Survivor China
CBS is launching the latest season of its reality show "Survivor" in China with less than a year to go until the Beijing Olympics. "The 15th season of the hit reality show," boasts a CBS Web site, "will be the first American TV series to be filmed entirely in China." It turns out, however, that the China on view on this TV show is one of peaceful Buddhist monks, ancient stone statues, "dragon" races, and bamboo groves. "We've been trying to get in there," host Jeff Probst said. "I don't know why they finally said yes. I don't know if it's because the Olympics are coming up and they want to open their arms or if they've watched Survivor' and thought we've always treated other countries well." Well, we'll leave that as a matter of speculation for the moment, but for if "reality" is the theme of the show, we'd recommend competitions in which teams:
Try to write a letter to the editor criticizing the government. The first team to publish without getting arrested or the paper closed down wins.
Vie to build Beijing Olympics 2008 venues. Like many of the estimated 2 million migrant workers struggling to build luxury hotels for VIPs, they will work 10-hour days, seven-day weeks, and will be given Chinese New Year off to visit their families.
Travel to an "AIDS village" in Henan province, where tens of thousands of men, women, and children were infected through unnecessary transfusions in a state-run blood scam. The teams must try to seek diagnosis and treatment for the deadly illness at the hospitals that will turn them away and call the police.
Get sent to "reform through labor" camps for publicly advocating religious freedom or democratic change.
Attempt to free the seven Tibetan schoolboys arrested and beaten in early September for scrawling Tibetan independence graffiti on the walls of buildings in Gannan prefecture, one of China's official "Tibetan autonomous" areas.
Be released into one of China's internet cafes to attempt to penetrate China's "Great Firewall." The Chinese government's estimated 30,000 censors will try to stop teams conducting online searches for terms like "democracy," "dictatorship," and "freedom," along with human rights Web sites and with the names of leading Chinese dissidents and intellectuals.
Seek to solemnly mark the anniversary of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. There will be extra points awarded for successful commemoration in the actual Square, which is being polished for parades around the Olympics Opening ceremony.
Survivor China intends to entertain with its series in the world's most populous country, and a lucky contender will even win a million dollars. We'd recommend giving the prize to the winner of the above contests if he or she makes it out of China alive.
