Fall TV Season Opener 'Survivor China' Introduces New Cultural Issues

Survivor China was billed as something unusual even for a show that has been around for many years. Taking place in the south central province of Jiang Xi, the promotions of the show have sparked new interest for many veteran Survivor watchers. As a fan of Survivor (and I've seen every episode since season one) I have to admit, my opinion of the first episode of the Fall 2007 season is that it may indeed be unique.

One of the interesting and much-anticipated cast members is Frosti Zernow, the youngest ever contestant on Survivor. From the start, I found him to be intriguing. In a season of Survivor being called the "Buddhist Survivor" by some, it is also of interest that Michael "Frosti" Zernow is half Japanese -- will he have a desire to connect with his roots through the Buddhist and Asian influence included in this Survivor season? Of course, China and Japan have many differences, but the Buddhism in both countries stems from the teachings of an Indian-born teacher known to many as "the Buddha" or the "Enlightened-One." On the other hand, Frosti is half Russian-- what a combo! Half Japanese, half Russian. Russia, like China, was communist/socialist for a long period of time, though Russia parted ways with communism for the most part after the Cold War ended. Frosti is also an athletic young man (20 years of age) and competes in Parcour which is an obstacle-course style sport that has only recently begun to enter the vocabularies of sports-minded Americans.

Leslie couldn't make it through the Buddhist opening ceremony even when Jeff (the host) reminded the group that the ceremony was intended to be a welcome and not a worship. Leslie is a Christian talk-show host and felt that she was in a worship ceremony full of idols during the ceremony. She was mildly polite about it, but walked out on the quiet ritual in spite of the pious Buddhist monks who tried to show the new contestants a bit about the country they'd entered.

Courtney from New York also had a difficult time with the opening ceremonies, but for different reasons. She was obviously bored and annoyed by the deep spiritual celebration. She rolled her eyes, ignored instruction from the monks, and in a talk later with the "camera" she indicated that she'd have rather been sitting in the back with the lemonade. Perhaps she'll soon be sitting in the back of an airplane carrying her home when her torch is put out? We shall see.

Many of the new survivors have fascinating professions, but James is a stand-out in this area and early promos for Survivor made a big deal of this. James is a Gravedigger. The producers of Survivor undoubtedly wanted to make a big deal out of this for shock value and with the hope of making viewers think that James might be strange and even a little creepy. In actually in the seasoning opener, James was quiet and powerful and while I'd say he is something of a character, it was more interesting that he was concerned early on about his solitary nature. He was aware that his profession doesn't often leave him socializing with the living. The Christian Radio-Show host was quick to speak with James, learn about his professional, and encourage him with helpful tips in how to communicate with others. A sign of an early alliance? If so, what an interesting alliance may be made between a woman who believes strongly in a Christian afterlife and a man who regularly accompanies the bodies of the dead along the pathway to whatever lies beyond this life.

Ashley looked to be a strong competitor early-on. A 28-year-old female wrestler, Ashley appeared tough as nails. She mentioned that she thought her fans would want her to win for them. She's been on the covers of Femme Fatale and FLEX magazines and has hosted television shows of many kinds. She's no stranger to the camera. Unfortunately, Ashley wasn't as physically strong as she appeared, at least in terms of resistance to the harsh conditions in their new environment. Ashley took ill with gastrointestinal problems very early on and was barely able to function for some time.

Frosti and James were strong in the early challenge. Frosti being a Parcour athlete and James having powerful muscle, the early stages put them close together. Frosti tired more than I'd have expected and pulled his team back somewhat. As the teams carried a large "dragon style" creature on poles, the challenge was tough going. It seemed fitting that the "Dragon" tribe won the challenge, sending the other team to the first ever Survivor China tribal council.

The "token" old dude of Survivor seems to be "Chicken," so named for his job as a chicken farmer from Virginia. He is only 47 years old (not so far from my own age) but to be honest I thought he was in his sixties while watching the episode. Steve "Chicken" Morris is a single parent with three children, and raising three children alone would age anyone a bit prematurely so I don't judge him too harshly just yet!

Speaking of the "tokens," the gay male in this episode is perhaps the flight attendant, Todd. However, Todd isn't exactly the typical "token" gay of past seasons like Rich who won the very first season of Survivor. Todd is an openly gay Mormon from the state of Utah who came out shortly after high school. This may provoke Survivor forum comments among fans from many camps and belief systems!

Other survivors to take note of include the poker-playing Jean-Robert whose name makes him sound like a sexy stud but who's paunchy belly and swayback belies this impression in the first episode. Peih-Gee Law is a 29 year old jeweler who was born in Hong Kong and moved to Los Angeles at a very young age. She expressed that she worried about the team she ended up on as they seemed interested in discussing things that she considered frivolous.

I'm sure the rest of the cast will be of interest as the weeks go by, but these are the ones that caught my eye during this first night. In the end, I thought that it might be Ashley the wrestler or Frosti the Parcour champ who might go home due to semi-weak performances. Instead, it was "Chicken" who appeared to have alienated his team-mates and left them with the impression that he might not have physical strength due to his aged appearance. He was quickly voted out at the first tribal council of the season.

Survivor China gave us some of the same physical and mental challenges along with a group of diverse people, but also delivered hints of cultural influence that may be different this season. All in all, only time will tell if this Survivor can keep up with or even exceed the shows of the past.