Survivor Gossip

As controversy swirls over the segreation of tribes on the upcoming Survivor, bodog.com has at least helped gamblers trying to decipher between ethnicities.

If you plan on watching the CBS reality show this fall - and, of course, wager on it - here are the opening lines on which team will finish first:

The Asian Americans: 13/7
The Hispanics: 3/1
The African-American: 7/3
The Whites: 3/2

The odds, however, on host Jeff Probst and first-season winner, Richard Hatch, hooking up were not posted.

This is shocking.

The decision by CBS to segregate this year's tribes on Survivor according to their ethnicity is now going over well with, well, almost everyone.

The most vocal critics of the move so far are groups of New York City officials and civil rights advocates. They've blasted the announcement, claiming the producers' decision to pit blacks, whites, Asians and Hispanics against each other during the early rounds of the show would only promote divisiveness among competitors and viewers alike.

"This idea is so ill-conceived that it would be funny - but for the fact that racism does still sometimes rear its ugly head," city councilman John Liu said at a press conference Friday. "This show has the potential to set back our nation's race relations by 50 years."

How do you realy feel, Mr. Liu? Safe to say you won't be watching Survivor: Cook Island, huh? He stopped short of blaming Mel Gibson for everything, but did continue:

"No where else do we tolerate racial segregation and we certainly won't stand for it in this battle-of-the-races scheme to prop up sagging television ratings."

Ratings for Survivor, however, haven't really been sagging. Jeff Probst and company claim this decision was simply a response to criticism the show has received for lacking diversity.

So why not go in the opposite direction entirely, apparently?!? Let's rev up those racial engines. The move seems akin to telling Ashlee Simpson she's thin ... and watching her go on an all-McDonald's diet to get healthy.

Liu claimed the show's divisive premise would do nothing but promote the spread of negative stereotypes based on the actions of the different tribes, something that - just two days after the announcement - is already an issue.

After all, listen to Rush Limbaugh (please, we don't want to have to do it). On his radio show this week, the conservative host hid his feelings on the topic less well than Jon Stewart hides his disdain for President Bush on The Daily Show.

Hispanics, Limbaugh said, "have shown a remarkable ability to cross borders" and "will do things other people won't do." Asians, moreover, are "the best at espionage, keeping secrets." Blacks "lack buoyancy" and are "more likely to drown," while the white man's burden will weigh down the last team with "guilt over the fact that they run things."

It's incredibly easy hard to argue with any of those points. The racism excitement begins on Survivor: Cook Islands on September 14!

As popular as Survivor has been over the years, the reality show has always suffered from one criticism: a lack of diversity.

That shouldn't exactly be a problem on the latest edition, Survivor: Cook Islands. Contestants will be divided by ethnicity. When it premieres September 14, the latest version of the CBS hit will feature 20 castaways divided into four tribes: black, white, Asian and Latino.

"We're going to take some heat for it," says creator and executive producer Mark Burnett of the twist, which was announced Wednesday morning. "But it's a great cast."

Host Jeff Probst is certainly on board (although he's paid to be)

"Some people will think this is controversial. Others will think, 'What's the big deal?'" Probst told People. "Either way, it's going to be very interesting."

True. Of course, the performance of Kevin Federline was also "interesting."

Along with the usual real estate agents and struggling actors, the cast of characters competing for the $1 million purse this time around includes a heavy-metal guitarist, a female police officer who has been shot in the line of duty, a Vietnam War refugee who manages a nail salon and a gay fashion director for a denim company.

Only two of the Survivor's 12 winners so far have been minorities. As a result, Burnett says the show "has taken a lot of flack."

But Probst says the main reason for the Emmy-winning show's largely white complexion was a dearth of minority applicants.

"Most of the people who apply are white," he says. "That's just a fact."

ill this experiment pay off? It will certainly garner even more ratings for television's top reality show. Call us crazy, but CBS may have been planning on that, as well, with this idea.

Evidently, winning Survivor doesn't equip you for every life situation. Just ask Richard Hatch.

The first ever winner of everyone's favorite reality show was convicted by a federal jury in January of failing to pay taxes on the prize and other income. He was sentenced in May to 51 months in prison by a judge who said the reality TV star had repeatedly lied on the witness stand.

After arriving at the minimum-security facility in Morgantown on July 25, Hatch has - shockingly - taken a lot of time getting used to his surroundings. For starters, he has to wear clothes.

"I'm doing lots of intake stuff, like clothing and getting to know the place ... but I don't think I will adjust to any of this until I can prove I was unethically prosecuted," he said.

Hatch said he'll be tutoring inmates, helping them to earn their GEDs and hone their job-hunting skills.

"Sure, people know my name ... there are 1,300-plus inmates who think they know me, so it's an interesting experience," he said. "They all have questions want to know what this experience is like and what Survivor was about."

The sole survivor also said he's working on a book detailing his experiences. Maybe Janice Dickson, another reality tv stalwart, is doing the same thing. That would be one hideous looking tome!

Surviving on bugs and coconuts? No problem for Richard Hatch.

Getting by on bread and water? The initial winner of Survivor will soon find out if that's something he can handle.

Hatch has been sent to a federal prison in Oklahoma to serves a 51-month sentence for failing to pay taxes on the $1 million he won on the debut season American's favorite reality show.

Originally, Hatch was being held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts; reasons for the transfer were not given.

Reasons why he strode around the CBS island naked all the time were also kept quiet.

The 45-year old was conviced by a federal jury in January of failing to pay taxes on the Survivor prize and other income. He was sentenced in May to 51 months in prison by a judge who said the reality TV star had lied repeatedly on the witness stand.

He would prefer to serve his sentence near family in Rhode Island or in Florida, said his lawyer, Michael Minns.

"He should be in a camp," Minns said. "The camps are the most comfortable of the uncomfortable. They are still jails, but they get to see the sky and be outside. It's bad for Richard, who is an outdoor person."

That is too bad for Richard. Perhaps he should have thought about how prisons were mostly indoors when he broke the law.