Racism in Reality Television Runs Rampant

Anyone who owns a television is familiar with the conventions of the "reality tv" genre. A set number of strangers picked to live in a strange place and asked to complete strange tasks while all the world watches. Except, of course, for Big Brother season 6 where the strangers weren't strangers, Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Guatemala where the strenuous locale was no stranger for past-survivors, and The Real World seasons 1 through [forthcoming] 17, where everything is just strange.

What is it that keeps us watching, when we know how little reality is actually infused in reality tv? The audience surely recognizes the efforts of producers such as Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray (Real World) or Mark Burnett (Survivor) as they strive to present a microcosm of society, complete with "token" members of each season's cast. Short of attaching labels like "The Gay Guy" (and it's always a guy) or "The Black Person" (gender neutral) to the person's name in every confessional, the shows couldn't hit us over the head any more with the obvious effort to be all-inclusive. Even Survivor: Exile Island's cast-off, Dan Barry, better known as the NASA engineer incapable of completing a puzzle challenge, recently reported to Science magazine that he was "slotted to be 'the nice old man with lots of integrity.'"

Trouble comes when contestants on such shows are forced to vote members out of the house, off the island, or away from the dating game. While games and trials are equally discriminatory among skin color, gender, and sexual orientation… contestants are not. An overweight man and an overweight woman are equally as likely to fail the race, a heterosexual and a homosexual equally as likely to say "fear is a factor" when staring down a plate of cockroaches, and a person of any skin color may flub the big mind puzzle. Yet, contestants on the whole are not chosen for the show with the same tolerance of equality in mind as the trials and tribulations they will be put through.

In fact, while many producers admit to choosing characters with the zaniest attributes, number one being the most likely to induce drama, they cannot account for a subtle if not reverse discrimination once the contestants are let loose on the show. Often, cast members disclose in hushed whispers behind closed confessional doors such qualifying phrases the likes of "I'm not racist but" or "I've never met a homosexual but."

What these reality shows do is present us with a caricaturized embodiment of weary, tired stereotypes. The more qualities the "minority" has in common with a hideous stereotype, the better the show, as far as producers are concerned. In the first of Survivor: All Stars series, Alicia, a youngish and athletic African-American female, was quick to be voted out. When her tribe was floundering for direction, she stepped into a leadership position only to result in her tribe members labeling her as "bossy," "loud," and even "rude."

Such labels reflect common, worn-out stereotypes for members of black communities. The scene cuts shown on prime time tv did little to present Alicia in any other light, though we understand that from several hours of taping, these moments had to be but a few. However, when Scout, an older Caucasian female, assumed a leadership role in Survivor: Vanautu few complained. Instead, she was lauded for her knowledge and doled upon like a mother or close friend.

This season (Survivor: Exile Island), Bobby shacked up in the outhouse with Bruce, downing the last of the team's prize-won wine. The ensuing clips of Bobby are a montage of his apparent stupidity and callousness, all in stereotypical but false fashion, edited in such a way that by the time he is voted off, the audience believes the tribe had no choice. A confessional where Bobby admits to drinking the wine, no doubt clipped just short of his explanation, and several more scenes of Bobby spouting off in what appears as crazy, aggressive rage. Bobby, an African-American male, is the next to hear the words "the tribe has spoken," while Shane, a white male, is shown doing nothing but expressing his own insanity with few consequences until the final four spots are at stake.

In all of the tired clichés and overdone stereotypes, viewers of Survivor: Exile Island are surprisingly presented with a shining star this season. Cirie, devoted wife and mother of three and a registered nurse, embodies the wonderful human characteristics notable for every skin color, sexual orientation, and gender. Deeply honest, but inspiringly funny, she has demonstrated integrity at every turn while possessing a quiet leadership and power not often recognized immediately on the show. It is often only after the episode has aired that viewers think back and realize it was Cirie who provided direction for her team.

While Cirie certainly presents the greatest threat, she is also equally deserving of the overall win. Her care for others is what has led her to the show (she is frank about needing the money to better the lives of her husband and children) but she has also been careful not to hurt others during her time on the show. With her wonderful disposition and infectious smile, Survivor fans can only hope that Cirie wins and breaks the mold for reality tv stereotypes.