On September 14, millions will tune in to CBS for the premiere of the fall 2006 edition the addicting reality television show "Survivor.
" But, although there have been some interesting premises on the show in the past, none have gotten the attention that "Survivor: Cook Islands" has seen.
According to a commercial statement by host Jeff Probst, this fall's show is based around something of a "social experiment" but many aren't looking at it in such a positive light.
As always, the contestants will be divided into competing tribes, this season will feature four.
Where the controversy comes in is how those tribes are divided, by race.
The tribes are comprised exclusively of whites, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians.
Wow! CBS should have known they'd be asking for trouble on this one.
The division of the tribes has brought criticism and debate over the appropriateness of what some feel to be sanctioned and permissible segregation, if not discrimination.
After all, race has long been a touchy subject in the United States.
But then again, it could just be a clever ploy to get people talking about "Survivor" again, which has seemed to drop off somewhat since it's hay day.
And in the past, when teams where split by social groups like men v.
women and younger v.
older, the spilt only lasted a couple of episodes into the season before a merger that brought things back into the game's typical balance.
All in all, it may not have been CBS's smartest idea, but it really isn't that big of a deal either.