Survivor goes to China: prepare for gongs and pandas

by guest contributor Angry Asian Man, originally published at Angry Asian Man

By now, Survivor fans have probably heard that the latest season of the reality/adventure series will take place in China. That’s right! Every season, a group of contestants are stranded in a remote region of the world, and this time around, they’ve dropped them in the most exotic, foreign place they could think of: Survivor: China.

The commercials boast that it’s the first time ever a major American television program has gone to “the most mysterious place on Earth.” Oh yes, expect lots of gongs and wind flutes. And maybe a panda or two. Greeaaat.

They recently announced this season’s cast, and after two really diverse, interesting seasons, it looks like they’ve reverted to a mostly-white cast with a handful minorities. Among the sixteen contestants, we’ve got Frosti, a 20-year-old parkour athlete (and the show’s youngest contestant ever), and Peih-Gee, a 29-year-old jeweler (and former music video dancer).

She’s also the only actual Chinese person this season. Will it give her an edge? Probably not. I highly doubt being Chinese will help her climb a bamboo stalk faster, or whatever other crazy-ass challenge they’re going to make them do.

Once again, I’ve got a bad feeling about this season… and yet I’ll probably find myself watching. I shake my fist at you, CBS. The new season premieres on September 20.