MAIN Pop Culture Reality TV Survivor

Survivor 13

Yul Kwon originally a member of the Asian tribe wins Cook Island Survivor.

Ozzie an original member of the Latino tribe finishes close in second.

Survivor is back in the news again. The season has begun.

After a less then stellar last season in the ratings, it seemed as though Survivor was entering the golden years of it's Reality TV / Competition life span. Mark Burnette is not ready for his brainchild to limp off to the reality television graveyard, and has come up with a controversial "new" idea of racial segregation.

Often criticed for racialy non-diverse contestants, Survivor has now enlisted twenty new competetors and drawn lines, albiet controversial, in the sand. Four teams of five have been defined and established solely on the merits of ...the color of their skin.

Granted, they tried to fan the flames of controversey on past seasons with teams made up of all female and all male teams, or by age groups. This season's teams, however, seem to have set the Survivor buzz meter ablaze.

Twenty contestants make up the four teams : White, Hispanic, Asian and African-American. How that will carry over past the initial few weeks of the show has yet to be discussed. We all know that they begin to meld once the teams are low enough in numbers.

There will be an exile island again this season and immunity up for grabs, challenging competition and plenty of drama. Let us see if Survivor will divide the nation, or just bring interest back to Prime Time as it tackles racial barriers and reaches for a larger audience base.

Survivor is boldly going back to where no one has gone ...well...in a while. Certainly segregation issues are not new to this country, but does it have a place in pop culture? Will the next season be pulled from the airwaves in NYC, for being too devisive? Or will the local government let the people decide via the ratings what they want to see or tune out?

We will see as the new season kicks off September 14th on CBS.

Whether you have never missed an episode, or have no clue what immunity is, these links will help you get to the heart of Survivor. Host Jeff Probst is ready to tell it like it is, and to use his clever questioning technique to separate the lies from the truth as he calls contenstants out on relationships, broken promises, or bold faced lies...

Get a glimpse of the cast early so that every episode has meaning. Join a pool or hedge your bet privately. Someone is walking away with a million dollars ....and the title of SOLE SURVIVOR!

The African American tribe loses the challenge and heads into week two one tribe member short.

Survivor 13: Cook Islands Video Preview courtesy CBS... be afraid!

also see -> Last season's Survivor 11
.......................................Survivor 12

[Editor's note: A site that won't be linked to from here (because of the pop-ups, pop-unders and flashing ads) is adding spoilers about the contestants on a regular basis. Who the sources are, or how accurate they are, is anyone's guess. If you really need to see this info, copy and paste this link into your browser -- be prepared for the ads... http://survivorfever.net/s12_contestants.html]

True Dork Times Survivometer - A stunning array of current Survivor photos, video, rumors, gossip, archived articles and spoilers.

Survivor Skills - An all-inclusive multimedia Web site with videos, cast bios, information on all things Survivor, updated articles, heated Survivor fan forum, photo gallery, cast bios, episodes recaps and predictions, tribal council, challenge winners and losers, info tracker, lodge recaps, calendar, maps, polls, pool, store, stuff, and links. What more could you ask for?

Survivor.com Fan Forum - Busy site devoted to fans who like to talk Survivor.

Survivor on locaton - Maps and photos of Cook Island - Curtesy of Claycritters.com - this site has photos of the crew building the set and great maps showing the tribes locations, exile Island, competition areas and the no boating zones that keep the area clear of prying eyes.

Survivor Application - Tired of yelling at the television and want to be part of the action? You never know who they are looking for to round out the castaways for next season. It could be you. What would you endure for one million dollars? According to the application, being strong-willed, outgoing, adventurous, physically and mentally adept, adaptable to new environments and having an interesting lifestyle, personality and background are the top qualities to help you make it through the application process and to the big prize. Get your official application here in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

also see -> Survivor Party Ideas

also in Reality TV Amazing Race | American Idol | Andy Milonakis Show

Apprentice Donald Trump | Being Bobby Brown | Biggest Loser

Growing Up Gotti | Laguna Beach | Mindfreak

So You Think You Can Dance | Survivor