it gets loose. Jonathan scoops it up. Grumbling ensues. The two-minute mark passes and Probst berates the stragglers until they abandon ship.

Aitu Tribal Happenings (Day One)

'Headbanger' Billy jokes that his parents left an island on a boat for a better life and here he is on a boat paddling to an island. Fate must be laughing her butt off. Billy states his tribe will have an advantage in the tropical environment based on their collective backgrounds. Cecilia hopes her tribe will portray a positive image to the public.

Jonathan points out that Billy could stand to lose a few pounds and doesn't seem to be in great shape.

Doing his best Pete Townsend or ECW-Sandman impersonation, Billy smashes bamboo poles against a tree to break them in half. Rock n' roll, dude!

Watching Billy beat the holy heck out of the bamboo and the tree, Ozzy surmises that Billy doesn't have a clue. Duh. Ozzy politely takes over. He chops the bamboo with a machete and in a tribute to Vanuatu's Da, he scales a tree like your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man to retrieve coconuts for everyone. Jonathan compares Ozzy to Mowgli from 'The Jungle Book'. Jonathan: He might not be big but he is athletic. Ozzy sees his tribe as very strong right out of the gate.

Puka Tribal Happenings (Day One)

As the tribe paddles in, "Cao Boi" notes that this is the second time he is a refugee on a boat. He states many individuals underestimate Asian people and hopefully his tribe can take advantage of this misconception and float under the radar. Jenny points out that even though they are all Asian, they are a mixed group from very different areas like Korea and the Philippines.

At camp, "Cao Boi" tries to boost his tribe's morale by saying in Vietnam, there was a monk who survived for an eternity by eating only coconuts. Yul or Brad grouses openly that they are willing to bet that "Cao Boi" will more stories to tell later on.

"Cao Boi" has sensed a generation gap. Since he doesn't fit the traditional stereotype, he claims the Asian community does not accept him in the U.S. so he isn't surprised by the reaction of his tribe thus far.

Hiki Tribal Happenings (Day One)

Hiki puts their hands together in a show of being unified. Sekou, Rebecca and Stephannie chat about making the most of the opportunity to represent the African-American community.

Rebecca addressing the 'Survivor' stereotypes: We know how to swim. We know how to paddle. We just don't run track.

Sundra sees them as all sharing one thing in common. They are all "city slickers" trying to make the best of the situation. Nate is sceptical of his tribe since there are many "headstrong" personalities. Sekou is happy to take the leadership role. The tribe needs to stay focused and he hopes he can set the tone. He sees himself as a positive influence.

When Hiki's shelter is done, Sekou jokes by terming it as "low income housing". Best. Line. Ever. Funny stuff that.

Rara Tribal Happenings (Day One)

To Adam, the division by race is not an issue. Tribes will rise or fall based on teamwork. Jon realizes that everyone will have to slit the throat of the person sitting beside them, sooner or later.

Rara is happy that they grabbed the chickens off the boat. They share in a coconut toast. Jessica terms herself as the "alternative" tribemate. As she mindlessly tidies up camp, she lifts a crate and the chickens escape. Duh. Rara is outlasted, outwitted and outplayed by the feathered flock as they evade capture and hightail it into the jungle. Jessica: I am so sorry. Jonathan can hear the chickens and senses they are mocking him. He may be able to forgive Jessica but he will never forget her bonehead move.

Hiki Tribal Happenings (Day Two)

Stephannie has noticed that Rebecca and Sundra have bonded. They work together. They chat together. They are joined at the freaking hip. Stephannie is watching them ever so closely.

Sekou spearheads making a fire. After trying for what seems like 20 seconds, he says he needs a break and walks away. Stephannie: What? He needs a break already? Stephannie takes over the task. Stephannie: If you want something done right, you got to do it yourself.

Rara Tribal Happenings (Night Two)

Rara doesn't have a shelter. They have a deck. Go figure. They are all freezing and huddling close as they try to sleep. Candice thinks Adam is hot. Adam thinks the hot chicks in his tribe make the situation bearable. Parvati senses there is romance in the air. Awww. How sweet. Another "showmance". Gag.

Puka Tribal Happenings (Day Three)

Brad complains that he is having trouble with his sinuses. "Cao Boi" comes to the rescue using some old school massage technique. He says Brad clearly has some "bad wind" in him. When he is done, "Cao Boi" pinches Brad's forehead until there is a noticeable red mark. The mark is an "indicator". When it disappears, Brad will be fine. As Brad shows off the mark, the women yuk it up. "Cao Boi" is sure that his younger tribemates have lost touch with where it is they came from. Brad admits that his headache is totally gone. Yul is changing his mind about "Cao Boi". He does have some valuable knowledge.

Brad to "Cao Boi": When will the mark go away? "Cao Boi": When you are completely healed.

Aitu Tribal Happenings (Day Three)

Tree Mail with clues about the first challenge has arrived. Billy isn't feeling the pressure at all. Billy: If we lose, it is not the end of the world. Wake up, dude. You aren't on RockStar. This is 'Survivor'. You know, the show that is edited properly.

Reward - Immunity Challenge

Before things get underway, Probst gets Yul to call out Jonathan on swiping the chicken. Jon says he didn't do it on purpose. Things were hectic. Jon to Yul: Sorry, dude.

Get to steppin', Survivors. The players must collect braces, use them to put together a boat that is in pieces, paddle out to get fire, come back to shore, solve a puzzle, use the braces as a ladder to place the puzzle pieces in the wall they are climbing.

Reward

• Revamping and moving
• Underwood says she’ll watch X-Factor w/Spears/Lovato
• Slash, Rush & k.d. all hitting the road