TV Series Preview for Survivor: China

CBS and the producers of the "Survivor" series have been experiencing some difficulties with that these last few seasons. From creating pre-season controversy by dividing tribes by races to indulging on tribe with luxury while the other starves, the show has been struggling to keep us entertained. As a self-proclaimed "Armchair Castaway", I have to say it hasn't always worked.

Last season's "Haves" vs. "Have-Nots" left many viewers frustrated and proclaiming on the CBS forums that they were leaving for good. Many watchers signed up on the forums just to announce the departure. In the end, the hype created by Andre "Dreamz" Herd and Yau-Man Chan's controversial arrangement kept many of us hanging on until the very end. But over all a season that should have been one of the greats, as it contained the first all African-American final three in Survivor history, really ended with a wimper.

I'm not sure that Survivor: China is making us any better promises.

Location, Location, Location
Fortunately for Mark Burnett and his production team this season was filmed in China. The prospect alone of seeing the landscape, customs, and culture of China has this Armchair Castaway on the edge of her seat. One of the beauties of the Survivor Series is being able to "go along" with the Castaways as they explore these places that so many viewers may never get to see. From Borneo to Guatemala to Fiji, it's been quite a flight without ever leaving my seat. I can eschew the airport security and experience the beauty and majesty other countries have to offer without having to put my shampoo in a three ounce container. But will that be enough to keep this viewer sustained this season?

Same Game, Different Season
One of the reasons Survivor has been losing viewers steadily may be the formulaic way it picks the Castaways. There's always the loveable older guy, the hardened older woman, and of course the young hotties. Recently, for good measure, they've throw in some less obvious templates, such as the completely-comfortable-with-his-religion-and-he's-gay college student and the tattooed, multi-colored dreads girl. While predictable can sometimes be comfortable, I have to say that this cookie-cutter way of casting doesn't leave much room for diversity in the episodes. If CBS would go back to picking more of their cast from the entries and casting call than hand-picking the beautiful, actor-wannabes that their casting office finds, the dynamic of the tribes might be more interesting and pull back some of the viewers they've lost over the seasons - maybe even add some new ones. Adding professional wrestler Ashley Massaro and professional poker player Jean-Robert Bellande, not to mention Leslie Nease, a radio personality from North Carolina...come on! Maybe wanna-be Survivors need to start submitting their portfolios and resumes instead of their video entries. Why not just have a Celebrity Survivor and stop taunting those who have been trying for 15 seasons to get on?

What, No Controversy?
So far, the only real hype being toted about this season is the tense feelings some players may have with their religion vs. the religion of the land. The tribes are given copies of Sun Tzu's Art of War as a sort of guide for Survivor. (Personally, I think Machiavelli's The Prince would help them more...). www.survivorfever.net is already laying out predictions for the first Challenge winners and the First Boot (be forewarned: the website contains some spoilers, so be careful where you wander.) Frankly, CBS isn't really making any promises. It seems like they're relying more on China itself, and the Buddhist ceremonies, to sustain viewers.

I hope they'll surprise this Armchair Castaway! We'll see after the premiere: Thursday, September 20th, 8pm EST, on CBS.