Fire up the Tiki torch and pass the indignation.
Survivor Cook Islands, the so-called "racial Survivor," could be the best Survivor ever.
If you were bored or had drifted from this show, you had to be curious about last night. How would such an outrageous idea play out? Would race be a factor in the game or are we all back-stabbing TV game weasels under the skin?
With the big race twist already leaked, last night's opener got right to it, with host Jeff Probst tossing all 20 new castaways off a tall master into the sea. There they rowed to shore in four canoes, each boat carrying a five member tribe: Aitu the Hispanic tribe, Puka the Asian tribe, Hiki the black tribe and Raro the white tribe.
Right away, we got sound bites about the big twist. Yul, a management consultant, worried that they might all be turned into "caricatures and stereotypes." Sundra, an actress on the black tribe, said she could care less. Parvati, a boxer from the white tribe, wondered if it was all "kosher."
There were a few "uh-oh" moments. A few members of the white tribe danced around at one point shouting, "Yeah! The Whities!" The black tribe started chanting "Represent! Represent!"
More interesting was to see each tribe grappling with their own preconceived notions of who they were. "Black people do not like to be told what to do," one Hiki triber reflected. Rebecca, a make-up artist, felt it was important to dispel stereotypes from previous Survivors. "Yeah, black people swim," she said. "We don't just run track."
Once the race thing was swept out of the way, the usual Survivor 'types' emerged. Puka oddball Cao Boi (pronounced "Cow Boy"), listed as a nail-salon manager, emerged as the wise zen master, curing headaches as fast as he caused them.
"I survived the Vietnam War. I can survive this," he said, then came up with a quote right out of a Charlie Chan movie: "Nobody suspect these little people with slanted eyes strong enough to do anything," he said, suggesting his tribe will "fly under radar."
Viewers may have squirmed or gasped, but I doubt many left the room.
Raro dude Jonathan, a Hollywood screenwriter, quickly took the "jerk" role, stealing a chicken from the Asian team. He was later banished to Exile Island for two days. Maybe he can work on a new screenplay.
This edition's cuddling' couple wasted no time getting busy. Raro lovebirds Candice, a pre-med student, and Adam, a "good wind blocker," kept each other's thighs warm at night.
In last night's multi-stage immunity challenge, the four tribes had to assemble a puzzle boat from pieces of wood on the water. Then they had to row to a barrel, light a torch and head for shore and work out another puzzle on the beach. All five tribe members had to then climb to a podium for victory.
That's where this show really got interesting. As I watched, my own prejudices emerged. The black team would be faster. The Asian team would solve the puzzle first. That this in fact happened tells us what?
Bottom line, the black Huka team finished last and headed to tribal council (a cool, torch-lit pirate ship showcase). The first Cook Islands castaway was Sekuo, a beefy actor in a 'Do rag who alienated the three women on his tribe by committing the classic Survivor blunder -- being Mr. Bossy pants out of the blocks.
In the final post-show segment, Sekuo looked in the camera and said, "My torch may be out but my flame is still burning." Yeach. Good move, Huka. Forget blacks, whites, Asians, Hispanics. Toss all the actors first.
