Debra Lafave Naked! And, uh, Something on Survivor

When I talked to infamous Apprentice contestant Omarosa Manigault Stallworth last night, she's hadn't yet watched the first episode of Survivor creator Mark Burnett's racially-divided version of the classic reality TV competition.

Still, even though the inagural episode was sitting in her TiVo waiting for her perusal, "O" was pointedly cynical about the whole exercise.

We first met a few weeks ago, when she called after my first column on the whole mess was printed. Besides namechecking her in the story, I'd pointed out how this was just going to bring Burnett's subtle handling of race issues on Survivor and The Apprentice to the forefront; it was a unique enough take that she felt compelled to call my cellphone on a Saturday and commiserate.

Last night, speaking by cellphone from Los Angeles, she was similarly sour about it all.

“He’s so cynical about race anyway. Mark Burnett, the ultimate social reearcher – he doesn’t think race is an issue anyway. My question would always be -- what I ask people to think about when I do lectures about this stuff -- is what did they leave out? What are you not seeing?”

That's always the problem with reviewing reality TV shows. To turn a Rumsfeldian phrase: You don't know what you don't know.

As I noted in the fall TV preview, someone had tipped me that this edition of Survivor would avoid accusations of spreading stereotypes by focusing on tensions within each group -- at least, initially. And that was the story of the debut episode, for sure. (watch a broadband stream of the first episode here.)

The urbanized, assimilated young folks in the Asian American tribe, Puka, laughed at the old world attitude of nail salon manager and former Vietnam refugee Anh-Tuan "Cao Boi" (pronounced "cowboy") Bui, the third oldest competitor. Nevermind that he cured a headache for buff fashion director Brad Virata through a massage designed to eliminate his "bad wind" (apparently, leaving a red mark on his forehead was a worse transgression).

The Hispanic tribe, Aitu, bristled as the most out-of-shape member, heavy metal axe-grinder Billy Garcia, laid around while others worked. And the African American tribe, Hiki, floundered as jazz musician Sekou Bunch tried to assert leadership and then split the group along gender lines.

You could almost hear the extra excitement in host Jeff Probst's voice during the typically high-velocity opening, as contestants were scrambling around the ship which ferried them to their islands, grabbing as many provisions as they could carry in two minutes.

"It is a social experiement like never before," he shouted. "This is more than a test of survival skills. This is also a test of social skills. Out here, it's the impressions you make on the other castaways that determines your fate."   

But this Survivor unfolded much like the other ones -- down to the first ejectee, Bunch, who at age 45 just happened to be the oldest (and most overbearing) contestant on board. His loss only seemed to confirm another Survivor triusm: Don't try to lead too early; you'll only piss everybody off.

Those with an agenda may gripe (or celebrate) that the black team was the first to lose a challenge -- in typical Survivor fashion, they lost because they couldn't work together effectively in assembling a boat divided like a puzzle.

But I sensed a deeper intention here: Burnett's effort to show that race doesn't matter so much, after all.

Unfortunately, what last night's show really revealed was that the excitement over the race divisions may be so much smoke and mirrors -- first, because the tribes are mostly separated, so there's little cross-group tension yet.

And secondly, because Burnett's agenda seems to be proving that those who focus on race difference are wrong-headed (expect one member from each tribe to be put in another tribe before long, just to ratchet up the race tension).

Of course, because he controls every aspect of the production -- from the casting to the setting to the challenges to the editing -- Burnett can really make this show say or mean anything he wants to.

Note to Jeff: It's not really a social experiment if you can put your finger on the scale anytime you want to.

Why the Headline?

Considering how many people are searching for Lafave stuff these days, I figure I'd lead with a headline sure to turn up in a few hundred search engines (I've said before that I'm shameless about courting pageviews, didn't I?)

Anyways, I promise I'll have something on Lafave madness later today, but I've got an interview and a Floridian story to crank out in the meantime...and click on any photo to enlarge it....(hmm,which one will get the most clicks, I wonder?)

UPDATE: Because I promised -- what I had planned to note about Lafave was a simple thought. When I first saw Lauer's Lafave interview, I assumed the reason he presented no quotes from anyone critical of Lafave was that it was a condition of receiving her cooperation.

I have since been told by a reliable source that there were no conditions on the interview. And that the mother of the boy she slept with -- whose interview with MSNBC's Rita Cosby was plastered all over the channel alongside clips from Lauer's talk -- was not contacted by NBC for the Dateline story.

So it seems they didn't even try to present a balanced story, turning Dateline NBC into a showcase for Lafave's self-centered version of events. So much for journalistic balance...

Comments

[eric deggans]

to answer Paul's question, I think limiting Survivor to black and white contestants would have been problematic for many reasons.

First, hispanics are the largest minority group in the u.s. now. Why would CBS exclude them to focus on black/white teams?

I think it would have looked even more like Survivor was trying to provoke a race fight for ratings.

And no matter how the teams are divided up ethnically, the devil is in the details of casting. If the black team is filled with triathletes and outdoors experts and the white team is filled with urban dwellers who have never gone camping, you can guess how the competition would end -- and vice versa.

if this woman you speak of in your lede graph is "infamous" -- your words, not mine -- how come i had never heard of her before?

notorious, maybe. infamous, uh, i dunno.

I love the race angle. Next season should be broken down by religion, and the muslims could strap coconut bombs to themselves because the Jews came onto their part of the beach.

Didn't think you'd attempt to explain why, on a day when 2 parties chose their candidates for Lt. Governer, your paper would highlight one and ignore the other...

I read the SPT because it's more local. I'm in Pinellas and I want Pinellas news. I post here because your soap box shouldn't go unchallenged.

As for posting my name, get over it. Nobody posts their real name here. Congrats though, you did a good job of deflecting valid criticism without answering it. Typical liberal.

[Paul]

As always, you’re observations are insightful, Eric. I still lean towards this season of Survivor being more of a problem than a social opportunity; however I’m trying to watch open-mindedly. A question for you, though: What if this season were broken down by only two tribes, one “white” and one “black”, 10 white contestants and 10 black? Would that have been a problem?

[Eric Deggans]

Man...somebody missed his zoloft today.

I find two things funny about this guy who keep posting this fire-breathing conservative stuff here.

a) If you hate the paper and my political views so much, why do you read every word we print? I'm assuming nobody's putting a gun to your head and forcing you to buy a St. Petersburg Times. And, unlike many communities, we have a sizable competitor with a different style and focus just 15 minutes away across the bridge.

Something tells me you really enjoy this alleged fight, Mr. Man.

b) This person, this staunch advocate against liberal bias, the guy who keeps bringing it day after day on this godlessly liberal message board, has never signed his name to a single post.

Now THAT's showing the courage of your convictions, for sure.

Have a nice day. And get that Prozac scrip filled before you hurt yourself...

Your rag just sinks lower and lower and lower every day. First, an editorial proclaiming that Davis' choice of a black guy was courageous??? It was pandering, plain and simple. And the whole televised apology for a 16 year old vote was complete absurdity. Then the paper runs a huge article, gushing over the future losing lt. governer candidate, but nothing about the Republican candidate. It's so frigging blatant!!!! The SPT is nothing but a cheerleader for the left!! Thank god the people of Florida have enough sense to ignore you.