"Racist Islands" on Survivor: Has Reality TV Gone Too Far?

I have not watched "Survivor" in years

I will start by saying I have not seen a minute of survivor since the third season. Even then, I only saw the re-runs and finale. If there is, one thing I cannot stomach is watching people put disgusting things into their mouths. This means I do not watch Fear Factor either. Today, it looks like Survivor has found a new and interesting way to turn me off. After today's announcement that the next season will feature four tribes divided by race (whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics) I can say for sure that my television viewing habits will not change.

I won't be watching it this year either!

Perhaps CBS is making a desperate attempt to revive this granddaddy of a reality show. E! Online quoted Robert Thompson from the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University as saying, "As far as getting some attention, getting it talked about again, this'll do it…Survivor is a great game. It's the gold standard of reality TV. But nobody seems to talk about it anymore."

Dividing the cast into races?

According to Jeff Probst, survivor host, "It's not just 18 white people. Suddenly you have new slang, new rituals - people doing things like making fire in ways that have not been done on Survivor. I think we have a season where people will say you can never go back to what you were before." What exactly are they expecting? Will one group make fire by rubbing grass together, another excel at finding food in the woods, while another group is really good at discussing feelings? I find the idea completely idiotic.

These contestants all US citizens, many from California... race will be insignificant

These contestants, of different cultures and backgrounds, were not found within the indigenous jungles of their motherland, all of these contestants are from the States with many of them from California, and the North East. They are makeup artists, Musicians, writers, sales people, IT consultants, students and the like. Regardless of race, they are likely to be whiny, spoiled, and annoying, just like all the contestants from previous years.

Will they lose more viewers?

I am surely not the only person still sitting slack jawed due to this "exciting announcement" As one commenter on TV Squad states, "It should be Survivor: Racist Islands…I'm not sure if this is a good idea. If they wanted diversity, they should have mixed up the players."

On a positive note:

Just for kicks, I am going to mention one possible upside to this televised social experiment. This season is likely to have more blacks and other minorities than any other season to date.